You can’t amuse all of the people all of the time
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, 11/16/04
Do you ever read a comic and get the feeling that you’re just missing something? Like, is there a connection between a stovepipe hat and cleaning a chimney that I’m missing? Is the fact that she’s cleaning the chimney part of the joke, or is it just an arbitrary chore that the artist picked out, and it the strip would be just as “funny” if Maw were sloppin’ the hogs or darnin’ socks or whatever the hell it is she does with her time? Would I get this if I lived in the heartland and actually did an honest day’s work around the house myself, instead of hiring a migrant chimney sweep like the Chardonnay-swilling member of the liberal elite that I am?
Like most Americans — heck, I’ll go out on a limb and say most people — the first thing I think when seeing a hat like that is “Abraham Lincoln.” Maybe it would be funnier if Maw were saving the union or something, though you’d think that being a proponent of the Union cause would get you tarred an’ feathered in place like Hootin’ Holler.
Joe
November 16th, 2004 at 2:11 pm
I believe she’s meant to be a chimney sweep. Sweeps in England wore stovepipe hats. A bit of MARY POPPINS & such.
insomni
November 17th, 2004 at 11:31 am
And who doesn’t laugh at chimney sweep jokes? Especially the ones where non-chimney sweeps like wearing their hats? A staple of good humor. Or humour.
Josh
November 18th, 2004 at 1:04 am
Also, “stovepipe” and “chimney” are kind of like a pun. Or something.
That Maw really likes that HAT!
Mark Jackson
November 19th, 2004 at 1:33 pm
“…tarred an’ feathered in place like Hidden Hollow”? The Smiths live in Hootin’ Holler.
By the way, why did the random local at the door even *have* a top hat to lose?
Mark Jackson
November 19th, 2004 at 4:52 pm
Also, according to the KFS website Hootin’ Holler is in Kentucky, which went for the Union in the Civil War.
steve
January 14th, 2005 at 4:04 pm
I recently hired a professional chimney cleaner, and he showed up at my house wearing one of those hats. I was so stunned I didn’t question him about it.
Friar Tuck
August 1st, 2005 at 9:59 pm
I understand that the “stovepipe” or top hat is a tradition of chimney sweepers.
Holden
December 4th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
O.k., if it’s the guys STUFF, Shouldn’t he get something else. And boy, “I lost my poor hat!”
Joe Honea
August 23rd, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Im a Chimney sweep in South Carolina. The Top Hat and Tails originated in England when the sweeps there asked the morticians for their used ones when they got ragged. Its a tradition that some sweeps still carry. I own a Top Hat and Tails, but usually only use it in parades, or in school programs. Just in case you’re wondering.
Sweeps Luck to You!
Sev
December 10th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
Naw, Hootin’ Holler is in West Virginia or East Kentucky, right? That’s solid Unionist territory.
nemoErensenuT
February 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:
jackson bows
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Its so nice to chat it up with a member of the liberal elite. Ive been a member of the chimney sweeping profession for many years now. Tah Tah for now old friend. Ill see you at the greens old chap. Or perhaps I should hire a bunch of my mexican friends and we can all come pick apples on your land. Sense of humor, perhaps. Pompous, priceless
jackson bows
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Sorry I should at least leave my url
scranton chimney sweep
August 18th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
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stove pipe
October 21st, 2009 at 2:07 pm
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