Tag: Harriet

Losing Track

Programming note: SoSF’s 7th Anniversary draws nigh! In honor of the occasion, we’ve brought back the “randomized page headers” that were such a hit a year ago. Enjoy, and stay tuned for an anniversary giveaway! Stay Funky.


The series of inconvenient events continues as Dinkle and Dinklette must travel somewhere outside of Westview to a town that still has a post office. And what at what post office/bureau of motor vehicles/doctor’s office/retail store/fitness center/old folks home in the Funkiverse are you not greeted by a miserable, sarcastic, unattractive person who proceeds to insult you to your face?

A.K.A. El Dinko

In the Funkiverse, camera tripods were never invented. Harry sits for the obligatory passport photo, and Harriet finally gets to open that frog mouth of hers. If you asked me to imagine what a “drug overlord” looks like, I wouldn’t immediately picture a white-haired, unshaven, scowling septuagenarian, but the syndicate probably thought “another photo of you that looks a little less like a child molester” was a bit too edgy.

Symphonic Sweet

Having established an theme for the week, the cartoonist must next come up with five, maybe six more strips to move the story forward. Since Dinkle’s already been honored with an eponymous line of marching band shoes (in real life!), having a candy bar named after him seems like a natural. But the “Harry L. Dinkle Raisin the Bar“? Well, there are some confections that combine chocolate and raisins; throw in peanuts and you’ve got the delicious Chunky bar. But “raisin bar” suggests a baked treat, not a candy bar. And while hitting a sales record does indeed constitute “raisin[g] the bar”, you’d think recognition of Dinkle’s “career in music” would merit some kind of musical play on words.

Harry and the Chocolate Factory

Just as he’s outstayed his welcome around the halls of Westview High, Dinkle has lingered way too long in Funky Winkerbean, Act III. I’d supposed Harry went around giving “band candy motivational speeches” to fellow music educators or Becky’s current students simply as a way to keep busy, but it turns out he’s a compensated shill for Big Chocolate. He rushes home to share his big news with his wife Harriet (we must assume that’s Harriet, though she now looks like a 53 year old, instead of someone who’s been married 53 years).

Gingivibrato

Harriet Dinkle, an unseen character throughout Act I, gets lots of panel time in today’s strip. I am pretty sure she had more lines back when she was drawn like a Peanuts adult, though, and the adults in Peanuts never had to put up with jokes at the expense of people who have crooked or no teeth.

Oh look, it’s raining, like it did at every single one of the Battle Of The Bands that Dinkle conducted. This running gag is more of a crawling gag these days.

One last thought here, should I be concerned that my iPad’s Autocomplete recognizes the word “Batiukmobiles”?

I hope everyone here has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Thanks for putting up with me for the last couple weeks. The great beckoningchasm takes over tomorrow, on Memorial Day proper, always a big day for this strip…