About the cartoonist…
Brian Crane was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began drawing at an early age, according to accounts by his mother, and hoped to grow up to be a comic strip artist. But as he got older he didn’t think he had the writing talent or sense of humor to be able to come up with material for a daily comic strip, so he became an graphic designer and art director instead, working for publishing companies, art studios and advertising agencies.
Along the way he graduated with a BA degree from Brigham Young University in 1973, married his college sweetheart, Diana Long, and they had seven children. When he got near the age of forty he began reminiscing about his childhood dream of doing a newspaper comic strip, so he created “Pickles,” a strip about an elderly couple and their daughter, grandson and pets.
It became syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group in 1990, and today appears in around 800 newspapers around the world. In 2001 it was awarded the prize for Best Comic Strip by the National Cartoonist Society. In 2005 and 2011 he was a nominee for Cartoonist of the Year by the same group.
Crane creates “Pickles” from a small studio in his home in Sparks, NV. His daughter Emily colors the daily and Sunday strips for him. Brian and his wife Diana recently celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary and are looking forward to the birth of their 11th grandchild in January.
Thank you, Nancy. Your kind words are greatly appreciated.
Dear Brian,
“Gray hair and wrinkles are not a fashion statement. They are a values statement.” That is the motto of my consulting ministry on aging issues, Elder Advocates,Inc. And humor is one of the important tools I use in both my consulting and my teaching. I call it Geezer Humor. Thank you for supplying so much gentle wisdom about aging in the guise of humor.
Joyfully,
Paul Graves
Dear Brian
I am 81 years old and have been enjoying comic strips for a looong time. Your strip of Pickles is by far the best I have ever seen. I look forward to it every day and it is truely the way to start each day. Thank you for it and hopefully you will give to us for many more years.
Have a Pickles time
Jerry Callahan
You are very talented. My folks who are 75 and 76 love your comic strip. They recently cut out the one mentioning the ocean and two drips and all you have are two drips. They have been married now for 53 years and feel it represents them. How do I go about looking for a signed copy to frame for them for Christmas? Keep up the funny work!!!
Brian — I enjoy “Pickles” every week in the paper. I belong to a Theater Company in an active adult community and I think “Pickles” would make a great play for us seniors to put on. Have you ever considered putting together a play or a collection of skits based on your comic strip? It would be a great hit with the senior communities.
Jan
I would be happy to send you a signed copy if I can find it in my archives. If you can tell me approximately when that one was published (year and month) I would do a search for it. I don’t remember that one, so without some hints as to when it ran, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
No, I can’t say that thought has ever crossed my mind. It might be fun, though.
Have you done a pickles where earl says something about the key to his happy marriage was something he had read that said you should marry your second wife first. And the he says, so i did.
I am pretty sure i read it in pickles sometime in the past few months but have been scouring the archives and cannot find it.
Thank you
That doesn’t sound familiar to me. I think it must be from another strip.
Your strip is the best. My grandson and I laugh over the antics each day and some days, the strip is not far from reflecting our relationship.
Is there a compilation of the strips in book form yet? If not, I hope it’s on the horizon. Keep up the great work.
Bob Brown
Senior Photographer
Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch
Thanks, Bob. Yes, there have been 5 Pickles book compilations. You can find them on Amazon or other places. And we’re working on a new one.
Here’s a link (I hope): http://astore.amazon.com/thewashingtpo-20/104-3753296-1801536?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=32
Thanks, Brian…now I know what to give my grandson for his birthday.
BB
Some years ago, I taught my granddaughters Mairsey Doats. I told them they woud be the only kids in their class that knew the song and could sing it for the rest of the kids.
Also the whole family knows my favorite song is Danny Boy.
Your cartoon today hit me in the heart
Thanks, Bill. My mother used to sing it to me when I was a boy, so it has a special place in my heart too.
Brian I love your comic strip. It is one of my favorites out there right now. Sorry, Jim Davis and Garfield is still number one for me. Jim Mort is the other cartoonist that has always made me chuckle! Who is your favorite cartoonist currently and what ones did you enjoy when growing up? It would be amazing to get your autograph as well. Please should you send those to fans may I have one?
Thanks!
Mike Greene
1360 S Main ST
Bryan, OH 43512
Mike, there are many cartoonists that I admire. Too many to mention all of them, but growing up I was inspired by Walt Kelly, Al Capp, Johnny Hart and Charles Schulz. I did have the good fortune to have dinner with Jim Davis and his wife last May and found him to be a very nice guy.
As for the autograph, I’ll put something in the mail to you.
You’re welcome,
Brian Crane
The comical are the first thing I read in the morning paper, something good to get my day going. I have several that I really enjoy, but two are my favorites, on opposite ends of life’s spectrum..Zits and Pickles. Earl just stays in trouble, kinda like my husband. Keep up the good work Brian.
