Sunday, October 15, 2023
Wish You Were Here, from R.F. Outcault
Here's an Outcault Valentine postcard featuring his character Buddy Tucker. Although Buster Brown was going great guns by 1905, Outcault hedged his bet somewhat by taking this bellboy character from the strip and giving him his own separate berth. The new strip closely mirrored the content of Buster Brown, though Buddy is a much nicer kid. The purpose for it all is a bit murky to me, but the character was marketed pretty intensely to a firmly disinterested public, so maybe Outcault thought he could redouble his success with Buster?
Anyway, since Tucker is not named on this Raphael Tuck card, few postcard collectors realize that this card features Outcault's very own Buster Brown rival, Buddy Tucker. Thanks to Mark Johnson, who scanned it from his collection.
Labels: Wish You Were Here
Or he may have fretted that Buster was a fad destined to fade, like the Yellow Kid before him. Buddy sounds like he was crafted to be more sympathetic and certainly more identifiable than rich prankster Buster. When a bellhop -- a child who has to work -- pulls a prank on the iceman or beat cop, it's more satisfying than a pampered rich kid doing the same. Outcault may even have calculated that a character's likability could extend his shelf life beyond the novelty.
Or he simply hit on a vein of hotel gags that didn't fit Buster.
