The shmoo (plural: shmoos , also shmoon ) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip Li'l Abner on August 31, 1948. The character created a fad that lasted into the 1950s, including merchandise, songs, fan clubs, and appearances on magazine covers. The parable of the shmoo has been interpreted in many different ways, both at the time and in later analysis.
59-423: A shmoo physically resembles a bowling pin with stubby legs. It has smooth skin, eyebrows, and sparse whiskers—but no arms, nose, or ears. Its feet are short and round, but dexterous, as the shmoo's comic book adventures make clear. It has a rich gamut of facial expressions and often expresses love by exuding hearts over its head. Cartoonist Al Capp ascribed to the shmoo the following curious characteristics: In
118-909: A Time cover story. They also garnered nearly a full page of coverage (under "Economics") in the Time International section. Major articles also ran in Newsweek , Life , The New Republic , and countless other publications and newspapers. Virtually overnight, as a Life headline put it, "The U.S. Becomes Shmoo-Struck!" Shmoo dolls, clocks, watches, jewelry, earmuffs, wallpaper, fishing lures, air fresheners, soap, ice cream, balloons, ashtrays, toys, games, Halloween masks, salt and pepper shakers, decals, pinbacks, tumblers, coin banks, greeting cards, planters, neckties, suspenders, belts, curtains, fountain pens, and other shmoo paraphernalia were produced. A garment factory in Baltimore turned out
177-618: A cream cheese base. Gil Marks traces the origin of the New York-style or Jewish cheesecake in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine to the 1930s, made famous in such establishments as Reuben's Restaurant and kosher-style Jewish deli Lindy's , opened by German-Jewish immigrant Leo Lindermann in 1921. Earlier cheese pie recipes called for cottage cheese . Cream cheese was invented in 1872 and made its way into American Jewish cuisine by 1929 according to Arnold Reuben, owner of
236-399: A Shmoo... I didn't have any message—except that it's good to be alive. The Shmoo didn't have any social significance; it is simply a juicy li'l critter that gives milk and lays eggs... When you look at one as though you'd like to eat it, it dies of sheer ecstasy. And if one really loves you, it'll lay you a cheesecake —although this is quite a strain on its li'l innards... I thought it was
295-461: A complete collection of all five original Shmoo Comics , from 1949 and 1950. The book was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2008. Kitchen edited a second Shmoo-related volume for Dark Horse in 2011, on the history of the character in newspaper strips, collectibles, and memorabilia. Recordings and published sheet music related to the Shmoos include: Originally, shmoos were meant to be included in
354-621: A crust or base. Cheesecake comes in a variety of styles based on region: One popular variant of cheesecake in South Africa is made with whipped cream, cream cheese, gelatin for the filling, and a buttered digestive biscuit crust. It is not baked, and is sometimes made with Amarula liqueur. This variant is very similar to British cheesecake. This cheesecake is more common in British South African communities . Japanese cheesecake , or soufflé-style or cotton cheesecake,
413-412: A flat base for setting, usually made of wood (esp. maple) standing between 9 and 16 inches (23 and 41cm) tall. Some have interior voids to adjust weight and balance. Pins are coated with plastic and painted, by convention mostly white with (usually) transaxial red stripes or other markings around the neck or middle (candlepins). Sets of pins, usually 5, 9, or 10 in a triangular arrangement, are the target of
472-696: A liquorice sauce, which Lawson included in her recipe. In 2021, Basque cheesecake was widely shared on Instagram and became "ubiquitous" in the UK. In 2023, the British restaurant critic Jay Rayner complained that Basque cheesecake had become overabundant in London. Crostata di ricotta is a traditional Italian baked cheesecake made with ricotta cheese, chocolate chips and eggs. Many cakes and desserts are filled with ricotta, like cassata Siciliana and pastiera Napoletana. The Krakow cheesecake ("sernik Krakowski")
531-430: A naked, heavily bearded old man who shepherds the shmoos, Abner befriends the strange and charming creatures. "Shmoos", the old man warns, "is the greatest menace to hoomanity th' world has evah known!" "Thass becuz they is so bad, huh?" asks Li'l Abner. "No, stupid ", answers the man. "It's because they's so good!! ". Having discovered their value ("Wif these around, nobody won't nevah havta work no more!!"), Abner leads