While marilyn noah starts off her day with “Pickles,” I save mine for dessert! I really appreciated the Sept.6 list of things that annoy Opal, for the misuse of “lay” for “lie” really gets me on my soapbox, along with the use of apostrophes in possessive pronouns, turning them into verbal contractions! Like so many others have commented, Earl & Opal reflect our lives in many ways. Thanks!
Just wanted to write and say how I look forward to reading pickles every day. I’m 23 and still take out the comics to read with breakfast and without a doubt will always laugh (out loud, often alone at my kitchen table) at the pickles strip. My friends and family also understand my love of the comic and will text me pictures of the strip or gift wrap in only pickles comics! I read above about the book compilations and will have to drop the hint around the holidays! Thank you for writing such an incredible and funny comic.
Thanks, Catherine. It’s nice to hear from one of my younger readers. I know they’re out there. I just don’t hear from them as much as the oldsters.
My Mother is convinced there is a camera in their house recording ideas for Pickles. Everytime something happens we laugh and say it will be in Pickles very soon! Thanks Brian for bringing my parents and I lots of laughter together as we can relate. We enjoy our pickles moments. Amy
I just got around to reading the Sunday Comics and I cracked up when I read “Pickles.” It reminded me of Garrison Keillor’s “News from Lake Wobegon” and getting rid of the tomatoes. I don’t think the couple in that went as far as Pickles. Here’s an idea for you – again from Lake Wobegon and the couple who went skinny dipping and one of the Lake Wobegon Police see them and know that the water is only about waist deep when he sees the with the water up to their chins.
I read your comic as often as they are on the net. I can see my mother and step-father in these comics. I wish you had a book of all of your comics as I would love for them to see it. I know it is on the net but my parents are not and of course small towns have limited space so I am their only source. Have you ever thought of making a book out of your collection? Have a happy evening!
Misty, there have been 5 Pickles books published. The latest one “How Come I Always Get Blamed For the Things I Do?”. They can be ordered through your bookstore or on Amazon.com
I see that there are many others who feel you must have a spy camera at their house. My husband swears that I write the column. We’re in our 70′s. You’re our favorite.
Thanks, Carol. Sometimes I wish I had some help writing this comic strip, but spy cameras do help.
Hey dude. U r a genius. Lol, that 10/30/12 strip about ”grandpa’s head( memory pillow) molded 2d shape of roscoe’s backside’!!! That was off-d- chain, dude!!! lmfao x500
Hi Brian, Love your strip. I thought I had saved a recent strip and of course can’t find it now. It was the grandson and grampa getting “tasted up” for a pizza. Opal had other plans though. I have looked through your archives and wonder if that one is not there. Can you help me? Thanks, Faye
Here’s a link to that strip (I hope), Faye: http://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2012/11/04
remember this?
I had forgotten about that. Thanks for the flash-back.
Brian, Love your strip, read it every day. Used to get the Reno paper when I lived in Carson City and started reading your fantastic humor. I was in a bookstore in CC and the owner told me you had just been there doing a book signing. Was sorry I missed you. You had 2 books out at that time and she had one each left that you signed so I bought them both. What is the connection with the old Studebaker. My Dad had one just like that for 15 years, Great car.
In the beginning Earl and Opal drove a generic cartoon automobile. I was never happy with the way it looked, and I wanted something with more personality. I remembered the old bullet-nose Studebakers I used to see as a child and thought they were just the ticket.
was wondering if you have a email for autograph requests cause i would like one thanks
picklescomic@sbcglobal.net
Hi!
My husband of 51+ years is 73 and I am 70. As these great years go by, I see so much of us and our family in Pickles. You capture the reality of becoming “vintage.” :>) Humor is so important and written of so well as is the love in your family. I thank you for enriching my mornings with your realistic and enjoyable takes on life. You have special insight!!
Aw, shucks!
We really enjoy your comic strip We see ourselves in this strip & think we have a hidden camera in our house The first time we started reading the comic strip Is when you came out with the gray sweat pants My husband had a pair just like Earl that he wore out to the threads It is jus uncanny We look forward to reading the antics of Earl & Opal We jus had to write to tell you we enjoy it very much
I cannot believe this past Sunday’s strip where the grandson asks, “What’s a shenanigan?” My son asked the exact same question when he was little and and my answer was, “That’s what you do!” I think I’ll frame it for him!
how old is nelson in real life
I’m looking for the archives of past strips, but there is no way on the website to access them—the archives page goes nowhere and has no options for accessing —-any assistance?
Here is a link to a Pickles archive: http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/bysubject/subjectsforartist.php?id=94