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{{Short description|Comic strip by Garry Trudeau}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox comic strip
|title= Doonesbury
|image=Doonesbury Panel by Garry Trudeau.png
|caption=
|author=[[Garry Trudeau]]
|url= {{URL|doonesbury.com}}
|rss=
|atom=
|status= Sunday only<br />(repeat strips through the week)
|syndicate= [[Universal Press Syndicate]]/[[Andrews McMeel Syndication]]
|first= {{start date and age|1970|10|26}}
|genre= Humor, politics, satire
|rating=
|preceded by= Bull Tales
|followed by=
}}
'''''Doonesbury''''' is a [[comic strip]] by American [[cartoonist]] [[Garry Trudeau]] that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the [[President of the United States]] to the title character, [[Mike Doonesbury|Michael Doonesbury]], who has progressed over the decades from a college student to a youthful senior citizen.
Created in "the throes of <abbr title="1960s">'60s</abbr> and <abbr title="1970s">'70s</abbr> [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130815184 |title=Trudeau Reflects On Four Decades Of 'Doonesbury' |date=2010-10-26 |website=npr.org |publisher=NPR Morning Edition |access-date=2014-06-02 |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119053938/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130815184 |url-status=live }}</ref> and frequently political in nature, ''Doonesbury'' features [[List of Doonesbury characters|characters]] representing a range of affiliations, but the cartoon is noted for a [[modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] viewpoint. The name "Doonesbury" is a combination of the word ''doone'' (American [[University-preparatory school|prep school]] slang for someone who is clueless, inattentive, or careless) and the [[surname]] of [[Charles Pillsbury (attorney)|Charles Pillsbury]], Trudeau's roommate at [[Yale University]].<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,917981,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |title=Doonesbury: Drawing and Quartering for Fun and Profit |date=February 9, 1976 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522065931/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,917981,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
''Doonesbury'' is written and penciled by Garry Trudeau, then inked and lettered by an assistant, Don Carlton,<ref>{{cite web
| last = Tomorrow
| first = Tom
| title = Garry Trudeau, Artist
| work = Yale Alumni Magazine
| date = Nov–Dec 2010
| url = http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3013
| access-date = January 19, 2014
| archive-date = February 1, 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140201215046/http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3013
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
then Todd Pound. Sunday strips are colored by George Corsillo.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Trudeau|first1=Garry|title=45 Years of Doonesbury: A Letter from Garry Trudeau|url=http://blogs.gocomics.com/2015/10/45-years-of-doonesbury-a-letter-from-garry-trudeau.html|website=GoComics|access-date=3 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028231011/http://blogs.gocomics.com/2015/10/45-years-of-doonesbury-a-letter-from-garry-trudeau.html|archive-date=October 28, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''Doonesbury'' was a daily strip through most of its existence, but since February 2014 it has run repeat strips Monday through Saturday, and new strips on Sunday.
==History==
[[File:Db701026.gif|thumb|600px|right|The first ''Doonesbury'' cartoon, from October 26, 1970]]
''Doonesbury'' began as a continuation of ''Bull Tales'', which appeared in the [[Yale University]] student newspaper, the ''[[Yale Daily News]]'', from 1968 to 1970. It focused on local campus events at Yale.<ref name=toonopedia>[http://toonopedia.com/doones.htm ''Doonesbury''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527200414/https://www.webcitation.org/6gyAyqDzI?url=http://toonopedia.com/doones.htm Archived] from the original on April 22, 2016.</ref>
''Doonesbury'' proper debuted as a [[daily strip]] in twenty-eight newspapers on October 26, 1970<ref>{{cite book | title=The Art of the Funnies: An Aesthetic History | url=https://archive.org/details/artoffunniesaest0000harv | url-access= registration | publisher=Press of Mississippi | author=Harvey, R.C. | year=1994 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/artoffunniesaest0000harv/page/226 226] | isbn=0878056742}}</ref> (it being the first strip from [[Universal Press Syndicate]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://doonesbury.washingtonpost.com/strip/archive/timeline|title=Doonesbury Comic Strips by Garry Trudeau| work=doonesbury.washingtonpost.com|access-date=2018-02-07|archive-date=August 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150804052211/http://doonesbury.washingtonpost.com/strip/archive/timeline|url-status=live}}</ref> {{Failed verification|date=December 2018}} A [[Sunday strip]] began on March 21, 1971.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnuQBQAAQBAJ&q=%22March+21%2C+1971%22+doonesbury&pg=PA832|title=Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas|date=October 28, 2014|page=832|publisher=Abc-Clio |isbn=9780313397516|editor=Booker, M. Keith|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311230542/https://books.google.com/books?id=hnuQBQAAQBAJ&q=%22March+21%2C+1971%22+doonesbury&pg=PA832|url-status=live}}</ref> Many of the early strips were reprints of the ''Bull Tales'' cartoons, with some changes to the drawings and plots. [[B.D. (Doonesbury)|B. D.]]'s helmet changed from having a "Y" (for Yale) to a star (for the fictional Walden College). Mike and B. D. started ''Doonesbury'' as roommates; they were not roommates in ''Bull Tales''.
