AACK! After 34 Years, Cathy Comic Strip Bids Farewell

Kansas City, Mo. (August 12, 2010) “ She's been a staple of newspaper comics pages “ and the refrigerator doors of women everywhere “ since her debut in 1976.  In October, Cathy Guisewite's beloved, iconic Cathy comic strip will come to an end.

Universal Uclick has announced that the final daily Cathy comic strip will run in newspapers on October 2, with the final Sunday strip running the next day, on October 3.

The end of the strip comes as Guisewite finds herself longing to spend more time with family and pursue new creative venues.

"After almost 34 years of meeting newspaper deadlines," said Guisewite, "I'm facing some personal deadlines whose requirements simply exceed my ability to procrastinate any longer:  an 18-year-old daughter who needs a full-time mom to help her through her last year of high school and beyond ... beloved parents I want to be able to visit more often : and a creative biological clock, which is urging me to try something else while I can."

Arguably the most influential female character to ever grace the comics page, Cathy has won fans among women of all ages over her three decades of newspaper stardom.  Guisewite's lovable, relatable shopaholic has struggled “ always humorously, of course - with issues including body image, balancing life inside and outside the office, and Cathy's famous "four basic guilt groups": food, Mom, relationships and work.

Lee Salem, president and editor of Universal Uclick, recounted the strip's humble beginnings.

"Cathy Guisewite would send her mother drawings describing the latest trauma in her life as a single young career woman, and in response, her mother urged her to try her hand at a comic strip," said Salem.  "The day the submission arrived in our office, we had a contract out to Cathy in return mail.  Seven months later, the strip began in newspapers."

Though it wasn't an immediate hit, Cathy steadily gained popularity and eventually grew to a client list of 1,400 newspapers.

Along the way the strip picked up numerous awards and acclaim, highlighted by a National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1992 and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 1987.  Cathy comic strips have been collected in more than thirty popular books.

"Cathy has held a distinguished place in newspaper comic sections for more than three decades because of Cathy Guisewite's skillful hand," said Lee Salem.  "Cathy balances truth and humor and speaks to women in a way that few comics have ever attempted.  She is a cultural icon and her strip has earned its place among the modern greats.

"We look forward to continuing our relationship with Cathy Guisewite in her future creative endeavors and offer our congratulations for her monumental success."

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