Doonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau,
popular in the United States and other parts of
the world. The title comes from the name of one of
the main characters, Michael Doonesbury, a
character Trudeau originally modeled after
himself. The character's name is a combination of
the word doone — 1960s prep school slang for
"someone unafraid to appear foolish" — with the
surname of the roommate who was given that
nickname, Charles Pillsbury.

History
The comic strip was a continuation of Bull Tales,
which appeared in the Yale University student
newspaper the Yale Daily News beginning September
1968. It focused on local campus events at Yale.
The executive editor of the paper in the late
1960s, Reed Hundt, who later served as the
chairman of the FCC, noted that the Daily News had
a flexible policy about publishing cartoons: "We
publish[ed] pretty much anything."

As Doonesbury, the strip debuted as a daily strip
in about two dozen newspapers on October 26, 1970,
the first strip from the Universal Press
Syndicate. A Sunday strip began on March 21, 1971.
It became well known for its social and political
(usually liberal) commentary, always timely, and
peppered with wry and ironic humor. It is
presently syndicated in approximately 1,400
newspapers worldwide. The decision, on September
12, 2005 to drop Doonesbury from The Guardian (UK)
was reversed less than 24 hours later, after the
strip's followers voiced strong discontent.

Like Little Orphan Annie and Pogo before it,
Doonesbury blurred the distinction between
editorial cartoon and the funny pages. In 1975,
the strip won Trudeau a Pulitzer Prize for
Editorial Cartooning, the first strip cartoon to
be so honored. President Gerald Ford acknowledged
the stature of the comic strip in the 1970s,
saying "There are only three major vehicles to
keep us informed as to what is going on in
Washington: the electronic media, the print media,
and Doonesbury — not necessarily in that order."

The strip underwent a significant change after
Trudeau returned to it from a 22 month hiatus
(from January 1983 to October 1984), during which
he helped create a Doonesbury Broadway production.
Before the break in the strip, the characters were
eternal college students, living in a commune
together near an unnamed university modelled after
Trudeau's alma mater. When the strip resumed, the
main characters had all graduated (this event took
place in the play), most had moved, and Michael
had married his girlfriend JJ. Since then, the
main characters' age and career development has
tracked that of standard media portrayals of baby
boomers, with jobs in advertising, law
enforcement, and the dot-com boom.


Characteristic style
Even though Doonesbury frequently features major
real-life US politicians, they are rarely depicted
with their real face. Instead, personal symbols
reflecting some aspect of their character are
used. For example, since the Vice Presidency of
George H. W. Bush, members of the Bush family have
been depicted as invisible. George H. W. Bush is
depicted as completely invisible. This was
originally a reference to the then Vice
President's perceived low profile and his denials
of knowledge of the Iran-Contra Affair. (It should
be noted that in one strip (20 March 1988) the
vice president almost materialized, but only made
it to an outline before reverting to
invisibility.) President George W. Bush was later
symbolized by a Stetson hat atop a giant asterisk
(a la Roger Maris), because he was Governor of
Texas prior to his presidency (Trudeau accused him
of being "all hat and no cattle.") and also due
to the controversy surrounding the 2000
presidential elections. Later, President Bush's
symbol was changed to a Roman military helmet
(again, atop an asterisk) representing
imperialism. Towards the end of his first term,
the helmet became battered, with the giltwork
starting to come off and with clumps of bristles
missing from the top. Other notable symbols
include a waffle for Bill Clinton, an unexploded
(but sometimes lit) bomb for Newt Gingrich, a
feather for Dan Quayle and most recently a giant
hand for Arnold Schwarzenegger (who is addressed
by other characters as "Herr Gropenführer").

The unnamed college attended by the main
characters was later given the name "Walden
College," was revealed to be in Connecticut (the
same state as Yale), and was depicted devolving
into a third-rate institution under the weight of
grade inflation, slipping academic standards, and
the end of tenure, issues that Trudeau has
consistently revisited since the early 90s. Many
of the second generation of Doonesbury characters
are attending Walden, a venue Trudeau uses to
advance his concerns about slipping academic
standards in America.

Trudeau also delighted and intrigued readers by
displaying fluency in various forms of jargon,
including that of real estate agents, flight
attendants, computer nerds, journalists,
presidential aides, and soldiers in Iraq. Before
the invasion of Iraq, many Doonesbury-watchers
agreed that Trudeau seemed to be losing his edge,
but the strips since then have been seen by some
as a return to form.

The comic has also taken the form of a stage show
and an animated tv special. Doonesbury has
occasionally been called The Great American Novel
of the late 20th century.