590-560: A perfectly ordinary little story, but when it appeared in newspapers, all hell broke loose! Life , in an editorial, hailed the Shmoo as the very symbol and spirit of free enterprise . Time said I'd invented a new era of enlightened management-employee relationship, (they called it Capp -italism). The Daily Worker cussed me out as a Tool of the Bosses, and denounced the Shmoo as the Opium of
649-453: A sequence beginning in late August 1948, Li'l Abner discovers the shmoos when he ventures into the forbidden "Valley of the Shmoon" following the mysterious and musical sound they make (from which their name derives). Abner is thrown off a cliff and into the valley below by a primitive "large gal" (as he addresses her), whose job is to guard the valley. There, against the frantic protestations of
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#1732802179729708-400: A short-lived puppet series that aired on NBC-TV in 1952. After Capp's death in 1979, the Shmoo gained its own animated series as part of Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo , which consisted of reruns of The New Fred and Barney Show mixed with the Shmoo's own cartoons; despite the title the two sets of characters didn't directly "meet" within the show. The characters did meet, however, in
767-892: A whole line of shmoo apparel, including "Shmooveralls". In 1948, people danced to the Shmoo Rhumba and the Shmoo Polka . The Shmoo briefly entered everyday language through such phrases as "What's Shmoo?" and "Happy Shmoo Year!" Close to a hundred licensed shmoo products from 75 different manufacturers were produced in less than a year, some of which sold five million units each. In a single year, shmoo merchandise generated more than $ 25 million in sales in 1948 dollars (equivalent to $ 317 million in 2023). There had never previously been anything like it. Comparisons to contemporary cultural phenomena are inevitable. But modern crazes are almost always due to massive marketing campaigns by large media corporations, and are generally aimed at
826-436: Is a dessert made with a soft fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese , cream cheese , quark or ricotta ), eggs , and sugar . It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies (or digestive biscuits ), graham crackers , pastry , or sometimes sponge cake . Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked, and is usually served chilled. Vanilla , spices , lemon , chocolate , pumpkin , or other flavors may be added to
885-423: Is a baked cream cheese version that is firm on the outside with a soft and creamy texture on the inside. These cheesecakes are often made in a greased cake pan and are relatively fluffy in texture. The crust used with this style of cheesecake is most commonly made from shortbread that is crushed and mixed with sugar and butter. Some frozen cheesecakes are Chicago-style. New York–style or Jewish-style cheesecake uses
944-477: Is a baked variety that uses quark or cottage cheese . Swiss Chäschüechli ( ramequin in French-speaking parts of the country) are small cheesecake tartlets, savory rather than sweet. The United States has several different recipes for cheesecake and this usually depends on the region in which the cake is baked, as well as the cultural background of the person baking it. Chicago-style cheesecake
1003-502: Is a savoury form, containing smoked salmon . It is most frequently served as an appetizer or a buffet item. A smoked salmon cheesecake was a prize-winning recipe in 1996 in Better Homes and Gardens ' Prize Tested Recipe Contest. The recipe called for the use of Swiss cheese along with the more usual (for cheesecakes) ricotta . Cheesecakes can be broadly categorized into two basic types: baked and unbaked. Some do not have
1062-559: Is by the Greek physician Aegimus (5th century BCE), who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes ( πλακουντοποιικόν σύγγραμμα — plakountopoiikon sungramma ). The earliest extant cheesecake recipes are found in Cato the Elder 's De Agri Cultura , which includes recipes for three cakes for religious uses: libum , savillum and placenta . Of the three, placenta cake
