Patsy and Hedy: Career Girls!

Oh my, look what dusty floppy comic book was hidden on one of our spinner racks at the Schulz Library! And is that the official seal of approval by the Comics Code? I know that MUST be true considering this comic was about women vying for a man’s affection and as soon as a job is threatened one turns to another man for help. Our protagonists, Patsy and Hedy work together at a newspaper and both go gaga over Ted Trent, their boss, even though Patsy has a boyfriend named Buzz (this is important much, much later). Don’t worry though, Hedy has a plan to keep Patsy’s hands off of Ted.

I won’t begrudge the comic itself for long, it did allow lots of girls and boys to send in their own designs for outfits and hairdos, cutting down on actual work for the cartoonist!

It’s like a letters column but for artwork! The Patsy, Hedys and Millie the Models gave way to Betty and Veronica, Cheryl Blossom and, of course, Josie and the Pussie Cats. I know my eight year-old self sent in dresses, of a mermaid tail variety, over and over into those companies.

So Hedy get an ol’ blonde friend of Ted’s hired by the magazine because Hedy thinks she’ll move on in to replace Patsy as Ted’s arm candy. Hedy turns out to be dead wrong when Sandy ends up getting Hedy’s job assignments! Luckily, Dad is mighty powerful with vague European connections.

Now Patsy just seems to lounge about a lot in clothes called ‘Truffles and Ruffle” but after her spin-off Patsy Walker outlived Patsy and Hedy, she found her true career calling in 1976 as HELLCAT. Creator, Ruth Atkinson, who also drew Millie the Model decided it was time for Patsy to marry Buzz (also known as Mad-Dog) and get to business.

The ass-kicking kind.

Not much is known about what happened to Hedy after Patsy left her but boy, could she sport some amazing hairdos! Just like the outfits, readers of the comic sent in their own towering coiffures.

A little more research showed that Hedy’s Hairdos are now the home to the Ostrow Institute for Pain Management, possibly do to years of sleeping with curlers in your hair.

But before you close that comic for good, take a gander at those amazing ads! They offer so much for so little.

You know, I didn’t think an ad run in a publication 47 years ago would honor their prices but BOY HOWDY, did they! The only problem was the company only had enough Formula #77 for one hand so I foolishly chose my non-drawing hand aka the erasing hand aka my left hand and applied. Drumroll, please….

Ta-Da! AMAZING! Check out more comics about career-driven gals at a store near you.

–Jen Vaughn