Date of Issue : 16 September 2011
The world’s first comic strip character, The Yellow Kid, appeared in the “New York World” newspaper in 1896. It was created by freelance illustrator Richard Outcault, the father of American comic strips.
Norway’s first comic strip, Knoll og Tott (The Katzenjammer Kids), was issued in book form in 1911. Norway Post is issuing four stamps to commemorate this Norwegian centenary.
The bird in the nest is a character created by John Arne Sæterøy, under the synonym Jason. His fourteen Mjau mjau (Meow, Baby!) albums contain a variety of animal characters. His drawing style is simple and his characters are usually silent with expressionless faces. However we, the readers, are not silent. We have been chuckling and laughing at comic strips for a hundred years, and we haven’t finished yet!
Hold Brillan (Hold my Glasses) is the main character in Christopher Nielsen’s latest comic strip, Bygdegutar. Julius, a country boy, likes to be called Hold Brillan because he always asks a mate to hold his glasses for him before he gets into a fight. He finds himself participating in a reality series on a tropical island, where the aim is to win the favour of Petra, a sophisticated but spirited woman. Only one Bygdegutar album has been issued so far, but more are expected.
Nemi is the creation of Lise Myhre. This is a humoristic comic strip about a young, black-clad goth/metal girl. Non-committally, with both scorn and self-irony, she comments on the world around her. She made her debut in Larsons gale verden in 1997, first under the name of Den svarte siden (The Black Page). The Nemi strip first appeared on a daily basis in “Dagbladet” in 1999 and has since been issued in magazine and book form in Norway and other European countries.
Pondus is drawn and written by Frode Øverli. This comic strip became known when the “Dagbladet” newspaper started publishing it in 1997. Pondus is a football supporter (Liverpool) and a walking football encyclopaedia. He loves heavy rock, is married to Beate and they have two children, Påsan and Sneipen (Frida). There is plenty of action and the list of characters is long. Close to Pondus is Jokke, his childhood friend and best mate. This strip now appears in more than 130 newspapers and the Pondus comic comes out twelve times a year.
New Norwegian stamps on Music featuring popular female singers
Date of issue : 16 September 2011
Norway Post issued as et of four stamps featuring famous Norwegian singers on 16 September 2011.This beautiful set of stamps on Music depicts black n white profile pictures of the artists as well as their pictures in singing pose !! A nice set of stamps for collectors on Music theme.
Wenche Myhre (b. 1947) had her first big hit in 1962 with Katta vår. She took part in the Norwegian heats for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with La meg være ung. Though only third in the heats, this song was clearly the real winner and became a huge hit. Wenche Myhre soon won international acclaim. She had the honour of representing Germany in the ESC in London in 1968 and started singing with well-known Swedish entertainer Povel Ramel the same year. She has always been very popular in Norway.
Inger Lise Rypdal (b. 1949) started her career at Club 7 in Oslo in 1968. Her two classic songs, Romeo og Julie and Fru Johnsen, were released the same year. Both reached the top of the Norwegian hit lists and are regarded today as milestones in Norwegian pop history. In 1974 she enjoyed success with Benny Borg’s En spennende dag for Josefine, which was top of the hits for many weeks. After that she released fewer records, but did not disappear from the limelight. She has been successful on the stage, in plays and shows, and as an actress in several films.
Mari Boine (b. 1956) released her first album, Jaskatvuoða Maŋŋá, in 1985. Here she calls into question the Læstadian Christian movement amid which she grew up and the discrimination of the Sami minority in Norway. In 1989 she had her great breakthrough with her album Gula Gula. Her music is modern in expression and combines the use of electrical instruments with traditional elements of Sami folk music.
Sissel Kyrkjebø (b. 1969) won her first talent contest at the age of eleven. Three years later she took part in a children’s TV programme, Halvsju, and was soon a familiar face on the TV screen. Her great international breakthrough came in 1986, when she performed during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest final at the Grieg Hall in Bergen. This was followed by records, theatre and film roles and concerts. Internationally, Sissel is best known for having sung the Olympic hymn at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 1994, for the Christmas concerts with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and for having participated in the "soundtrack" for the film Titanic. The music from this movie has sold 30 million copies.