Major characters
Mike Doonesbury - Ex-advertising man and
co-founder of a software start-up; ex-husband of
JJ, husband of Kim, dad to Alex. 
Mark Slackmeyer - Former campus revolutionary
turned radio commentator, and one of several
openly gay characters in the strip. 
B.D. - Husband of Boopsie. A reservist and veteran
of Vietnam and both Gulf Wars, he lost a leg in
Iraq. Known for his conservative views and (until
21 April 2004) wearing a series of helmets
(originally football helmets, and later desert
camouflage, riot gear, and California Highway
Patrol). Even Boopsie doesn't know what 'B.D.'
stands for (maybe nothing - he has stated that his
last name is "D"). The character was originally
inspired by Brian Dowling, the captain of Yale's
football team in 1968. 
Zonker Harris - Stereotypical hippie turned
ennobled lord, professional tanner, med student,
Lieutenant Governor of Samoa, and occasional
nanny. After his campaign to enable public access
to some of California's beaches, a beach access
road in Malibu was named in his honor. 
Joanie Caucus - Ex-housewife and "libbie" who
met Mike and Mark on the road, went to law school,
and worked with Mike on the John Anderson
campaign. Married to journalist Rick Redfern. 
J.J. Caucus - Daughter of Joanie (JJ is 'Joan
Junior'), who married Mike, left him for Zeke,
and later won a MacArthur Fellowship. Performance
artist. Mother of Alex Doonesbury. 
Zeke Brenner - Former caretaker for Duke's house.
He married JJ on the second try. 
Kim Rosenthal - Jewish-raised Vietnamese orphan,
uber-geek and Mike's second wife. Turned down a
Doctorate in Computer Science at MIT because it
was "too easy". 
Alex Doonesbury - Teenage daughter of Mike and
J.J. who now lives with her father and Kim. More
or less a liberal foil for her more moderate
father. 
Jimmy Thudpucker - Overnight success as a rock
star at 19. Later caught politics and moved to
Vietnam. Modelled partially on Bob Dylan. 
Barbara Ann Boopstein (Boopsie) - Cheerleader
turned actress, model, New Age channeler, and
generic starlet. She is married to B.D.; they have
a daughter named Samantha. 
Zipper Harris - Zonker's nephew and current
Walden undergraduate. 
Phred - The Viet Cong "terrorist" who B.D.
befriended when lost in Vietnam, later Vietnamese
delegate to the United Nations, last seen working
for Nike in Vietnam. 
Roland Burton Hedley, III - Former print
journalist (to use that term generously), moved to
television and then the Internet. 
Jeff Redfern - Joanie and Rick's son. Is
currently attending Walden, and is an intern for
the Central Intelligence Agency. 
Uncle Duke, "Uncle" of Zonker, former Rolling
Stone writer, governor of American Samoa and
ambassador, once the self-proclaimed proconsul of
Iraq, and is now the mayor of a city in that
country. He has also been a drug smuggler (and
heavy user), an enemy of John Denver, toady to
Donald Trump, and a zombie. His character was
initially based on Gonzo journalist Hunter S.
Thompson. Duke is said to be "Like Forrest
Gump's evil twin." 

Other characters
Honey Huan, Duke's constant companion - Inspired
by Tang Wensheng (Mao's interpreter when meeting
with Nixon) and partially Marcie of Peanuts. 
Lacey Davenport, Republican U.S. Congresswoman,
now deceased - Heavily based on Millicent Fenwick.

Phil Slackmeyer - Father of Mark. A wealthy,
conservative, corporate businessman. He died in
2003. 
Ron Headrest, computer-generated alter ego of
President Reagan - Composite of Max Headroom and
Ronald Reagan. A similar caricature of Reagan
appeared briefly in the film Back to the Future
Part II. 
Rev. Scott Sloan, chaplain at Walden - Named for
Rev. William "Scotty" McLennan, Jr., Trudeau's
undergraduate roommate, and Rev. William Sloane
Coffin, Yale's chaplain while Trudeau was there.

President King, the president of Walden College -
Based on Kingman Brewster, Jr., president of Yale
when Trudeau was a student. (Indeed, the same
character appeared in Bull Tales more directly as
Brewster.) 
Mr. Butts, hallucinatory walking, talking
cigarette - Represents Tobacco industry. 
Donald Trump, the greedy, rich man many would say
he is in real life. 
Andy Lippincott - Joanie fell in love with him,
but on a date, he revealed that he was gay. Was
later diagnosed with and died of AIDS. 
Mini-D, the small man who sometimes pops out of
Duke's head (via a flip-top scalp) when Duke is
stoned. Based on "Mini-Me" from the Austin
Powers movies. 
In addition, many other minor characters have
graced the series, serving a variety of functions
from radio announcers to teenagers to waitstaff
and with a wide range of ages and characteristics
(male / female, young / old, gay / straight etc),
often wryly commenting on social issues.


