In 1913 George McManus introduced Jiggs and Maggie. It was an instant hit. Probably because people could relate to the characters.
Jiggs became an instant millionaire when he won a sweepstake. He would rather hang with his old friends and keep his lifestyle the same but his wife, Maggie, has other ideas. She wants to become upper class and wants Jiggs to do the same.
That's the gist of this comic and it makes for some very funny comic strips. They were also featured in Sunday comics and comic books.
The cartoon, while meant to be funny, also shows the conflict between different social classes. Jiggs would rather go to the bar and sit around drinking with his friends. Maggie tries meeting women who are socially high up.
Quite a contrast.
The hilarity, in part, is watching Jiggs try to escape the constant nagging by hiding out at the bar with his friends. How do think that works out for him?
By the way, this comic was also called "bringing Up Father."
I found this piece of information as I was doing some research on these characters:
"A surrealistic running gag throughout the strip, always removed from the main action of the story, involved hanging wall paintings that "come to life", with subjects often "breaking the fourth wall", escaping the confines of the picture frames, or changing position from panel to panel within the same strip. None of the nominal stars of the strip ever seemed to notice the animated figures, or anything unusual happening on the walls in the background directly behind them."
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