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{{Short description|Character in comics by Harvey Comics}}
{{Comiccharacterbox<!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProjectComics-->
{{Other uses|Dot (disambiguation){{!}}Dot}}
|image=]
{{Infobox comics character
⚫ |caption=Cover of Little Dot Dotland #46 drawn by ]
⚫ | character_name = Little Dot
|comic_color=background:#ff9900
| image = Litdot.jpg
⚫ |character_name=Little Dot
⚫ | caption = Cover of ''Little Dot Dotland'' #46 (Aug. 1970), drawn by ].
|publisher=] | publisher = ]
|debut=] Comics #1, September 1949 | debut = ''] Comics'' #1 (1949)
|creators= ], ] | creators = ] (writer)<br />Vic Herman (artist)
|full_name=Dot Polka | full_name = Little Dot Polka
|species = | species = Human
|status=
|affiliations=] | alliances = ]
| powers = Dottiness, Love of Dots
|relatives=]
| module = {{infobox comic book title | subbox = yes | italic title = no
|powers=
| title = Little Dot
| publisher = Harvey Comics
| schedule = Monthly
| format = ]
| issues = ''Little Dot'': 164<br />''Little Dot Dotland'': 62
| main_char_team = Little Dot, Peter Polka (father), Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts
| ongoing = y
| genre = ]
| startyr = 1953
| endyr = 1973
| startmo = Sept.
| endmo = Sept.
}} }}
}}
'''Little Dot''' is a ] character published by ] about a little girl who is obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects. She was created in 1949 by writer ] and artist Vic Herman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/herman_vic.htm|title=Vic Herman}}</ref>


== Publication history ==
'''Little Dot''' was a ] character published by ] between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. A little girl obsessed with ]s, spots, and round, colorful objects, she first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in ] and by 1953 was given her own series, joining Harvey's growing cast of child-oriented comedy characters. The title lasted almost three decades and introduced several other popular headliners (including ] and ]) as back page fillers. Another spinoff title which ran for thirteen years was ''Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts'', about the adventures of Dot's impossibly extended family, each with an obsessive interest of their own. Dot first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in Sad Sack Comics, Humphrey Comics and Little Max Comics. Until August 1953 (issue date) she was referred to as "Li'l Dot". In September 1953, she was given her own series named Little Dot, drawn by Steve Muffati, joining Harvey's growing cast of child-oriented comedy characters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schelly |first1=William |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s |date=2013 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=9781605490540 |page=61}}</ref> The title lasted almost three decades between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. Dot introduced several other popular headliners (including ] and ]) as back page fillers. Another spin-off title which ran for thirteen years was ''Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts'', about the adventures of Dot's impossibly extended family, each with an obsessive interest or quirky personality trait of their own.


⚫ Like most of the so-called "Harvey Girls", appearing also in the '']'' title, Dot reached her peak between the mid-1950s and the late 1960s, eventually eclipsing Little Audrey in terms of sales. Her popularity began to wane during the 1970s as an industry-wide distribution slump began forcing child-oriented comics off the newsstands. Dot's eponymous title stalled between 1982 and 1986, before being permanently discontinued in 1994.
⚫ A number of sources - including Don Markstein's ] - have described Little Dot as a 'one note character,' citing the strip's apparent reliance on formulaic gags and repetitious images (ie. Dot's dots). This is something of an over-simplification; in her original conception, Little Dot was simply a nick-name and her stories involved a considerable amount of slapstick humor and domestic comedy. The character's signature theme only became apparent in 1953, after she was redesigned to conform to the company's emerging house style. Consequently, as Dot became a virtual clone of Famous Studio's ] (which Harvey was licencing at the time), the 'Dotty' aspect was emphasized so that the two characters wouldn't appear too similar (Markstein, ).