''Doonesbury'' became known for its social and political commentary. By the 2010s, it was syndicated in approximately 1,400 newspapers worldwide.<ref name="latobama">{{cite news |last=Villareal |first=Yvonne |title=Comic strip 'Doonesbury' predicts Obama win |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-doonesbury1-2008nov01,0,2244580.story |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106080928/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-doonesbury1-2008nov01,0,2244580.story |archive-date=November 6, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In May 1975, ''Doonesbury'' became the first daily comic strip to win a [[Pulitzer Prize]], taking the award for [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning|Editorial Cartooning]].<ref name=toonopedia /> That year, U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]] told the [[Radio and Television Correspondents' Association]] at their annual dinner, "There are only three major vehicles to keep us informed as to what is going on in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]: the electronic media, the print media, and ''Doonesbury'', not necessarily in that order."<ref>{{cite book | author=Blair, Walter and Hamlin Hill | title=America's Humor: From Poor Richard to Doonesbury | edition=First paperback | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1980 | isbn=978-0-19-502756-3 | page=511}}</ref>
[[File:Stonewall-clip.png|thumb|600px|right|A panel from the a ''Doonesbury'' "Stonewall" strip, referring to the [[Watergate scandal]], from August 12, 1974; awarded the [[Pulitzer Prize]]]]
===1983–1984 hiatus===
Trudeau took a 22-month hiatus, from January 2, 1983, to September 30, 1984. Before the break in the strip, the characters were eternal college students, living in a [[Commune (intentional community)|commune]] together near Walden College, which was modeled after Trudeau's alma mater, Yale. During the break, Trudeau helped create a [[Doonesbury (musical)|Broadway musical of the strip]], showing the graduation of the main characters. The Broadway adaptation opened at the [[Samuel J. Friedman Theatre|Biltmore Theatre]] on November 21, 1983, and played 104 performances. [[Elizabeth Swados]] composed the music for Trudeau's book and lyrics.
===After the hiatus===
The strip resumed some time after the events in the musical, with further changes having taken place after the end of the musical's plot. Mike, Mark, Zonker, B.D., and Boopsie were all now graduates; B.D. and Boopsie were living in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]], [[California]], where B.D. was a third-string quarterback for the [[Los Angeles Rams]], and Boopsie was making a living from walk-on and cameo roles. Mark was living in Washington, D.C., working for [[National Public Radio]]. Michael and J.J. had gotten married, and Mike had dropped out of business school to start work in an advertising agency in New York City. Zonker, still not ready for the "real world", was living with Mike and J.J. until he was accepted as a medical student at his Uncle Duke's "[[Jean-Claude Duvalier|Baby Doc]] College" in [[Haiti]].
Prior to the hiatus, the strip's characters had aged only slightly. But when Trudeau returned to ''Doonesbury'', the characters began to age in something close to real time, as in ''[[Gasoline Alley (comic strip)|Gasoline Alley]]'' and ''[[For Better or for Worse]]'', Since then, the main characters' ages and career developments have tracked those of standard media portrayals of [[baby boomers]], with jobs in advertising, law enforcement, and the [[dot-com boom]]. Current events are mirrored through the original characters, their offspring (the "second generation"), and occasional new characters.
Garry Trudeau received the [[National Cartoonist Society]] Newspaper Comic Strip Award for 1994, and their [[Reuben Award]] for 1995 for his work on the strip.
