I recently had the opportunity to catch up on two weeks of our local paper.

I enjoy reading them for bits of information that otherwise would pass me by.

And, of course, I catch up with the comics.

I wrote once before, for a group at the Museum, about how much Sparky enjoyed puns – it tickled his funny bone, and Snoopy is the character in the strip who can get away with these corny jokes.

I suggest two recent daily strips based on Sparky’s puns:

 

Another thing that Museum visitors frequently ask me is, ‘did I ever give Sparky ideas for strips?’

The answer is, ‘no.’

On the other hand, if Sparky heard a phrase that caught his fancy, it would often end up in the strip.

In August 1976, Sparky used a phrase I had explained that came from my grandmother as a cautionary note about manners when dining at someone’s home.

(Now, remember, this comes from Victorian times.)

My grandmother said when dining at someone’s home, one should leave a little food on the plate, lest the hostess, seeing a completely cleaned plate, may fear that she has not provided a sufficient meal.

That was ‘leaving something for Mr. Manners.’

I don’t have any idea how long this phrase may have stewed in Sparky’s mind, but eventually, he found a way to use it in the strip.

It amuses me every time I see it because I wonder how many readers will recognize the phrase.

—Jean Schulz