Happy Birthday, Muley! 40 Years Young!!

Back in 1979, I created a dumb looking dog, and then let it start walking up-right.  There were two or three drawings for this dog - a buddy to an idiot dog named Spike.  At my Papa Roy and Granny Ethel's house over New Year's Eve leading into 1980, I pulled out my drawing paper, and drew the character, showed it to Papa Roy who said, "Well, he's Muley lookin', ain't he?"

Wait!  You mean, it's a 'mule' and NOT a dog?  Okay then.

Because this character got Papa and Granny's attention over the other drawings I showed that day, I decided this mule would become MY character, and I named him Muley the Mule, a perpetual 6-year-old (my age when I first drew him s a dog).  Then, I decided it was time to create a collection of characters and to do artwork and comic strips.

This is the earliest Muley art in my collection now: January 1, 1980

Over the years, he's appeared in comic strips, comic books, newspapers, online, and appeared in other publications of his friends and associations, either as a cameo or a background image.

Today, here's how his friends celebrate!  Around a table, snacking, and singing...

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