⚫ Apart from the main title, ''Little Dot'', the main character's screwball relatives proved popular enough to rate their own series: two issues of ''Harvey Hits'' in 1958 (#s 4 and 13); and a "king-sized" comic titled ''Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts'', published for 52 issues between 1961 and 1974.
⚫ Dot's obsessive nature presaged the development of Harvey's quirky child-friendly characters, many of which deviated from the Audrey model by incorporating fantasy elements (], ]), or oddball behavior (]). On the other hand, generation-based humor always played an important role in Little Dot's storylines. Like her in-house contemporaries, Dot frequently found herself at odds with parents, teachers and other representatives of DotTown's adult population. In addition, Dot made regular crossovers with Little Lotta from the beginning of the sixties, usually with disastrous consequences (although Dot's fixation and Lotta's insatiable appetite often played only a peripheral role in such pairings).


== Character ==
⚫ Like most of the so-called "Harvey Girls", Dot reached her peak between the mid-fifties and the late sixties, eventually eclipsing ] in terms of sales. Her popularity began to wane during the 1970s as an industry-wide distribution slump began forcing child-oriented comics off the newsstands. Dot's eponymous title stalled between 1982 and 1986, before being permanently discontinued in 1994. Unlike many Harvey properties, she was never adapted into animated form, but the character continues to live on in merchandise such as ]s and a 2003 maquette statue - most probably for copyright purposes.
{{multiple image
| width = 150
| image1 = LilDot001.jpg
| alt1 = Li'l Dot
| image2 = LittleDot002.jpg
| alt2 = Li'l Dot
| footer = ''Li'l Dot'', the late '40s precursor to Little Dot. Created by cartoonist Vic Herman, the back page filler focused mostly on situation comedy.
}}
⚫ Little Dot (real name Dorothy Polka) was a "one-note character" with a reliance on formulaic gags and repetitious images (i.e. Dot's dots). Her stories also involved a considerable amount of slapstick humor and domestic comedy. The character's signature theme only became apparent in 1953, after she was redesigned to conform to the company's emerging house style. Consequently, as Dot became a virtual clone of ]' ] (which Harvey was licensing at the time), the 'Dotty' aspect was emphasized so that the two characters wouldn't appear too similar.<ref>Markstein, Don. , Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Dec. 12, 2011.</ref>


⚫ Dot's obsessive nature presaged the development of Harvey's quirky child-friendly characters, many of which deviated from the Audrey model by incorporating fantasy elements (], ]), or oddball behavior (]). On the other hand, generation-based humor always played an important role in Little Dot's storylines. Like her in-house contemporaries, Dot frequently found herself at odds with parents, teachers and other representatives of Bonnie Dell's adult population. Frequent plotlines involved her parents or teachers, who are annoyed with her obsession with dots, trying to trick her into giving up her dot addiction and catching it themselves. Another recurring story source is her numerous aunts and uncles who have myriad eccentricities that Dot has to deal with. In addition, Dot made regular crossovers with ] from the beginning of the sixties, usually with disastrous consequences (although Dot's fixation and Lotta's insatiable appetite often played only a peripheral role in such pairings). She and Lotta are classmates with ].<ref>"The Talking Dots", ''Richie Rich Millions'' #25, October 1967.</ref>
==Trivia==

*Dot's surname is Polka.
== References ==
⚫ *Dot's screwball relatives proved popular enough to rate their own series: three issues of ''Harvey Hits'' in 1957, '58 and '59; and a "king-sized" comic titled ''Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts,'' published between 1961 and 1974.
{{reflist}}
*Dot was one of several 'Harvey Girls' to appear in the ] Girlfriends title.
*On an episode of '']'', Marge suggested Bart rip off Little Dot when he had to create a cartoon character for class, thinking no one would remember Little Dot.


