Lindsay Dunn and Courtney Jenkins contributed this article to Gemstone’s book The Official Price Guide To Pop Culture Memorabilia (Random House), which is now on sale.

The human-animal bond is a dynamic relationship that has existed for thousands of years. In fact, the human-canine bond is one of the oldest relationships in history, dating back 12,000 years. The transition of a dog from working companion to pet goes back to 600 to 1300 A.D and there is evidence of human-feline bonds that date back 9,500 years ago. Today, the majority of households in America own at least one pet. If one were to ask a dog owner about the health of their canine, most people would say that their dog’s health and well-being is as important to them as their own. There’s no question we humans love our pets, but what is it that bonds us to our animal friends?

Respected veterinarian, re-searcher and co-author of Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship, Dr. Alan Beck wrote, “It is the loving devotion, the soft touch, the constant companionship, the attentive eye, and the uncritical ear of the pet,” that is so attractive to many of us. Pets are not inclined to judge and are uncritically accepting, they give their love whole-heartedly, and are loyal even under the darkest of circumstances. The affection an animal provides is simple, unconditional and uncomplicated. Pets can be playmates and confidants for any age group, and can be life saving companions for those who are disabled. It is because of these qualities that humans and animals have happily co-existed for so many centuries.

Given the many reasons why animals have such appeal to humans, there’s no wonder animals became an important part of pop culture identity. Comic character animals are amusing because creators of the entertainment world give these drawn and made-up animals humanistic personalities and characteristics. What makes animals who behave like humans so entertaining is that it is our furry friends reflecting our own strengths and weaknesses. Over the years, there have been a plethora of cats and dogs whose humorous antics have captured the hearts and imaginations of animal-lovers and entertainment buffs alike. One of the earliest pet cartoon characters was the beloved Krazy Kat, who was followed through history by favorites such as Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Garfield.

Krazy Kat
Created by the prolific humorist George Herriman more than 90 years ago, Krazy Kat has consistently topped polls and was even named the most important comic character by The Comics Journal.

It all started in 1910, with Kokonino Kounty’s Krazy Kat, Ignatz Mouse and Offissa Pupp starring in a series of tales that ran in the space beneath Herriman’s daily strip The Dingbat Family (later called The Family Upstairs). By 1913, Herriman had dropped the Dingbats and expanded the Krazy Kat strip to a daily on its own, followed by a Krazy Kat Sunday page in 1916.

The strip’s title character, Krazy Kat, a cat of indeterminate sex, was deeply smitten with Ignatz Mouse. Krazy’s feelings, however, were not reciprocated, which set the stage for antics galore that usually resulted in Ignatz smacking Krazy’s head with a brick. Krazy consistently took these gestures as signs of affection, which outraged Ignatz all the more and caused Offissa Pupp to keep a special eye on him for Krazy’s sake. Only in Herriman’s world would a mouse so blatantly and fearlessly assault a cat!

Often referred to as the most intellectual comic strip in history, Herriman’s use of language is what gave the strip its tone. He took philosophical concepts and twisted them to fit into the world of his animal characters. Herriman’s artwork was also very stylized and art-deco in appearance, adding to the general sophistication of the strip.

Comic art collectors the world over prize their Krazy Kat originals, which have been called visual poetry. e.e. cummings was one of many literary figures who wrote about Krazy, and a ballet based on the strip was created and staged in New York. It was Herriman’s ingenious use of vocabulary that was primarily responsible for this, along with the huge irony that made every Krazy adventure wonderfully bizarre.

Another factor in Krazy’s popularity was the characters’ presence on the silver screen. While the screen versions carried none of the strip’s wit or subtlety, their mere existence created a better public awareness of the characters. The cartoons first appeared in the late 1910s and had their heyday from 1929 until 1940.

Several manufacturers produced Krazy toys. The most successful was J. Chein. The company seemed to have a good relationship with the company responsible for the Krazy license, King Features, as they also had success with a line of Popeye toys as well. Chein wasn’t limited to just King Features characters, they made everything they could for children: pull toys, tin wind-up ducks, toy drums, globes and pails for the beach or mud pies.

Krazy toys were also manufactured by Knickerbocker, a company especially known for their dolls. They produced some of the most popular and highest quality dolls of their day. In addition to Krazy, they are also responsible for some of the best looking early Disney dolls in the collector’s market.

The toy hobbyist knows that a good looking Krazy doll or toy is a real find. It isn’t often that they come into the marketplace and when they do, they often reach top dollar. George Herriman’s Krazy Kat is still krazy after all these years!

Lassie
An improbable superhero, Lassie, the brown and white collie with the communicative whimper and authoritative bark, showed fearless love and devotion to mankind, as well as to the animal kingdom. Through her exemplary heroism, courage and loyalty, Lassie became the one of the first ever animal rights advocates, elevating people’s perceptions from dogs as mere pets to invaluable members of the family.

Lassie challenged the meaning of the term “man’s best friend.” As a tireless devotee to young male owners like Jeff and Timmy on the television series, Lassie was more accurately “child’s best friend.” The mid-20th century approach to educating children often included animals – plush, animated or live – and for nearly three decades, Lassie was a major proponent of that education.