Milestones
Doonesbury delved into a number of political and
social issues, causing controversies, and breaking
new ground on the comics pages. Among the
milestones:

A November 1972 strip depicting Zonker telling a
little boy in a sandbox a fairy tale ending in the
protagonist being awarded "his weight in fine,
uncut Turkish hashish" raises an uproar. 
During the Watergate scandal, one strip showed
Mark on the radio with a "Watergate profile" of
John Mitchell, declaring him "Guilty! Guilty,
guilty, guilty!!"; it caused a number of
newspapers, including the Washington Post, to
remove the strip. 
In June 1973, the military newspaper Stars and
Stripes drops Doonesbury for being too political.
The strip is quickly reinstated after hundreds of
protests by readers. 
September 1973: the Lincoln Journal becomes the
first newspaper to move Doonesbury to its
editorial page. 
In February 1976, Andy Lippincott, a classmate of
Joanie's who she falls in love with, turns out to
be gay. The Miami Herald decides they aren't
"ready for homosexuality in a comic strip." 
In November 1976, when the storyline included the
blossoming romance of Rick Redfern and Joanie
Caucus, four days of strips were devoted to a
transition from one apartment to another, ending
with a view of the two together in bed. Again, the
strip was removed from the comics pages of a
number of newspapers. 
In June 1978, one strip included a coupon listing
various politicians and dollar amounts allegedly
taken from Korean lobbyists, to be clipped and
glued to a postcard to be sent to the Speaker of
the House Tip O'Neill, resulting in an overflow
of mail to the Speaker's office. 
From January 1983 through September 1984, the
strip was not published so that Trudeau could
bring the strip to Broadway. 
In June 1985, a series of strips includes photos
of Frank Sinatra associated with a number of
people with mafia connections, one alongside text
from President Ronald Reagan's speech awarding
Sinatra the Medal of Freedom. 
In January 1987, politicians are again declared
"Guilty, guilty, guilty". This time it is Donald
Regan, John Poindexter and Oliver North, referring
to their roles in the Iran-Contra Affair. 
In June 1989, several days comics (which had
already been drawn and written) had to be replaced
with repeats, due to the humor of the strips being
considered in bad taste in light of the mass
murder of democracy demonstators in Tiananmen
Square in Beijing, China. 
In May 1990, the storyline included the death due
to AIDS of Andy Lippincott. 
In November 1991, a series of strips implies that
former Vice-President Dan Quayle has connections
with drug-dealers. 
In December 1992, Working Woman magazine names two
characters (Joanie Caucus and Lacey Davenport) as
role models for women. 
In March 1995, John McCain denounces Trudeau on
the floor of the Senate, "hold[ing] him in utter
contempt" for a strip about Bob Dole's strategy
of exploiting his war record in his presidential
campaign. 
Later in 1995 Mark, a gay character from the
strip, was seen in the final days of Berke
Breathed's comic Outland heading off with a main
character from that series, the
previously-heterosexual Steve Dallas. 
In February 1998, a strip dealing with Bill
Clinton's sex scandal was removed from the comics
pages of a number of newspapers because it
included the phrases "oral sex" and
"semen-streaked dress". 
In November 2000, a strip was not run in some
newspapers when Presidential candidate Duke says
of George W. Bush: "He's got a history of
alcohol abuse and cocaine." 
In September 2001, a strip perpetuated the
Internet hoax that claimed George W. Bush had the
lowest IQ of any president in the last 50 years,
half that of Bill Clinton. When caught repeating
the hoax, Trudeau apologized for "unsettling
anyone who was under the impression that the
President is, in fact, quite intelligent." 
In 2003 a cartoon that publicised the recent
medical discovery that masturbation reduces the
risk of colon cancer, alluding to masturbation as
"self-dating", was not run in many papers. 
February 2004: Trudeau used his strip to make the
apparently genuine offer of $10,000 for anyone who
can personally confirm that George W. Bush was
actually present during a part of his service in
the National Guard. As of 2005, the offer remains
unclaimed. 
April 2004: On April 21, after nearly 34 years,
readers finally saw B.D.'s head without some sort
of helmet. In the same strip, it was revealed that
he had lost a leg in the U.S.-led occupation of
Iraq. Later that month, after awakening and
discovering his new impairment, B.D. exclaims
"SON OF A BITCH!!!" The single strip was removed
from many papers. 
May 2004: two Sunday strips are published
containing only the names of soldiers killed in
the War in Iraq. 
7 March 2005: Begins serial memorializing the
death of Hunter S. Thompson. 
July 2005: Several newspapers decline to run two
strips in which George W. Bush refers to his
adviser Karl Rove as "Turd Blossom," a nickname
Bush has been reported to use for Rove. 

Censorship
Conservatives have long called for the censorship
of Doonesbury. For example, when Lacy Davenport's
husband, in the last moments before his death,
calls on God, several conservative pundits,
apparently not understanding the context, called
the strip blasphemous.

When Doonesbury ran the names of soldiers who had
died in Iraq, conservative commentators accused
Garry Trudeau of using the American dead to make a
profit for himself, and again demanded that the
strip be removed from newspapers.

After many letter writing campaigns demanding the
removal of the strip were unsuccessful,
conservatives changed their tactics, and instead
of writing to newspaper editors, they began
writing to one of the printers who prints the
color Sunday comics. In 2005, Continental Features
gave in to their demands, and refused to continue
printing the Sunday Doonesbury, causing it to
disappear from the 38 Sunday papers that
Continental Features printed. Of the 38, only one
newspaper The Anniston Star in Anniston, Alabama,
continued to carry the Sunday Doonesbury, though
of necessity in black and white.