Last
week, we gave you a look at the excellent new Shmoo vinyl figure
issued by Dark Horse. It was so cool, in fact, we had to revisit it.

The
Shmoo was without a doubt the most popular character to come out of the late
’40s. Created by Al Capp, the bouncy, blobby Shmoo made its first appearance in
Lil Abner in 1948.

In the first stories – published as dailies –
Lil Abner stumbled upon the Shmoos when he wandered into the hidden Valley of
the Shmoo. There he also met an old caretaker, Ol’ Man Mose, who had spent most
of his life surviving off the smiling, whiskered creatures. All the Shmoos
wanted was to make humans happy – and they reproduced at an astonishing rate –
so there were always plenty to go around.

The Shmoo started a trend, and
soon the real world went bananas for anything and everything pertaining to the
Shmoo. Soap, clothing, dairy products, stationery, games, jewelry . . . there
was even a popular club called the “Society for the Advancement of the Shmoo.”
In reality, just as in the strips, the Shmoo was appearing everywhere.

Dark Horse’s new vinyl figure is a welcome addition to the list of Shmoo
merchandise.

“Dark Horse has done it again, creating an excellent
representation of the Shmoo and really capturing the spirit of the character in
this vinyl figure,” said John K. Snyder, Jr., President of Diamond International
Galleries. “Anyone who mistakenly thinks that there isn’t still tremendous life
left in older characters just needs to take a look at some of the wonderful
products Dark Horse has put out in the last few years.”

Standing eight
inches tall and sporting a big red bow, this can’t-miss collectible from Dark
Horse Deluxe is now available and retails for about $17.99.