Mabel Francis Taylor (1866 in Kingswood – 1947 in Surrey; also M. F. Taylor) was an English cartoonist most well known for illustrating the comic strip "Jungle Jinks," which was the longest-running British comic series until 1954.[1]

Biography

Taylor was born to an Anglican clergyman and his wife in 1866 in Kingswood, Surrey.[1]

Illustrations

Book Illustrations

In the 1890s, Taylor illustrated many children's books with her sister Edith M. Taylor.[1][2]

Early Comics

Taylor started the comic "The Little Sparrowkins," in The Playbox (1905).[3]

"Jungle Jinks"

"Jungle Jinks" was the first comic in Britain whose main characters were animals.[1] The comic was started by cartoonist Arthur White in 1898 in The Playbox, a supplement for children that came with the British women's journal Home Chat.[4] However, White worked on the comic for a short time before Taylor took over and began to write and illustrate it.[5]

The comic was about group of anthropomorphic animals who attended school: Jacko the monkey, Hippo the hippopotamus, Bertie and Billie Boar (twin pigs), the headmaster Dr. Lion, and others.[1][5] The comic contains racist and stereotyped caricatures of Africans.[1]

Between 1923 and 1925, Jungle Jinks was published as a standalone magazine for sixty-two issues.[6] The strip was famous enough to serve as a catchphrase in popular culture during the 1920s.[7]

The comic was also serialized in Home Chat during the 1940s.[3]

"Dr. Lion's Boys," published in Happy Families (1938), was a spinoff of "Jungle Jinks."[3]

Publications

Book Illustrations

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Knudde, Kjell (12 February 2020). "Mabel F. Taylor". Lambiek. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Little Snowdrop". University of Florida. 1896. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Clark, Alan (1998). "Taylor, Mabel F.". Dictionary of British comic artists, writers, and editors. London, England: The British Library. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7123-4521-7.
  4. ^ Clark, Alan (1998). "White, Arthur". Dictionary of British comic artists, writers, and editors. London, England: The British Library. p. 183. ISBN 0-7123-4521-3. OCLC 39778834.
  5. ^ a b Knudde, Kjell (12 February 2020). "Arthur White". lambiek.net. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  6. ^ Kerschner, Barbara; Taylor, Steven (18 June 2017). "Complete AP/Fleetway Comic Index". Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  7. ^ Woodhouse, Vernon (14 August 1929). "JUNGLE JINKS and FAMILY FEUDS: 'the Tiger in Men,' at the Adelphi Theatre". The Bystander. 103 (1339): 346–347 – via ProQuest.
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