1121-400: Is comparable to duckpins. Similar to five-pin bowling , these pins have strings attached on top of each, which connects them to the pinsetter . Bowling pins are constructed by gluing blocks of rock maple wood into the approximate shape, and then turning on a lathe . After the lathe shapes the pin, it is coated with a plastic material, painted, and covered with a glossy finish. Because of
1180-469: Is heavier and creamier; other dairymen came up with similar creations independently. Modern cheesecake comes in two different types. Along with the baked cheesecake, some cheesecakes are made with uncooked cream cheese on a crumbled-cookie or graham cracker base. This type of cheesecake was invented in the United States. Modern cheesecake is not usually classified as an actual " cake ", despite
1239-582: Is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar, and eggs, and has a characteristically wobbly, airy texture, similar to chiffon cake . No-bake cheesecakes are known as rare cheesecake (Japanese: レアチーズケーキ). The most prominent version of cheesecake in the Philippines is ube cheesecake . It is made with a base of crushed graham crackers and an upper layer of cream cheese and ube halaya (mashed purple yam with milk, sugar, and butter). It can be prepared baked or simply refrigerated. Like other ube desserts in
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#17328021797291298-625: Is one!!" The Shmoo, any literate person must know, was one of history's most brilliant utopian satires. "Capp is at his allegorical best in the epics of the Shmoos, and later, the Kigmies", wrote comic strip historian Jerry Robinson (in The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art , 1974). "Shmoos are the world's most amiable creatures, supplying all man's needs. Like a fertility myth gone berserk, they reproduced so prodigiously they threatened to wreck
1357-506: Is the most like modern cheesecakes: having a crust that is separately prepared and baked. A more modern version called a sambocade , made with elderflower and rose water , is found in Forme of Cury , an English cookbook from 1390. On this basis, the English chef Heston Blumenthal argues that cheesecake is an English invention. The English name cheesecake has been used only since
1416-407: Is thickened with blanched almonds , eggs and cream, and the cakes may have included currants , brandy , raisin wine , nutmeg and orange flower water . Modern commercial American cream cheese was developed in 1872, when William Lawrence, from Chester, New York , was searching for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese Neufchâtel . He discovered a way of making an "unripened cheese" that
1475-693: The bowling ball in various bowling games including tenpins , five-pins , duckpins and candlepins . Pin specifications are set by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). World Bowling, formerly World Tenpin Bowling Association, has adopted the USBC specifications. Pins are 15 inches (380 mm) tall, 4.75 inches (121 mm) wide at their widest point, and weigh 3 pounds 8 ounces (1.6 kilograms) ±2 ounces (0.057 kilograms). The first British made tenpin
1534-445: The 15th century, and the cheesecake did not evolve into its modern form until somewhere around the 18th century. Europeans began removing yeast and adding beaten eggs to the cheesecake instead. With the overpowering yeast flavor gone, the result tasted more like a dessert treat. The early 19th-century cheesecake recipes in A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell are made with cheese curd and fresh butter. One version
1593-405: The 1956 Broadway Li'l Abner musical , employing stage puppetry . Reportedly, the idea was abandoned in the development stage by the producers, however, for reasons of practicality. A variation of the character had appeared earlier as a marionette puppet on television. "Shmoozer", a talking shmoo with an anthropomorphic human body, was a recurring sidekick character on Fearless Fosdick ,
1652-410: The 21st Century. During the remainder of his life, Capp was seldom interviewed without reference to the nature of the Shmoo story. The mythic tale ends on a deliberately ironic note. Shmoos are officially declared a menace, and systematically hunted down and slaughtered—because they were deemed "bad for business". The much-copied story line was a parable that was interpreted in many different ways at
1711-592: The American way . Capp caught flak from both sides. For him it was an apolitical morality tale about human nature ... I think [the Shmoo] was one of those bursts of genius. He was a genius, there's no question about that." The Shmoo inspired hundreds of "Shmoo clubs" all over North America. College students—who had made Capp's invented idea of the Sadie Hawkins dance a universally adopted tradition—flocked to
