Library Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Barnaby |
Author |
Crockett Johnson |
Catalog Number |
2020.24.19 |
Object Name |
Microfilm |
Summary |
One night after having been read a fairy tale involving a fairy godmother by his mother, Barnaby Baxter was totally surprised to receive a visit through his bedroom window by the cigar-wielding and pink wings-wearing Jackeen J. (J. J.) O'Malley, who announced that he was Barnaby's fairy godfather. From that moment on, Barnaby began a series of adventures with Mr. O'Malley that frequently got the pair of them into a fair number of scrapes. However, most of them were either of Mr. O'Malley's making or resulted in embarrassment of some sort for the rather clumsy fairy godfather, a member of the Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men's Chowder & Marching Society. However, quite a number of their adventures had surprising results (such as uncovering a gang of criminals hiding their loot in a supposedly haunted house, Barnaby's winning a scrap iron contest while out searching for a leprechaun's pot of gold, and unmasking a spy working in Mr. Baxter's office). Barnaby's parents denied that Mr. O'Malley was real and took Barnaby to a number of child psychologists. This denial continued even when O'Malley was seen flying past their picture window, when he walked into their living room, and even after O'Malley was elected their representative to Congress. As time passed, more characters were added, including: Jane Schultz, the little girl from down the street who originally didn't believe in Mr. O'Malley until she was face to face with him (although her parents, like Barnaby's, didn't believe her); Gorgon, Barnaby's talking dog (who never talked in front of the adults); Gus the timid and glasses-wearing ghost, Atlas the Mental Giant (who was physically Barnaby's size); and Lancelot McSnoyd, the annoying invisible leprechaun who spoke in a Brooklyn accent. The strip ended when Barnaby finally reached his sixth birthday, the magical point beyond which he could no longer have a fairy godfather. With much regret, O'Malley left, and so (after a short-lived attempt in the 1960s to revive the strip by redoing the original stories) did Johnson, to pursue other interests. |
Published Date |
1942 |
Physical Description |
Microfilm on metal reel in round metal can. Labeled with book information both inside and out |
Classification |
Microfilm |
Archive |
https://archive.org/details/pg000076 |