Polly and Her Pals is an American comic strip, created by cartoonist Cliff Sterrett, which ran from December 4, 1912, until December 7, 1958. It is regarded as one of the most graphically innovative strips of the 20th century. It debuted as Positive Polly on December 4, 1912, in William Randolph Hearst's newspapers, initially the New York Journal, and was later distributed by King Features Syndicate. The title changed to Polly and Her Pals on January 17, 1913. Characters and story Polly Perkins – The nominal star of the strip was a pretty young girl, a flirtatious child of the Suffragette movement and a precursor of the Jazz Age 1920s flappers. Over time, the center of the action changed from Polly to those around her, and thus the title changed to Polly and Her Pals—though the "pals" were in fact members of her family: her parents and cousins. Paw ( Sam'l or Sambo) Perkins – Polly's excitable father, the main character and real star of the strip. Maw (aka Suzie) Perkins – Polly's headstrong mother was the one with common sense, who usually sided with Polly. Ashur Earl Perkins – Staying with them was their dimwitted nephew Ash, a font of bad advice. Carrie – Paw's sister-in-law, a constant house guest (and irritant). Gertrude – Carrie's precocious, spoiled brat of a daughter. Neewah – The family's Japanese houseboy, who mostly did not understand what was going on (or pretended not to). Kitty – An ever-present black housecat, who sometimes played a comic part in the strips. Toppers Dot and Dash An accompanying topper strip, also drawn by Sterrett, was created to run above Polly on Sundays—a pantomime strip called Dot and Dash, which ran from February 21, 1926, to June 24, 1928. Originally titled Damon and Pythias, about the antics of a cat and dog—they became two dogs in 1926. Highlighting Sterrett's panels were oddly stylized backgrounds (trees, houses, windows, staircases), occasionally drawn in a distorted, cubist style. Belles and Wedding Bells Belles and Wedding Bells was another topper created by Sterrett, which ran from June 22, 1930, to 1943. Unlike Dot and Dash, Belles (originally called Sweethearts and Wives) had dialogue, and a constantly changing cast made up of diverse romantic human couples. The strip played up the ironic contrasts between courtship and marriage. Each episode began with a scene of pre-married bliss, followed by an "intermission" panel framed