Nancy is an American daily comic strip that was
most famously written and drawn by Ernie
Bushmiller. The character of Nancy, a precocious,
pre-pubescent little girl, originated in the strip
Fritzi Ritz, about the air-headed flapper title
character. This strip was started in 1922 by Larry
Whittington, and taken over by Bushmiller three
years later. In 1933, Bushmiller introduced her
niece, Nancy, who took over the strip, which was
renamed Nancy in 1938.

Bushmiller refined and simplified his drawing
style over the years to create a uniquely stylized
comic world. The American Heritage Dictionary
illustrates its entry on comic strip with a Nancy
strip. Despite the small size of the reproduction,
both the art and the gag are clear.

Bushmiller won the Reuben Award for Best
Cartoonist of the Year in 1976.

Although Bushmiller passed away in 1982, his strip
continues to the present day, done by different
writers and artists. Since 1995, the strip has
been written and drawn by Guy Gilchrist and Brad
Gilchrist.

Nancy also appeared in comic books, and in three
animated shorts made by the Terrytoons studio in
1942-43: "School Daze," "Nancy's Little
Theater," and "Doing Their Bit."

At its peak in the 1970s, the strip ran in over
880 newspapers.

In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in the
Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative
postage stamps.

Characters
Nancy 
Fritzi Ritz, Nancy's aunt, with whom she lives. 
Sluggo, Nancy's best friend. Sluggo is Nancy's
age and is a poor child from the wrong side of the
tracks. 
Rollo, the rich kid 
Irma, Nancy's friend 
There were also a bevy of various other children
who made semi-regular appearances.


Cultural references
Bushmiller's art work has inspired other
artists.

Nancy was the subject of Andy Warhol's 1961
painting, Nancy. 
Nancy was the subject of several pop art works by
Joe Brainard: 
If Nancy Was an Ashtray, 1972 
If Nancy Was a Boy, 1972 
If Nancy Was a da Vinci Sketch, 1972 
Nancy Diptych, 1974 
If Nancy Was a Painting by de Kooning, 1975 
Cartoonist Bill Griffith has used the characters
and emulated Bushmiller's drawing style
frequently in his own Zippy the Pinhead comic
strip. 
Cartoonist Scott McCloud developed a card game,
5-card Nancy, in which players use random panels
of Nancy to create their own stories. 

Collections
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Nancy:
The Enduring Wisdom of Ernie Bushmiller (1993) 
Nancy's Pets (1991) 
Bums, Beatniks and Hippies, Artists and Con
Artists (1990) 
Nancy Dreams and Schemes (1990) 
How Sluggo Survives (1989) 
Nancy Eats Food (1989) 
The Best of Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy (1988) by
Brian Walker