Comics Poll: The Results -- `Calvin' And `Far Side' Outstrip The Competition In Race To Tickle The Funny Bone Of Times Readers
On June 13, we asked you to tell us how often you read our comic strips. By June 25, we received 22,585 replies through the mail.
Is there any doubt you like your comics?
Not in our minds.
"We're delighted with reader response to our comics survey," says Michael R. Fancher, executive editor of The Times. "People often tell me The Times has the best comics of any newspaper around here. I think this response shows they're right."
We conducted the survey to help us gauge comics readership. We asked you to provide us with some basic readership data and to tell us whether you read each strip "regularly," "sometimes" or "never."
Because it was a mail-in survey, this poll was not scientific. But we attempted as much as possible to make it statistically valid. In any case, it gave us some strong clues about how the strips are read.
Some observations: The strong popularity of "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side" cut across all ages.
The long-running "Mary Worth" and "Apartment 3-G," while low in overall popularity, scored respectably among older readers. The opposite was true for the Sunday-only "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
"Family Circus" appealed to both the young and the old, but to a much lesser extent among those in the middle.
"For Better or for Worse" and "Sally Forth" struck a chord among females.
The survey also helped us select strips to discontinue because of space considerations. As such, beginning today, there will be a number of changes:
-- Three strips will be dropped: "The Buckets," "Pot-Shots" and "Sylvia."
-- "Real Life Adventures" will be shifted to the Seen, Heard, Said feature in the Scene section in the spot that "Sylvia" had occupied. "Real Life" will run on a Tuesday-through-Friday cycle.
-- "Herman" will be moved to the spot vacated by "Real Life," and "Marmaduke" will be shifted to the old "Herman" spot.
It is important to note that all of these changes are not based solely on final results of the survey. Other criteria include how the strips rated in various demographic categories, how long they've run in The Times and a sense of how loyal the readership is.
On this page are some of the more interesting results from the survey.
We would like to thank all of you who participated in the survey. Special thanks, too, to Carol Dahl of The Times' marketing research staff, who helped analyze the data, and the newsroom aides who gathered and entered the data into a computer.
If you would like to comment further, you can write us at Comics Survey, c/o Scene section, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Or you can call 464-3279.
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THE BIG PICTURE
Ranking the readership of The Times' comics
Order based on percentage of respondents who say they "regularly read" the strips.
1. Calvin and Hobbes .
2. The Far Side .
3. For Better or for Worse .
4. Adam .
5. Peanuts .
6. Sally Forth .
7. Garfield .
8. Family Circus .
9. Wizard of Id .
10. Crankshaft .
11. Cathy .
12. Arlo and Janis .
13. Herman .
14. Frank and Ernest .
15. Marmaduke .
16. Doonesbury .
17. Rose Is Rose .
18. Fox Trot .
19. Shoe .
20. Luann .
21. Outland (1) .
22. Baby Blues .
23. Gasoline Alley .
24. Robotman .
25. Real Life Adventures .
26. Apartment 3-G .
27. Herb & Jamaal .
28. Mary Worth .
29. Pot-Shots .
30. Overboard .
31. Fusco Brothers .
32. Sylvia .
33. Pogo .
34. The Buckets .
35. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
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VIVA LA DIFFERENCE
Readership by sex
Order based on average readership-frequency scores
-----
Males
-----
Read most
1. Calvin and Hobbes .
2. The Far Side .
3. Peanuts .
4. Wizard of Id .
5. Adam .
6. For Better or for Worse .
7. Garfield .
8. Crankshaft .
9. (tie) Sally Forth .
Frank and Ernest .
Family Circus .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. (tie) Sylvia .
Mary Worth .
4. Apartment 3-G .
5. The Buckets .
6. Fusco Brothers .
7. Pogo .
8. Overboard .
9. Pot-Shots .
10. Real Life Adventures .
-------
Females
-------
Read most
1. For Better or for Worse .
2. Calvin and Hobbes .
3. Adam .
4. Peanuts .
5. Sally Forth .
6. The Far Side .
7. Family Circus .
8. Cathy .
9. Garfield .
10. Marmaduke .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. Pogo .
3. Fusco Brothers .
4. Overboard .
5. The Buckets .
6. Sylvia .
7. Robotman .
8. Pot-Shots .
9. Mary Worth .
10. Apartment 3-G .
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THE GENERATION GAP
Readership by age
Order based on average readership-frequency scores
--------
Under 10
--------
Read most
1. Calvin and Hobbes .
2. Garfield .
3. Peanuts .
4. The Far Side .
5. Family Circus .
Read least
1. Mary Worth .
2. Apartment 3-G .
3. Sylvia .
4. Pot-Shots .
5. The Buckets .
--------
10 to 17
--------
Read most
1. The Far Side .
2. Calvin and Hobbes .
3. Garfield .
4. For Better or for Worse .
5. Adam .
Read least
1. Mary Worth .
2. Apartment 3-G .
3. Sylvia .
4. (tie) Fusco Brothers .
Pogo .
--------
18 to 34
--------
Read most
1. The Far Side .
2. Calvin and Hobbes .
3. Adam .
4. For Better or for Worse .
5. Peanuts .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. Mary Worth .
3. Apartment 3-G .
4. Pogo .
5. Gasoline Alley .
--------
35 to 44
--------
Read most
1. The Far Side .
2. Calvin and Hobbes .
3. For Better or for Worse .
4. Adam .
5. Sally Forth .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. Mary Worth .
3. Apartment 3-G .
4. Pogo .
5. The Buckets .
--------
45 to 54
--------
Read most
1. For Better or for Worse .
2. The Far Side .
3. Calvin and Hobbes .
4. Adam .
5. Peanuts .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. Fusco Brothers .
3. The Buckets .
4. Pogo .
5. Overboard .
--------
55 and over
--------
Read most
1. Peanuts .
2. Family Circus .
3. Calvin and Hobbes .
4. For Better or for Worse .
5. Adam .
Read least
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1)
2. Fusco Brothers .
3. Sylvia .
4. The Buckets .
5. Robotman .
(1) Sunday only