Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Franchise Edition
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"Sam and Fuzzy has a very specific interpretation of the hyper commercialism of spokesfigures, and their franchises! It makes me wonder what your particular impression is over the new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic popularity.

So, uh, I guess my question is, "what's your particular impression over the new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic popularity?" " -Barry

I've only seen about the first ten minutes of the first episode, and while it wasn't really my bag, I feel like I at least gained some understanding of why it is finding an audience. It's well put together, and there's definitely a lot of serious artistic talent is on display. (Although I expected nothing less from a show run by Lauren Faust!)

Of course, we all know that ultimately the only reason it exists in the first place is to sell plastic toy ponies. But hey... in the world of TV, there's nothing new about talented artists getting handed strange or unusual commercial licenses and trying to make the best of it. In my youth, we had John K's Mighty Mouse. Now we have My Little Pony and... and whatever the heck this thing is.

I guess my impression is... if artists-for-hire manage to craft these franchises into something with actual value, well... good for them! I do hope, though, that they are eventually rewarded for their successes and allowed with new shows based entirely on their own ideas and characters.

"So if Fuzzy knows that his replicas have a little bit of his memories and he knows there is a village of Fuzzy's in the underground, why hasn't he tried acquiring more of them to see if maybe those ones remember more? " -Jim

As you now know, Fuzzy actually asked this question himself, a full three days after you did. You are obviously ahead of the curve!

"Is Bonus the same as Future Fuzzy? They both wear sombreros so it seems like a logical assumption." -Srinivas

Nah! There's always a temptation to revisit and flesh out old characters and stories, but I wouldn't want to ruin the magic of Future Fuzzy's classic appearances by revealing he was actually a 15-year-old robot.

Bonus was given the sombrero more as a kind of winking acknowledgement to long-time readers that he too is (essentially) Fuzzy from a different time. It just turned out that in his case, it was the past rather than the future. Surprise!

"Have you ever noticed Hazel Kim's resemblance to The Little Prince? The long scarf, the pointy blond hair, the boyish clothing? Is that just coincidence, or was it an influence that you consciously brought into your character design?" -Jasmine

It wasn't intentional, but subconsciously... you never know! I do love the Little Prince, and will jump on any opportunity to say so. Like this one, right now!

That's a wrap for this week, team. Come back on Monday for more comics and stuff!

-Sam Logan

Whoops!

No Q and A today I'm afraid, my friends. We're busy packing up for our early flight home tomorrow, and I've run out of time!! I'll do a full round of answers on Monday, though... promise!

In the meantime, please enjoy today's comic! I think it's a pretty good one.

-Sam Logan

Notes from the road

Today's newspost was brought to you by: hijacking Starbuck's free wifi!

We are in Niagara Falls, which is one of the stranger places I've ever been. This will be no surprise to anyone who has visited there before, but the unstoppable march of human progress has ensured that the falls are now paired with an entire street of wall-to-wall haunted houses, "4-D rides", ferris wheels, bowling, indoor minigolf courses, outdoor minigolf courses, and this Burger King. Makes sense to me!

(No it doesn't.)

We return with new comics and other stuff on Friday. See you then, team!

-Sam Logan