Interview with Australia Post: “Celebrating 100 Years of Ginger Meggs”
By Jane Levin
The star of Australia’s longest-running comic strip, “Ginger Meggs”, began life in November 1921 as a side character named Ginger Smith in a strip titled “Gladsome Gladys”, in the pages of Sydney’s Sunday Sun. By April 1922 he had morphed into the leading man – known as Ginger Meggs – the cheeky but loveable, waistcoat-wearing, red-headed, quintessentially Australian rascal.
“Gladsome Gladys” was soon renamed “Us Fellers”, before later becoming “Ginger Meggs”. Soon after Ginger Meggs came into being he was joined by a muff-wearing girlfriend named Minnie Peters – a transformed Gladsome Gladys, whose affections rival Eddie Coogan also sought – and mates Benny and Ocker. Ginge was, and still is, frequently accompanied by two other faithful companions: Mike the dog and Tony the monkey.
“Ginger Meggs” is the most widely syndicated Australian comic strip, having appeared in more than 100 newspapers in more than 30 countries. The stamps in the 100 Years of Ginger Meggs stamp issue, released on 7 September 2021, showcase the work of three of the five cartoonists who have illustrated the comic over the past 100 years.
