Saturday, July 8th, 2023 would have been Bill Bickel’s 68th birthday; therefore: in his absence, and in his honor: Mazel tov! (מזל טוב)
Bill’s own tradition for the occasion was to create an elaborate “24-Hour Project”, with a new CIDU post timed to appear every hour throughout the day. Partly because these birthday comics are not CIDUs, but mostly because it would have been far too much effort just for a little structural nostalgia, this entire collection has been gathered into a single list (but is divided into appropriate categories).
If you have a favorite birthday comic, please feel free to add it in a comment!
The “featured image” at the top of this post shows Albert, Porky Pine, Beauregard Bugleboy, Bun Rab, Pogo, and Howland Owl doing a “Birthday Dance”, but the anonymous bug appended to the right isn’t actually singing: he appeared in a series of memorial tributes that Walt Kelly drew in the 1950s for his daughter Kathryn Barbara, who died shortly before she would have had a chance to enjoy her first birthday cake. Given that we are celebrating the birthday of a dearly beloved, but departed friend, I thought the image was very appropriate. For more information, see the Daily Cartoonist’s article about the Day of the Little Angels.
P.S. I would like to thank all of the CIDU Editors for their input, assistance, and constructive suggestions, but especially Phil, who took my rough template and laid the foundation for a much better design (and he also documented all the author and strip names in the tags).
The first Peanuts strip in this collection doesn’t fit into any category, because it has a singular “birthday” significance; it was originally published on Friday, July 8th, 1955 (the day that Bill Bickel was born):
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/01_pe550708.gif?w=900)
Schulz never depicted any adults (and only very rarely mentioned any of the parents) in Peanuts.
Remembering
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/02_db710910.gif?w=900)
With a few notable exceptions, this 1971 strip predates almost everything in this collection by more than two decades.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/03_ma181219.gif?w=450)
…even if he did rip the flower right out of her own garden. (Note: other than Stahler’s “pickleball” comic from 2023, this 2018 Marmaduke is the newest item in this entire collection.)
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/04_pb110226.gif?w=900)
He should be comforted to learn just how much Rat thinks of him.
Cakes & Cards
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05_gf030723.jpg?w=730)
That cake must have been pretty tough to hold together like that.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/06_of110121.gif?w=450)
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/07_pe771024.gif?w=900)
Snoopy suffered a whole series of cat attacks in the 1970s, but this was one of the best.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/08_wiz030130.gif?w=600)
For Bill we would need a pair of 34s, or (more likely) a 50 and an 18.
Parties
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/09_ch870123.gif?w=900)
Only the Peanuts and Doonesbury strips are older than this Calvin & Hobbes strip.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/10_of090721.gif?w=450)
Does this mean that they would rather celebrate the day he got laid?
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/11_pe510517.gif?w=900)
This Peanuts strip (from 1951) is the only one in this collection that predates Bill’s birth.
Presents
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/12_cap030131.gif?w=600)
Apparently Andy had already quit smoking 20 years ago, but he and Flo were still indulging in violent spouse abuse.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/13_gf031013.jpg?w=730)
Bill had trouble understanding feline behavior, so this might have been a CIDU for him.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/14_ga050617.gif?w=600)
Garfield only rarely acts like a real cat, so Bill wouldn’t have any trouble here.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/15_hm030728.gif?w=450)
After all that trouble to escape, even his visit is no longer a surprise.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/16_lio100707.gif?w=1024)
Color might have made this “Liō” strip easier to understand (each stack should be a different pastel shade), but Tatulli may have been going for the “dawning realization” effect.
Geezerhood
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/17_dr110509.gif?w=1024)
If you cannot move the ball, just change the position of the goal posts.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/18_ga100616.gif?w=900)
One of the many running gags in Garfield is that he hates birthdays.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/25_mc230701.gif?w=450)
This appeared just in time to be included here; it’s also the only comic in this memorial collection that was published within the last three years (in other words: since Bill passed away).
Technology
This category seems more tragic than funny.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/19_dsh141117.gif?w=900)
Mobile telephones can generate automatic reminders, so nobody really has to bother remembering birthdays any more.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/20_hf150329.jpg?w=900)
This is the only Sunday strip in this collection.
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/21_luc070711.gif?w=900)
This 2007 strip predates the widespread availability of 3D printing technology.
Mortality
These three comics complement the previous memorial post (September 16th, 2022).
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/22_gw100917.gif?w=900)
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_co171117.gif?w=450)
![](https://cidu.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/24_nq940618.gif?w=600)
See also: https://cidu.info/2023/09/16/in-memoriam-bill-bickel/
P.P.S. Remember: if you have a favorite comic to help celebrate Bill’s birthday, please feel free to include it in a comment!
With “laid” underlined, I thought it was a link. I had a fun few seconds speculating on what you were going to hyperlink from that word.
Ear hair … um, Garfield is a cat. Hair loss on the ears would be more of an issue.
Happy Birthday Bill!
https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2010/06/06
Thanks, Maggie – Let’s embed that here to save everyone the link:
Here’s something CIDUBill posted every summer.
All this also serves to remind us of how blessed we are to have you folks spending so many hours keeping CIDU alive. Thank you.
Nice post Boise Ed. I agree!
Yes; thanks to those of you who stepped up to do that!
P.P.P.S. Thanks to everyone here for the contributions, gracious sentiments, and just for reading all of it.
A happy birthday to Bill!
And my thanks to you for keeping us going!
Earlier today I happened to discover that Snoopy had at least a temporary armistice with the cat:
P.S. That Peanuts strip was published just a few days before the 60th anniversary of the “Christmas truce” that occurred during the first World War.
Here’s a Herman comic that didn’t quite make it into the top-25 for this post:
Today (Sept. 16th, 2023) is the third anniversary of CIDU Bill’s passing:
[…] Kilby on Birthday Memorial for CIDU… […]
“Schulz never showed, and only very rarely mentioned any of the parents in Peanuts.”
Man, I hate to admit it but that missing comma really threw me. I was all, “Why would Charles Shultz show [up] for a kid’s birth and why would that kid’s parents be shown in a comic?
@ Drew (15) – I’m not sure where a comma needs to be added, but just to be on the safe side, I would be happy to re-word that sentence.
I think they must mean directly after “mentioned”, so that paired commas set off the phrase as a parenthetical.
@ mitch (17) & Drew (15) – I prefer to use real parentheses for parenthetical clauses, and have updated the text to clarify the intent.
It didn’t actually require rewording. The commas as a pair are optional ; so it would work either to add the closing one or equally to delete the first one.
I use both methods, with specific criteria that I can’t articulate but are obvious to me in the moment.