1770-592: The Masses ... Capp introduced many other allegorical creatures in Li'l Abner over the years—including Bald Iggles , Kigmies, Nogoodniks, Mimikniks, the Money Ha-Ha, Shminks, Abominable Snow-Hams, Gobbleglops, Shtunks and Bashful Bulganiks, among others. Each one highlighted another disquieting facet of human nature—but none have ever had quite the same cultural impact as the Shmoo. According to publisher Denis Kitchen: "For
1829-578: The Philippines, it is characteristically purple in color. Basque cheesecake, composed of burnt custard and no crust, was created in 1990 by Santiago Rivera of the La Viña restaurant in the Basque Country , Spain. It achieved popularity online in the 2010s, helped by a recipe published by the British food writer Nigella Lawson . The Spanish chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho serves hers with
Shmoo - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-571: The Shmoo as well. One school, the University of Bridgeport , even launched the "American Society for the Advancement of the Shmoo" in early 1949. Of course, it was merchandised to death. I think they even had shmoo toilet seats. An unexpected—and virtually unprecedented—postwar merchandising phenomenon followed Capp's introduction of the Shmoo in Li'l Abner . As in the strip, shmoos suddenly appeared to be everywhere in 1949 and 1950—including
1947-414: The USBC to plan additional testing to determine whether a scoring conversion should be created between the categories. String pinsetters are less expensive and easier to maintain, motivating bowling centers to phase them in. Duckpins are shorter and squatter than standard tenpins. Canadian fivepins are between duckpins and tenpins in size, but have a thick, inch-wide rubber band around the widest part of
2006-513: The bond's unveiling ceremony. The Life and Times of the Shmoo (1948), a paperback collection of the original sequence, was a bestseller for Simon & Schuster and became the first cartoon book to achieve serious literary attention. Distributed to small town magazine racks, it sold 700,000 copies in its first year of publication alone. It was reviewed coast to coast alongside Dwight Eisenhower 's Crusade in Europe (the other big publication at
2065-492: The character as an (inexplicably) shape-shifting mascot of Mighty Mysteries Comics, a group of teens who solve Scooby-Doo -like mysteries. In this series the Shmoo could metamorphose magically into any shape at will — like Tom Terrific . None of these revisionist revivals of the venerable character was particularly successful. The term "shmoo" has entered the English language, defining highly technical concepts in at least four separate fields of science : Applied conversely,
2124-504: The comic plot twist.) When "he" is caught by "her", in accordance with the rules of the race, they are joined in marriage by Marryin' Sam (whom they "pay" with a dozen eggs, two pounds of butter, and six cupcakes with chocolate frosting—all of which Sam reckons to be worth about 98 cents in 1948). The already expanding shmoo family is last seen returning toward the Valley of the Shmoon. The sequence, which ended just before Christmas of 1948,
2183-404: The early 1980s Flintstones spin-off The Flintstone Comedy Show . The Shmoo appeared, incongruously, in the segment Bedrock Cops as a police officer alongside part-time officers Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble . Needless to add, this Shmoo had little relationship to the L'il Abner character, other than a superficial appearance. A later Hanna-Barbera venture, The New Shmoo , featured
2242-491: The economy"—if not western civilization as we know it, and ultimately society itself. Superficially, the Shmoo story concerns a cuddly creature that desires nothing more than to be a boon to humans. Although initially Capp denied or avoided discussion of any satirical intentions ("If the Shmoo fits", he proclaimed, "wear it!"), he was widely seen to be using clever subtext . The story has social , ethical , and philosophical implications that continue to invite analysis into
2301-600: The face of the Children's Savings Bond , issued by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1949. The valid document was colorfully illustrated with Capp's character, and promoted by the Federal Government of the United States with a $ 16 million advertising campaign budget. According to one article at the time, the Shmoo showed "Thrift, loyalty, trust, duty, truth, and common cents [that] add up to aid to his nation". Al Capp accompanied President Harry S. Truman at