=== ''Alpha House'', hiatuses, and Sunday only: 2013–present ===
''Doonesbury''{{'s}} syndicate, [[Universal Uclick]], announced on May 29, 2013, that the comic strip would go on hiatus from June 10 to [[Labor Day]] of that year while Garry Trudeau worked on his streaming video comedy ''[[Alpha House]]'', which was picked up by Amazon Studios.<ref>{{cite news | last = Cavna | first = Michael | date = 29 May 2013 | title = This Just in: 'Doonesbury' to go on sabbatical as Amazon Studios officially picks up Trudeau's Capitol Hill comedy, 'Alpha House' | newspaper =The Washington Post | access-date = June 16, 2013 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/this-just-in-doonesbury-to-go-on-sabbatical-as-amazon-studios-officially-picks-up-trudeaus-capitol-hill-comedy-alpha-house/2013/05/29/3aba59ee-c866-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_blog.html | archive-date = March 11, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210311230604/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/this-just-in-doonesbury-to-go-on-sabbatical-as-amazon-studios-officially-picks-up-trudeaus-capitol-hill-comedy-alpha-house/2013/05/29/3aba59ee-c866-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_blog.html | url-status = live }}</ref> "Doonesbury Flashbacks" were offered during those weeks, but due to the unusually long hiatus, some newspapers opted to run different comic strips instead.<ref>{{cite news | last = Cavna | first = Michael | date = 9 Jun 2013 | title = POST PICKS UP 'FORT KNOX': Military strip will replace 'Doonesbury Flashbacks' for the summer | newspaper =The Washington Post | access-date = June 16, 2013 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/post-picks-up-fort-knox-military-strip-will-replace-doonesbury-flashbacks-for-the-summer/2013/06/09/9b1cdcc6-d167-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_blog.html | archive-date = June 14, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130614072805/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/post-picks-up-fort-knox-military-strip-will-replace-doonesbury-flashbacks-for-the-summer/2013/06/09/9b1cdcc6-d167-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_blog.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Sunday strips returned as scheduled, but the daily strip's hiatus was extended until November 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Canva |first=Michael |url= http://www.buffalonews.com/life-arts/trudeau-extends-doonesbury-hiatus-to-finish-tv-series-20130910 |title=Trudeau extends 'Doonesbury' hiatus to finish TV series |date= September 10, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |publisher=The Buffalo News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927052400/http://www.buffalonews.com/life-arts/trudeau-extends-doonesbury-hiatus-to-finish-tv-series-20130910 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
After ''Alpha House'' was renewed for a second season in February 2014, Trudeau announced that he would now produce only Sunday strips for the foreseeable future.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/this-just-in%E2%80%94trudeau-puts-daily-doonesbury-on-long-term-hiatus-to-work-on-renewed-alpha-house-im-ready-for-an-extended-break/2014/02/11/e22bebbe-92d4-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_blog.html |title=Trudeau puts daily 'Doonesbury' on long-term hiatus |date=February 11, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320165841/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/this-just-in%E2%80%94trudeau-puts-daily-doonesbury-on-long-term-hiatus-to-work-on-renewed-alpha-house-im-ready-for-an-extended-break/2014/02/11/e22bebbe-92d4-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_blog.html |archive-date=March 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Since March 3, 2014, the strip has offered reruns starting from the very beginning of its history as opposed to more recent ones that re-run when Trudeau is on vacation. Also in 2014, the site at doonesbury.com moved under washingtonpost.com,<ref name="site_move">{{cite web| url = http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/press/news/134| title = Doonesbury website moves to The Washington Post| access-date = 2023-06-18| date = 2014-04-28|website=Andrews McMeel Syndication}}</ref> and since then it [[URL redirection|redirects]] to the latter. ''Alpha House'' was cancelled in 2016,<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/08/08/amazons-alpha-house-gets-the-ax/ |title= Amazon's 'Alpha House' gets the ax| last=Heil|first=Emily|date=August 8, 2016|newspaper=Washington Post| language= en|access-date=2020-03-12}}</ref> but Trudeau did not return to drawing Monday-to-Saturday strips, and continued his Sunday-only schedule.
In a 2018 interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Trudeau said that while [[Donald Trump]] appears in only a limited number of strips, "for the last two years, he's been subtext in almost all of them."<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/garry-trudeau-donald-trump-doonesbury-728292/| title=Garry Trudeau on Trump, Satire and 'Doonesbury' at 50|last=Woods| first=Sean|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date=September 25, 2018|access-date=April 4, 2019|archive-date=April 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404152329/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/garry-trudeau-donald-trump-doonesbury-728292/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== TV special ===
In 1977, Trudeau wrote a script for a 26-minute animated special, ''A Doonesbury Special'', which was produced and directed by Trudeau along with [[John Hubley]] (who died during the storyboarding stage)<ref name=solomon>{{cite book |last= Solomon |first=Charles |title=Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation |year=1989 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |page=51 |isbn=978-0-394-54684-1}}</ref> and [[Faith Hubley]]. The special was first broadcast by [[NBC]] on November 27, 1977.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher= Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/253/mode/2up |pages=253–254}}</ref> It won a Special Jury Award at the [[Cannes International Film Festival]] for best short film, and received an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination (for best animated short film), both in 1978.<ref name=solomon/> Voice actors for the special included [[Barbara Harris (actress)|Barbara Harris]], [[William Sloane Coffin|William Sloane Coffin Jr.]], [[Jack Gilford]] and [[Will Jordan]]. Also included were "Stop in the Middle" and "I Do Believe", two songs "sung" by the character Jimmy Thudpucker, also part of the "Special". While the compositions and performances were credited to "Jimmy Thudpucker", they were in fact co-written and sung by James Allen "Jimmy" Brewer, who also co-wrote and provided the vocals for "Ginny's Song", a 1976 single on the [[Warner Bros.]] label, and ''Jimmy Thudpucker's Greatest Hits'', an LP released by Windsong Records, [[John Denver]]'s subsidiary of RCA Records.
