A Graduate of Pomona
Skeezix Oil Cloth Doll, c. 1922
The introduction of the door-step baby, Skeezix, as a character in February 1921 resulted in newfound popularity for Frank King's comic strip, Gasoline Alley. King and the syndicate for the strip soon began to capitalize on that popularity by licensing the image of the character for a wide variety of toys and other products, including this stuffed, oil cloth doll. Millions of these dolls were sold from about 1922. King became an early practitioner of cross-promotion when he decided to show the doll itself as one of Skeezix' toys in a number of Gasoline Alley comic strips from late 1922 until the middle of the decade, when Skeezix, who aged in real time, became too old to be shown with baby toys. The following two images of Gasoline Alley original art are examples of how clever King was in incorporating the doll into his comic strips.
Skeezix Oil Cloth Doll, c. 1922
The introduction of the door-step baby, Skeezix, as a character in February 1921 resulted in newfound popularity for Frank King's comic strip, Gasoline Alley. King and the syndicate for the strip soon began to capitalize on that popularity by licensing the image of the character for a wide variety of toys and other products, including this stuffed, oil cloth doll. Millions of these dolls were sold from about 1922. King became an early practitioner of cross-promotion when he decided to show the doll itself as one of Skeezix' toys in a number of Gasoline Alley comic strips from late 1922 until the middle of the decade, when Skeezix, who aged in real time, became too old to be shown with baby toys. The following two images of Gasoline Alley original art are examples of how clever King was in incorporating the doll into his comic strips.