Obscurity of the Day: Cousin Sammy Green

Continuing with our Philadelphia Record strips, here's an interesting one. As we discussed way back when, Willie Green was the Record's marquee strip - it ran for at least two decades starting in 1907. However, back in the days when cartoonists were allowed vacations, Willie Green cartoonist Harris Brown began occasionally taking time off in 1911. In place of the vacationing Willie Green strip came this strip, Cousin Sammy Green.

Apparently the Record considered Willie Green to be a big draw for their Sunday edition, so the replacement strip, by John F. Hart, was designed to be its doppelganger. The premise was that Willie had a cousin, Sammy, who engaged in the same sort of adventures as did Willie. Sammy would relate his escapades in the form of letters to Willie.

Cousin Willie Green debuted on December 10 1911, and would continue to spell Brown's strip on a regular basis through at least 1916 (the extent of my research thus far).