LITTLE 

ORPHAN ANNIE

Little Orphan Annie is one of the most famous and enduring characters in American popular culture, originating as a long-running newspaper comic strip.

Here is a summary of the character and her franchise:

The Comic Strip

• Creator: Harold Gray (1894–1968).

• Debut: August 5, 1924, in the New York Daily News (syndicated by Tribune Media Services).

• Original Inspiration: The comic's title was inspired by the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, though the story and character were Gray's own creation.

• The Character: Annie is a spunky, self-reliant, and optimistic young orphan with distinctive blank circles for eyes. She is often seen with her dog, Sandy ("Arf!"), and her benefactor, the impossibly wealthy and conservative industrialist, Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks.

• Themes: The strip became known for its strong conservative, pro-capitalist, and anti-New Deal political commentary, reflecting Harold Gray's own views. Annie often found herself in action-adventure scenarios, confronting criminals, corrupt officials, and various villains.

• End Date: The original comic strip run ended on June 13, 2010.

The Franchise

The comic strip's popularity led to a major multimedia franchise that has spanned radio, film, and the stage:

• Radio Show: The "Little Orphan Annie" radio program ran from the 1930s to the 1940s and was hugely popular, becoming one of the oldest children's radio programs in the US.

• Films (Early): Two live-action films were produced in the 1930s, one in 1932 and another in 1938, both based on the comic strip.

• The Musical (Annie): The most famous adaptation is the Broadway musical Annie (1977), which is a separate, although inspired, work. The musical's version of the story is notably sweeter and more optimistic than Harold Gray's comic strip, and it created iconic songs like "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life."

  1. The musical has led to several well-known film adaptations in 1982, 1999, and 2014.

Public Domain

• Little Orphan Annie newspaper strip (1924–1929)

• Little Orphan Annie (1926) – mostly reprinted newspaper strips

• Little Orphan Annie in the Circus (1927) – mostly reprinted newspaper strips

• Little Orphan Annie and the Haunted House (1928) – mostly reprinted newspaper strips

• Little Orphan Annie Bucking the World (1929) – mostly reprinted newspaper strips

• The Adventures of Little Orphan Annie #1–3

• Little Orphan Annie #1–3