If you were a regular reader of the Plain Dealer back in the 1960s, you probably do.
Why, the little elf is none other than Andy, whose syndicated "Ask Andy” column for kids appeared in newspapers across the country. Children were invited to submit questions to Andy about nature, science, astronomy, etc. If their query was selected for the column, they received a prize (usually a set of encyclopedias). The column dates back to the early 1950s and was similar to “Tell Me Why,” which appeared in the Lorain Journal.
(To read a great article about the history of the long-running “Ask Andy” column and Ellen Wales Walpole, the woman behind the column, click here.)
Here’s a promotional piece for “Ask Andy" from the August 5, 1958 Des Moines Tribune about the column’s impending appearance in that paper.
And here’s a sample column from the Los Angeles Times of April 5, 1964 with the more familiar rendering of the helpful elf.
When I was a kid, I used to see (and sometimes read) the "Ask Andy" column in the Plain Dealer. I remember thinking that Andy was just another version of the Cleveland Browns brownie mascot!
And speaking of the Browns, here’s wishing them good luck on Sunday in their game against the Kansas City Chiefs!
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| December 5, 1960 newspaper ad |
I can't imagine that the question "Are sunspots the same as solar prominences?" would attract much readership these days. I don't remember pondering that question back in the 50s either.
ReplyDeleteOn the brighter side, I do remember the "Ask Andy" character fondly, and preferred him to that grinning old salt "Cappy Dick," who suggested odd projects such as making a wallet from old orange rinds and the like.