==External links== ==External links==
* * {{official website|http://www.classicmedia.tv/harvey/characters/dot.html}} {{dead link|date=September 2015}}
* *
* *


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Latest revision as of 09:14, 11 November 2024

Character in comics by Harvey Comics For other uses, see Dot. Comics character
Little Dot
Cover of Little Dot Dotland #46 (Aug. 1970), drawn by Warren Kremer.
Publication information
PublisherHarvey Comics
First appearanceSad Sack Comics #1 (1949)
Created byAlfred Harvey (writer)
Vic Herman (artist)
In-story information
Full nameLittle Dot Polka
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsLittle Lotta
AbilitiesDottiness, Love of Dots
Little Dot
Publication information
PublisherHarvey Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
GenreHumor
Publication dateSept. 1953 – Sept. 1973
No. of issuesLittle Dot: 164
Little Dot Dotland: 62
Main character(s)Little Dot, Peter Polka (father), Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts

Little Dot is a comic book character published by Harvey Comics about a little girl who is obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects. She was created in 1949 by writer Alfred Harvey and artist Vic Herman.

Publication history

Dot first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in Sad Sack Comics, Humphrey Comics and Little Max Comics. Until August 1953 (issue date) she was referred to as "Li'l Dot". In September 1953, she was given her own series named Little Dot, drawn by Steve Muffati, joining Harvey's growing cast of child-oriented comedy characters. The title lasted almost three decades between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. Dot introduced several other popular headliners (including Little Lotta and Richie Rich) as back page fillers. Another spin-off title which ran for thirteen years was Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts, about the adventures of Dot's impossibly extended family, each with an obsessive interest or quirky personality trait of their own.

Like most of the so-called "Harvey Girls", appearing also in the Richie Rich Girlfriends title, Dot reached her peak between the mid-1950s and the late 1960s, eventually eclipsing Little Audrey in terms of sales. Her popularity began to wane during the 1970s as an industry-wide distribution slump began forcing child-oriented comics off the newsstands. Dot's eponymous title stalled between 1982 and 1986, before being permanently discontinued in 1994.

Apart from the main title, Little Dot, the main character's screwball relatives proved popular enough to rate their own series: two issues of Harvey Hits in 1958 (#s 4 and 13); and a "king-sized" comic titled Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts, published for 52 issues between 1961 and 1974.

Character

Li'l DotLi'l DotLi'l Dot, the late '40s precursor to Little Dot. Created by cartoonist Vic Herman, the back page filler focused mostly on situation comedy.

Little Dot (real name Dorothy Polka) was a "one-note character" with a reliance on formulaic gags and repetitious images (i.e. Dot's dots). Her stories also involved a considerable amount of slapstick humor and domestic comedy. The character's signature theme only became apparent in 1953, after she was redesigned to conform to the company's emerging house style. Consequently, as Dot became a virtual clone of Famous Studios' Little Audrey (which Harvey was licensing at the time), the 'Dotty' aspect was emphasized so that the two characters wouldn't appear too similar.

Dot's obsessive nature presaged the development of Harvey's quirky child-friendly characters, many of which deviated from the Audrey model by incorporating fantasy elements (Hot Stuff, Spooky), or oddball behavior (Little Lotta). On the other hand, generation-based humor always played an important role in Little Dot's storylines. Like her in-house contemporaries, Dot frequently found herself at odds with parents, teachers and other representatives of Bonnie Dell's adult population. Frequent plotlines involved her parents or teachers, who are annoyed with her obsession with dots, trying to trick her into giving up her dot addiction and catching it themselves. Another recurring story source is her numerous aunts and uncles who have myriad eccentricities that Dot has to deal with. In addition, Dot made regular crossovers with Little Lotta from the beginning of the sixties, usually with disastrous consequences (although Dot's fixation and Lotta's insatiable appetite often played only a peripheral role in such pairings). She and Lotta are classmates with Richie Rich.

References

  1. "Vic Herman".
  2. Schelly, William (2013). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 9781605490540.
  3. Markstein, Don. "Little Dot", Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Dec. 12, 2011.
  4. "The Talking Dots", Richie Rich Millions #25, October 1967.

External links

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