==Style==
With the exception of Walden College, Trudeau has frequently used real-life settings, based on real scenarios, but with fictional results. Because of lead times, real-world events have rendered some of Trudeau's comics unusable, such as a 1973 series featuring [[John Ehrlichman]], a 1989 series set in [[Tiananmen Square]] in Beijing, China, a 1993 series involving [[Zoë Baird]], and a 2005 series involving [[Harriet Miers]]. Trudeau has also displayed fluency in various forms of [[jargon]], including those of real estate agents, [[flight attendant]]s, computer scientists, journalists, presidential aides, and soldiers in Iraq.
===Walden College===
The unnamed college attended by the main characters was later given the name "Walden College", revealed to be in [[Connecticut]] (the same state as Yale), and depicted as devolving into a third-rate institution under the weight of [[grade inflation]], slipping academic standards, and the end of [[tenure]], issues that Trudeau has consistently revisited since the original characters graduated. Some of the second generation of ''Doonesbury'' characters have attended Walden, a venue Trudeau uses to advance his concerns about academic standards in the United States.
President King, the leader of Walden College, was originally intended as a parody of [[Kingman Brewster]], President of Yale, but all that remains of that is a certain physical resemblance.{{clarify|date=April 2014}}
===Use of real-life politicians as characters===
Even though ''Doonesbury'' frequently features real-life U.S. politicians, they are rarely depicted with their real faces. Originally, strips featuring the President of the United States would show an external view of the [[White House]], with dialogue emerging from inside. During the [[Gerald Ford]] administration, characters would be shown speaking to Ford at press conferences, and fictional dialogue supposedly spoken by Ford would be written as coming "off-panel". Similarly, while having several characters as students in a class taught by [[Henry Kissinger]], the dialogue made up for Kissinger would also come from "off-panel" (although Kissinger had earlier appeared as a character with his face shown in a 1972 series of strips in which he met Mark Slackmeyer while the latter was on a trip to Washington). Sometimes hands, or in rare cases, the back of heads would also be seen.
Later, personal symbols reflecting some aspect of their character came into use. These included:
* [[Ronald Reagan]] as "[[Ron Headrest]]," a computer-generated video character in imitation of [[Max Headroom]]
* [[George H. W. Bush]] as a disembodied voice, indicating a lack of personality
* [[Dan Quayle]] as a talking [[feather]], both as a pun on his name and representing him as a political lightweight
* [[Bill Clinton]] as a talking [[waffle]] in reference to his [[triangulation (politics)|triangulation]] strategy
* [[Newt Gingrich]] as a talking fragmentation bomb, referring to his reputation as a political bomb-thrower
* White nationalist [[David Duke]] as a talking [[swastika]]
* [[George W. Bush]] initially as a disembodied voice wearing a [[Stetson hat]], since he had been [[Governor of Texas]]. After his [[2000 United States presidential election|controversial election]] the voice became an [[asterisk]], and during the [[War on Terror]] the hat was replaced with a [[Galea (helmet)|Roman military helmet]] that grew increasingly worn.