2360-403: The main cheese layer. Additional flavors and visual appeal may be added by topping the finished dessert with fruit , whipped cream , nuts , cookies, fruit sauce , chocolate syrup , or other ingredients. An ancient form of cheesecake may have been a popular dish in ancient Greece even prior to Romans' adoption of it with the conquest of Greece. The earliest attested mention of a cheesecake
2419-425: The name (compare with Boston cream "pie" ). Some people classify it as a torte due to the usage of many eggs , which are the sole source of leavening , as a key factor. Others find compelling evidence that it is a custard pie , based on the overall structure, with the separate crust, the soft filling, and the absence of flour. Other sources identify it as a flan , or tart . Smoked salmon cheesecake
Shmoo - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-470: The name). Unlike other bowling pins, because they are vertically symmetrical, candlepins may be set on either end. Due to their width and construction, candlepins tends to produce a billiard ball -like sound when struck. Pins used in the German bowling game kegel appears to combine the design of tenpins and duckpins. The overall shape of the pin resembles a standard ten-pin bowling pins, and its small size
2537-460: The necessities o' life!! They complained 'bout mah prices befo'!! Wait'll they see th' new ones!!". The exterminator congratulates him. However, it is soon discovered that Abner has secretly saved two shmoos, a "boy" and a "girl". The boy shmoo, as a Dogpatch native, is required to run from the girl shmoo in the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race. (Shmoos usually are portrayed as gender-neutral, although Capp sidesteps this issue for this sequence to allow
2596-480: The observation that shmue was a taboo Yiddish term for the uterus . It is one of many Yiddish slang variations that would find their way into Li'l Abner . Revealing an important key to the story, Al Capp wrote that the Shmoo metaphorically represented the limitless bounty of the Earth in all its richness—in essence, Mother Nature herself. In Li'l Abner's words, "Shmoos hain't make believe. The hull [whole] earth
2655-520: The origin of the Shmoo in a wryly satirical article, "I Don't Like Shmoos", in Cosmopolitan (June 1949): I was driving from New York City to my farm in New Hampshire . The top of my car was down, and on either side of me I could see the lush and lovely New England countryside... It was the good earth at its generous summertime best, offering gifts to all. And the thought that came to me
2714-459: The outset of the Cold War . Al Capp was even invited to go on a radio show to debate socialist Norman Thomas on the effect of the Shmoo on modern capitalism . "After it came out both the left and the right attacked the Shmoo", according to publisher Denis Kitchen . " Communists thought he was making fun of socialism and Marxism . The right wing thought he was making fun of capitalism and
2773-453: The pin to increase pin action when struck. Candlepins are dissimilar to the others, being the tallest of all at 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 inches (40 cm), but only 2 + 15 ⁄ 16 inches (7.5 cm) wide and 2 lb 8 oz (1.1 kg) in weight, each pin nearly matching the maximum weight of a candlepin ball. They are nearly cylindrical in shape with a slight taper toward either end, making them vaguely resemble candles (hence
2832-487: The rest of his career Capp got countless letters [from] people begging him to bring the Shmoo back. Periodically he would do it but each time it ended the same way—with the Shmoo being too good for humanity, and he had to essentially exterminate them again. But there was always one or two who would survive for future plot twists..." The origin of Capp's word "shmoo" has been the subject of linguistic consideration by scholars for decades. It has been speculated by that shmoo
2891-481: The scarcity of suitable wood, bowling pins can be made from approved synthetics. Currently there are synthetic pins sanctioned for play in five-pin, duckpin, and candlepin. There is one synthetic ten pin model approved by the USBC. When hit by the ball, synthetic pins usually sound different from wooden pins. Juggling clubs could be mistaken for bowling pins due to their similar shape. The two differ greatly in construction and weight. Cheesecake Cheesecake
