Comic Feature – Dik Browne Of Hagar The Horrible

Hägar the Horrible is one of the most popular comic strips. Learn more about Richard Arthur “Dik” Browne, the creator of Hägar the Horrible.

Hägar the Horrible broke all records when it was launched on Feb. 4, 1973, becoming the fastest-growing comic strip ever.

“Dik” Browne got his start drawing courtroom sketches for New York newspapers; debuted a military strip, Ginny Jeep, for servicemen after entering the Army in 1942.

Following an advertising stint where he created the Chiquita Banana logo, he was asked to tackle art duties on the 1954 Beetle Bailey spinoff strip Hi and Lois.

When he felt the urge to create his own strip in 1973, Browne thought back to how his children called him “Hägar the Horrible” when he would playfully chase them around the house.

The little red-bearded Viking has appeared in advertisements for IBM, Mug Root Beer, and Skol Ale, and in the opening titles for the TV show “Caroline in the City,” which starred actress Lea Thompson as a successful female cartoonist.

Hagar has appeared on his own CBS special and is featured in Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Toon Lagoon theme park.

The strip now appears in about 1,900 newspapers around the world. It appears in 56 countries and is translated into 12 languages and is now drawn by Dik’s son, Chris Browne. Scroll down to see some classic Hagar the Horrible comics.

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