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as a large hand due to accusations that he had groped women
The long career of the series and continual use of real-life political figures, analysts note, have led to some uncanny cases of the cartoon foreshadowing a national shift in the politicians' political fortunes. Tina Gianoulis in ''[[St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture]]'' observes that "In 1971, well before the [[Reagan Era|conservative Reagan years]], a forward-looking B.D. called Ronald Reagan his 'hero'. In 1984, almost ten years before Congressman Newt Gingrich became [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]], another character worried that he would 'wake up someday in a country run by [[Newt Gingrich]].{{'"}}<ref name="stjames">Tina Gianoulis, [https://web.archive.org/web/20041224123707/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100358 "Doonesbury"], ''St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture'', 2002</ref> In its 2003 series "[[John Kerry]]: A Candidate in the Making" on the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential race]], ''The Boston Globe'' reprinted and discussed 1971 ''Doonesbury'' cartoons of [[John Kerry#Anti-war activism .281970.E2.80.931971.29|the young Kerry's Vietnam War protest speeches]].<ref name="globekerry">Michael Kranish, [http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061703.shtml "Part 3: With Antiwar Role, High Visibility"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205062042/http://boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061703.shtml |date=December 5, 2006 }}, ''The Boston Globe'', June 17, 2003</ref>
==Characters==
{{main|List of Doonesbury characters}}
<!-- Please don't let this section get too long--that's what the list article is for-->
''Doonesbury'' has a large group of recurring characters, with 24 currently listed at the strip's website.<ref name="cast">[http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/cast/ The Cast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902101921/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/cast |date=September 2, 2011 }}, official list at Doonesbury.com</ref> There, it notes that "readers new to ''Doonesbury'' sometimes experience a temporary bout of character shock", as the sheer number of characters (and the historical connections among them) can be overwhelming.
The main characters are a group who attended the fictional Walden College during the strip's first 12 years, and moved into a commune together in April 1972. Most of the other characters first appeared as family members, friends, or other acquaintances. The original Walden Commune residents were [[Mike Doonesbury]], [[Zonker Harris]], [[Mark Slackmeyer]], Nichole, Bernie, and DiDi. In September 1972, [[Joanie Caucus]] joined the comic, meeting Mike and Mark in Colorado and eventually moving into the commune. They were later joined by [[B.D. (Doonesbury)|B.D.]] and his girlfriend (later wife) [[Boopsie]], upon B.D.'s return from [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]. Nichole, DiDi, and Bernie were mostly phased out in subsequent years, and Zonker's [[Uncle Duke]] was introduced as the most prominent character outside the Walden group, and the main link to many secondary characters.
The Walden students graduated in 1983, after which the strip began to progress in something closer to real time. Their spouses and developing families became more important after this: Joanie's daughter [[J.J. (Doonesbury)|J.J. Caucus]] married Mike and they had a daughter, [[Alex Doonesbury]]. They divorced, Mike married [[Kim Rosenthal]], a Vietnamese refugee (who had appeared in the strip as a baby adopted by a Jewish family just after the [[fall of Saigon]]; see [[Operation Babylift]]), and J.J. married Zeke Brenner, her former boyfriend and Uncle Duke's former groundskeeper. Joanie married [[Rick Redfern]], and they had a son, [[Jeff Redfern|Jeff]]. [[Uncle Duke]] and [[Roland Hedley]] have also appeared often, frequently in more topical settings unconnected to the main characters. In more recent years the second generation has taken prominence as they have grown to college age: Jeff Redfern, Alex Doonesbury, Zonker's nephew [[Zipper Harris]], and Uncle Duke's son Earl.
==Controversial strips and groundbreaking moments==
''Doonesbury'' has covered numerous political and social issues, some of which were pioneering and others that drew criticism:
===1970s===
* A November 1972 Sunday strip depicting Zonker telling a little boy in a sandbox a fairy tale ending in the protagonist being awarded "his weight in fine, uncut Turkish [[hashish]]" raised an uproar.<ref name="buried">[[Jesse Walker]], [http://www.reason.com/news/show/28473.html Doonesburied: The Decline of Garry Trudeau—and of Baby Boom Liberalism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227021341/http://www.reason.com/news/show/28473.html |date=December 27, 2006 }}, ''Reason'' Online, July 2002</ref>
* During the [[Watergate scandal]], a strip showed Mark on the radio with a "Watergate profile" of [[John N. Mitchell|John Mitchell]], declaring him "Guilty! Guilty, guilty, guilty!!" A number of newspapers removed the strip and one, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ran an editorial criticizing the cartoon. Following [[Richard Nixon]]'s death in 1994, the strip was rerun with all the instances of the word "guilty" crossed out and replaced with "flawed".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cartoonician.com/big-deals-comics-highest-profile-moments/ |title="Big Deals: Comics' Highest-Profile Moments," ''Hogan's Alley'' #7, 1999 |access-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630083743/http://cartoonician.com/big-deals-comics-highest-profile-moments/ |archive-date=June 30, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In June 1973, the military newspaper ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'' dropped ''Doonesbury'' for being too political.<ref name="stars_and_stripes">{{cite news |url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/timeline |title=Doonesbury's Timeline – June 4, 1973 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124032013/http://doonesbury.com/strip/archive/timeline |archive-date=November 24, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The strip was quickly reinstated after hundreds of protests by military readers.