2950-491: The shmoo has been cited as a hypothetical example of the potential falsifiability of natural selection as a key driving mechanism of biological evolution . That is, such a poorly adapted species could not possibly evolve via natural selection, so if it were to exist, it would falsify the theory. Bowling pin Bowling pins (historically also known as skittles or kegels ) are upright elongated solids of rotation with
3009-561: The shmoo's providential characteristics (providing eggs and milk) in arguing his hypothesis, further explaining that in Yiddish schmu specifically connoted "illicit profit", and that the word also giving rise to term schmus ‘tale, gossip’, whose verb form schmusen or ‘shmoosing’ ( schmooze ) has become familiar even to non-Jews. Lilian Mermin Feinsilver assessed this association with shmu ‘illicit profit’ as "pertinent", together with
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#17328021797293068-545: The shmoos out of the valley—where they become a sensation in Dogpatch and, quickly, the rest of the world. Captains of industry such as J. Roaringham Fatback, the "Pork King", become alarmed as sales of nearly all products decline, and in a series of images reminiscent of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 , the "Shmoo Crisis" unfolds. On Fatback's orders, a corrupt exterminator orders out "Shmooicide Squads" to wipe out
3127-421: The shmoos with a variety of firearms, which is depicted in a macabre and comically graphic sequence, with a tearful Li'l Abner misguidedly saluting the supposed "authority" of the extermination squads. After the shmoos have been eliminated, Dogpatch's extortionate grocer Soft-Hearted John is seen cackling as he displays his wares—rotting meat and produce: "Now them mizzuble starvin' rats has t'come crawlin t'me fo'
3186-455: The time). The original book and its sequel, The Return of the Shmoo (1959), have been collected in print many times since—most recently in 2002—always to high sales figures. There was also a separate line of comic books , Al Capp's Shmoo Comics (featuring Washable Jones), published by the Capp family-owned Toby Press . Comics historian and Li'l Abner expert Denis Kitchen recently edited
3245-426: The youth market. The Shmoo phenomenon arose immediately, spontaneously and solely from cartoonist Al Capp's daily comic strip—and it appealed widely to Americans of all ages. Forty million people read the original 1948 Shmoo story, and Capp's already considerable readership roughly doubled following the overwhelming success of the Shmoo... The Shmoo was so popular it even replaced Walt Disney 's Mickey Mouse as
3304-419: Was a thinly veiled phallic symbol , and that the name derives from Yiddish schmuck ( schmo ) meaning ‘male genitalia’ or a ‘fool, contemptuous person’ ( Arthur Asa Berger and Allan H. Orrick of Johns Hopkins ). Even prior to these two academics, Thomas Pyles ( U. Florida ) had favored the shmuck etymology over the derivation from the Yiddish schmu (‘profit’), suggested by Leo Spitzer . Spitzer noted
3363-505: Was by H Massil and sons who received the permit no.1 from the British Tenpin Bowling Association (BTBA) The USBC indicated that, effective August 1, 2023, it is certifying string pinsetters and string pin bowling as an independent category of equipment and competition separate from conventional free-fall pinsetters . USBC lab data indicated strike percentage on string pin bowling is 7.1% lower, causing
3422-457: Was massively popular, both as a commentary on the state of society and a classic allegory of greed and corruption tarnishing all that is good and innocent in the world. The Shmoo caused an unexpected national sensation, and set the stage for a major licensing phenomenon. In their very few subsequent appearances in Li'l Abner , shmoos also are identified by the U.S. military as a major threat to national security . Al Capp offered his version of
3481-428: Was this: Here we have this great and good and generous thing—the Earth. It's eager to give us everything we need. All we have to do is just let it alone, just be happy with it. Cartoonists don't think like people. They think in pictures. Little pictures that will fit into a comic strip. And so, in my mind, I reduced the Earth... down to the size of a small critter that would fit into the Li'l Abner strip—and it came out
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