Though many only associate the compassionate canine with television, Lassie first appeared in print as the protagonist in novelist Eric Knight’s short story, Lassie Come Home. The 1938 story, which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, became a novel, which further explored the premise of a boy’s devotion to his dog—and vice versa.

Following the success of the book, Hollywood took interest in the courageous collie and made Lassie Come Home a 1943 feature film, starring Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor.

Lassie became an icon after “her” (and we use quotes because television’s Lassie was played by more than a half dozen dogs, and none were female) CBS debut on September 12, 1954. Her first family was the Millers: Jeff (played by Tommy Rettig), Ellen (Jan Clayton), and Grandpa (George Cleveland). Eventually, the Millers adopted an adorable boy named Timmy (Jon Provost).

As the series transitioned, the Millers sold their farm—with Timmy on it—to the Martins. Ruth (played both by Cloris Leachman and June Lockhart) and Paul (John Shepodd and Hugh Reilly) took Timmy and Lassie under their wings. Then, the Martins moved to Australia and left their dedicated “girl” with forest rangers Corey Stuart (Robert Bray), Scott Turner (Jed Allan) and Bob Erickson (Jack De Mave). The final season of the series found Lassie aimlessly roaming the world, seeking out friends in need of help and love.

At 17 seasons, Lassie was the longest running half-hour drama in television history. Though the last episode aired in 1971, Lassie’s influence didn’t end there. Throughout the years of her film and television career, she inspired thousands of Americans to purchase collies as pets. She also spawned a cartoon series, Lassie’s Rescue Rangers, which ran from 1973-’75; three decades of comic books; Jeff’s Collie Club; a forest ranger handbook and a host of buttons, badges and fan cards, all of which can be purchased and traded at auctions and collectibles shows today.

Rin Tin Tin
Credited as “the most recognized name in German Shepherd history,” Rin Tin Tin became a film star in 1922, but the real-life, stranger-than-fiction story of Rinty dates back to 1918, when he was rescued from a bombed dog kennel in Lorraine, France during World War I.

On September 15, 1918, Corporal Lee Duncan found a litter of puppies in a newly bombed kennel, along with their mother, Betty. Duncan claimed two of the pups—a boy and a girl—and named them Rin Tin Tin and Nannette. The two pups the corporal claimed are the only two who survived. Then, during the process of transporting them back to his native Los Angeles, Nannette took ill and died.

Rin Tin Tin, however, proved to be tough and resilient. Three years later, Warner Brothers signed him for his first film, at Duncan’s prompting. He was an immediate hit with fans who lauded his heroism and loyalty. His first endorsement was for Ken-L-Ration dog food and his picture graced millions of dog biscuit boxes.

As his career’s height, Rin Tin Tin received nearly 10,000 fan letters a week! He died exactly one decade after his first film, having made 26 movies for Warner Brothers. Fortunately, Duncan bred Rin Tin Tin and several litters emerged from his line. One, named Junior, became his successor. Several dogs named Rin Tin Tin kept the lineage alive, constantly reinventing the character with shows like The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954-1956) and The New Adventures of Rin Tin Tin in 1999.

Buttons, posters, stuffed animals and other memorabilia promoting the various television shows and films are now popular collectibles among Rin Tin Tin fans young and old.

Garfield
Thank goodness for Garfield creator Jim Davis’s short attention span. If he hadn’t gotten bored with a little-known Garfield predecessor, Gnorm the Gnat, our favorite loafing, lasagna-lifting feline may never have come to be.

But in 1978, Davis did get around to trying out a non-insect comic strip star and the most famous cat ever to pounce on the funny pages was the remarkable result. What started out as a small-scale endeavor on Davis’s part (he hoped for publication in 100 papers, 300 max.) has now become an incredible quarter-century empire. Today, Garfield appears in an astounding 2,750 papers. He also has a not-too-shabby merchandising line, worth the overweight cat’s girth in billions.

Kittie Masters, a teacher in Indiana, who channeled her own personal long held interest in collecting into Garfield-themed classrooms, said it comes down to characteristics.

“He’s honest. People don’t like getting up in the morning. People don’t like Mondays. People don’t like diets. They do like to eat. I think he says a lot of things people are thinking, but he does it in a funny way,” she said.

One might recall driving on the highway and looking over to see Garfield suction-cupped to the window of a passing car, but that is not all that’s out there for Garfield fans. Collectors can pursue Pez dispensers, bobble heads, books, stuffed animals, figurines, watches, banks, playing cards, pins, animation cels and even globes!

Through their appreciation for the ephemera of these characters, collectors are passing the love of animals on to future generations, as well as a love of the cat and dog characters of the past. As long as the hobby of collecting continues, Krazy Kat, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Garfield will remain pop culture icons for generations to come. The fact that these characters remain favorites among people of all ages emphasizes their collectible value, which in turn preserves the history of America’s love affair with our pets and pop culture.

Stacia Brown and Jaime Bramble contributed to this article.