* September 1973: ''The [[Lincoln Journal]]'' became the first newspaper to move ''Doonesbury'' to its editorial page.<ref name="bode">{{cite web|url=http://collegenews.org/editorials/2005/doonesbury-belongs-on-the-editorial-page-declares-prof-ken-bode.html |title='Doonesbury' Belongs on the Editorial Page, Declares Prof. Ken Bode |first=Ken |last=Bode |work=Indianapolis Star |date=August 19, 2005 |access-date=September 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318181810/http://collegenews.org/editorials/2005/doonesbury-belongs-on-the-editorial-page-declares-prof-ken-bode.html |archive-date=March 18, 2012 }}</ref>
* In February 1976, a storyline included the character [[Andy Lippincott]] saying that he was gay. Dozens of papers opted not to publish the storyline, with ''[[Miami Herald]]'' editor Larry Jinks saying, "We just decided we weren't ready for homosexuality in a comic strip."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.jhu.edu/~newslett/03-16-00/Focus/2.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030720234625/http://www.jhu.edu/~newslett/03-16-00/Focus/2.html |archive-date= 2003-07-20|title= Doonesbury Delivers Satirical Satisfaction|first= Aaron|last= Glazer|work=The Johns Hopkins News-Letter|date= 2000-03-16|access-date=September 3, 2011}}</ref>
* In November 1976, when the storyline included the blossoming romance of Rick Redfern and Joanie Caucus, four days of strips were devoted to a transition from one apartment to another, ending with a view of the two together in bed, marking the first time any nationally run comic strip portrayed [[premarital sex]] in this fashion.<ref name=autogenerated1>Glazer 2006</ref> The strip was removed from the comics pages of a number of newspapers, although some newspapers opted to simply repeat the opening frame of that day's strip.
* In June 1978, a strip included a coupon listing various politicians and dollar amounts allegedly taken from Korean [[lobbyist]]s, to be clipped and glued to a postcard to be sent to the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Tip O'Neill]], resulting in an overflow of mail to the Speaker's office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip/archive/timeline/1970|title=Doonesbury Comic Strips by Garry Trudeau|first=Garry|last=Trudeau|website=doonesbury.washingtonpost.com|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001201/http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip/archive/timeline/1970|url-status=live}}</ref>
===1980s===
* In 1985, a series of Doonesbury strips helped to repeal a 60-year-old discriminatory law in [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]], in [[Florida]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/11/27/g-b-trudeau-picks-10-defining-doonesbury-strips/ | title=G.B.Trudeau Picks 10 Defining Doonesbury Strips | date=November 27, 2020 }}</ref>
* In June 1985, a strip featuring [[Aniello Dellacroce]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] together, which referred to Dellacroce as an "alleged human" who has been charged with murder led to several papers dropping the strip and a statement from Sinatra.<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 11, 1985|title=Newspaper cancels 'Doonesbury' comic strip|work=UPI|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/06/11/Newspaper-cancels-Doonesbury-comic-strip/3022487310400/|url-status=live|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311230542/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/06/11/Newspaper-cancels-Doonesbury-comic-strip/3022487310400/}}</ref>
*In December 1988, the ''[[Winston-Salem Journal]]'' dropped a Sunday strip featuring the [[R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company]] (in which a prospective executive cannot deny the link between smoking and cancer without bursting out laughing) because "it would be personally offensive to its employees." It was the first time the strip had been pulled in deference to a corporation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip/archive/timeline/1980 |title=Doonesbury's Timeline |access-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231095730/http://doonesbury.slate.com/strip/archive/timeline/1980 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* In June 1989, several days' comics (which had already been drawn and written) had to be replaced with repeats, because the humor of the strips was considered in bad taste in light of the violent crackdown on protesters in [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|Tiananmen Square]] in Beijing. Trudeau himself asked for the recall,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Trudeau Recalls Doonesbury China Strips |journal=The Comics Journal |issue=130 |page=22 |date=July 1989}}</ref> despite an interview published with Universal Press Syndicate Editorial Director [[Lee Salem (editor)|Lee Salem]] in the May 28, 1989, ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'', in which Salem stated his hopes the strips could still be used.
