What’s in a name?

[mondhasen]

Or in a title?

A twitter friend posted another fur’s tweet about this book, titling it “My people!” The other fur had only commented “It’s us”

Comments

[schnee]

Heh! That's cute, yes - a blast from a past that was, in its way, more innocent than the present.

[mondhasen]

I’ve only skimmed some of the poems, and had to smile at the one with the bicycles- there’s an ‘oh, right’ moment :o)

[schnee]

Just read it - definitely a cute poem. I'm a little dismayed that it's the wolf of all animals that apparently "falls and breaks his bones", though. Poor fella!

[sunfire]

Wow! That title really says it all! How times have truly changed! LOL

[mondhasen]

Truly funny :D

[whitetail]

Thank you for the link to the digital copy.

I believe Palmer Cox was first author of the term 'funny animals'.

1888. The year my grandmother was born...

[mondhasen]

You’re welcome :o) The site has two other books on the Queer People series: birds/bees and fictional beasts.

Cox Palmer is more we’ll known to me for his classic Brownie illustrations. He does have a Funny Animal book, c. 1890, on the digital site, but there is also another, older book from 1867 by a different author there. Palmer may have popularized the term, though.

I was thinking of my grandparents as well, all born around 1880! I have here an old ‘book for boys’ from around that time that belonged to a great uncle of sorts who drowned as a child in a quarry (I need to re-research this). He received the book that Christmas and died shortly after.

[whitetail]

there is also another, older book from 1867 by a different author

Interesting! That's *old* old. I'd really like to get to the bottom of where/when this term originated.

[mondhasen]

I'm surprised at the age of the term. I always considered it a 1940's comic book thing. And it's hard to search online due to its common meaning across genres.