===1990s===
* In November 1991, a series of strips appeared to give credibility to a real-life prison inmate who falsely stated that former Vice President [[Dan Quayle]] had connections with drug dealers. The strip sequence was dropped by some two dozen newspapers, in part because the allegations had been investigated and dispelled previously.<ref name="kimberlin">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5D91F30F931A25752C1A967958260 |title=Two Dozen Newspapers Omit 'Doonesbury' Quayle Series |date=November 12, 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205231303/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5D91F30F931A25752C1A967958260 |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live}}</ref> Six years later, the reporter who broke the Quayle story, some weeks after the ''Doonesbury'' cartoons, later published a book saying he no longer believed the story had been true.<ref name="marro">{{cite magazine |last=Marro |first=Anthony |url=http://archives.cjr.org/year/97/2/books-con.asp |title=The Art of the Con |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002224659/http://archives.cjr.org/year/97/2/books-con.asp |archive-date=October 2, 2006 |magazine=Columbia Journalism Review |date=March–April 1997 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In November 1993, a storyline dealing with California wildfires was dropped from several California newspapers, including the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[The Orange County Register]]'', and ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Astor |first=David |title=Major Southern California Dailies Drop 'Doonesbury{{'"}} |work=Editor & Publisher |date=November 13, 1993}}</ref>
* In June 1994, the Roman Catholic Church took issue with a series of strips dealing with the book ''[[Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe]]'' by [[John Boswell (historian)|John Boswell]]. A few newspapers dropped single strips from the series, and the Bloomington, Illinois, ''[[The Pantagraph|Pantagraph]]'' refused to run the entire series.
* In March 1995, [[John McCain]] denounced Trudeau on the floor of the Senate: "Suffice it to say that I hold Trudeau in utter contempt." This was in response to a strip about [[Bob Dole]]'s strategy of exploiting his war record during his [[1996 United States presidential election|presidential campaign]]. The quotation was used on the cover of Trudeau's book ''Doonesbury Nation''. McCain and Trudeau later made peace: McCain wrote the foreword to ''The Long Road Home'', Trudeau's collection of comic strips dealing with character B.D.'s leg amputation during the second Iraq war.
* In February 1998, a strip dealing with [[Bill Clinton]]'s [[Lewinsky scandal|sex scandal]] was removed from the comics pages of a number of newspapers because it included the phrases "oral sex" and "semen-streaked dress".
===2000s===
* In November 2000, a strip was not run in some newspapers when Duke said of presidential candidate [[George W. Bush]]: "He's got a history of alcohol abuse and [[cocaine]]."
* In September 2001, a strip perpetuated the [[U.S. Presidential IQ hoax|Internet hoax]]<ref name="snopes">{{cite web| url = http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/presiq.htm| title = President Bush Has Lowest IQ of all Presidents of past 50 Years| access-date = 2006-09-11| date = 2004-07-15|website=Snopes.com}}</ref> that claimed George W. Bush had the lowest IQ of any president in the last 50 years, half that of [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="dailydose2001">[https://web.archive.org/web/20020630211835/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index20010902.htm ''Doonesbury'' Daily Dose] as retrieved via web.archive.org</ref> When caught repeating the hoax, Trudeau apologized "with a trademark barb – he said he deeply apologized for unsettling anyone who thought the president quite intelligent."<ref name="bbc2001">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1530220.stm |title=Doonesbury Creator Falls for Hoax |website=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526030607/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1530220.stm |archive-date=May 26, 2006 |date=September 7, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2003, a cartoon that publicized the recent medical research suggesting a connection between masturbation and a reduced risk of prostate cancer, with one character alluding to the practice as "self-dating", was not run in many papers; pre-publication sources indicated that as many as half of the 700 papers to which it was syndicated were planning not to run the strip.<ref name="avni">{{cite news |last=Avni |first=Sheerly |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/09/05/trudeau/index.html |title='Doonesbury': Jerked Off the Funny Pages |website=Salon |date=September 5, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606214808/http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/09/05/trudeau/index.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In February 2004, Trudeau used his strip to make the apparently genuine offer of $10,000 (to the [[USO]] in the winner's name<ref name="bushguard">{{cite web |url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/bush_guard.html |title=Bush National Guard Offer |website=Doonesbury.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040227203959/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/bush_guard.html |archive-date=February 27, 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>) for anyone who could personally confirm that George W. Bush was actually present during any part of his service in the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]]. Reuters and CNN reported by the end of that week that despite 1,300 responses, no credible evidence had been offered.<ref name="cnn2004">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/27/elec04.bush.doonesbury.reut/ |title=No Winner Yet in 'Doonesbury' Bush Search |work=CNN |date=February 27, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121124527/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/27/elec04.bush.doonesbury.reut/ |archive-date=January 21, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> An FAQ posted on the ''Doonesbury'' site in September of that year noted that the submissions, while "surreally entertaining", had failed to provide a single definitive corroborator, adding that Trudeau had donated the $10,000 to the USO anyway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq_sl.html|title=GBT's FAQs - Story Lines|date=October 13, 2004|access-date=October 1, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013024932/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq_sl.html|archive-date=October 13, 2004|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* April 2004: On April 21, after nearly 34 years, readers finally saw B.D.'s head without some sort of helmet. In the same strip, it was revealed that he had lost a leg in the [[Iraq War]]. Two days later, on April 23, after awakening and discovering his situation, B.D. exclaims "SON OF A '''BITCH!!!'''" The single strip was removed from many papers—including ''[[The Boston Globe]]''<ref name="globe2004">Joseph P. Kahn, [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/11/02/doonesbury_language_gets_some_edits/ {{"'}}Doonesbury' Language Gets Some Edits"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712021933/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/11/02/doonesbury_language_gets_some_edits/ |date=July 12, 2006 }}, ''The Boston Globe'', November 2, 2004</ref>—although in others, such as ''[[Newsday]]'', the offending word was replaced by a line. ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]'' ran the cartoon uncensored, with a footnote that the editor believed profanity was appropriate, given the subject matter. An image of B.D. with an amputated leg also appeared on the cover of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that summer (issue 954).
* In June 2005, Trudeau published ''The Long Road Home'', a book devoted to B.D.'s recovery from his loss of a leg in Iraq. Although Trudeau opposed the Iraq War, the foreword was written by Senator [[John McCain]], a supporter of the war. McCain was impressed by Trudeau's desire to highlight the struggle of seriously wounded veterans, and his desire to assist them. Proceeds from the book, and its sequel ''The War Within'' benefited [[Fisher House Foundation|Fisher House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fisherhouse.org/inTheNews/injured_05_02_CC.shtml|title=Fisher House -- Helping Military Families|date=September 26, 2006|access-date=November 18, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926193747/http://www.fisherhouse.org/inTheNews/injured_05_02_CC.shtml|archive-date=September 26, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* July 2005: Several newspapers declined to run two strips in which [[George W. Bush]] refers to his adviser [[Karl Rove]] as "[[Turd Blossom]]", a nickname Bush has been reported to use for Rove.<ref name="blossom">[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/papers-pull-doonesbury-over-potty-put-down-1.557443 Papers Pull 'Doonesbury' Over Potty Put-Down], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], July 26, 2005</ref>
* In September 2005 when ''[[The Guardian]]'' relaunched in a smaller format, ''Doonesbury'' was dropped for reasons of space. After a flood of protests, the strip was reinstated with an omnibus covering the issues missed and a full apology.<ref name="katz">{{cite news | last = Katz | first = Ian | title = My Doonesbury hell | work = The Guardian | ___location = London | date = October 14, 2005 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1569255,00.html | access-date = December 14, 2016 | archive-date = March 7, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307070748/http://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1569255,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The strips scheduled to run from October 31 to November 5, 2005, and a Sunday strip scheduled for November 13 about the nomination of [[Harriet Miers]] to the Supreme Court were withdrawn after her nomination was withdrawn. The strips have been posted on the official website,<ref>{{cite web | title=Doonesbury@Slate Miers' Strips | url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/miers.html | access-date=November 19, 2005 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051105061223/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/miers.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = November 5, 2005}}</ref> and were replaced by re-runs by the syndicate.
* Trudeau sought input from readers as to where Alex Doonesbury should attend college in a May 15, 2006, straw poll at Doonesbury.com. Voters chose among [[MIT]], [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute|Rensselaer]], and [[Cornell University|Cornell]]. Students from Rensselaer and then MIT hacked the system, which was designed to limit each computer to one vote. In the end, voters logged 175,000 votes, with MIT grabbing 48% of the total. The Doonesbury Town Hall FAQ stated that given that the rules of the poll had not ruled out such methods, "the will, chutzpah, and bodacious craft of the voting public will be respected", declaring that Alex will be attending MIT.
* Before the 2008 presidential election, Trudeau sent out strips to run in the days after the election in which [[Barack Obama]] was portrayed as the winner. Newspapers were also provided with old strips as an alternative.<ref name="obama">{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/6088604.html|title='Doonesbury' strip assumes Obama will win |website=Houston Chronicle|date=November 6, 2008|access-date=November 18, 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106060144/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/6088604.html|archive-date=November 6, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="latobama" /> When asked whether he created the original strip with complete confidence in an Obama victory, Trudeau replied: "Nope, more like rational risk assessment. [[Nate Silver]] at [[FiveThirtyEight]] is now giving McCain a 3.7% chance of winning – pretty comfortable odds. Here's the way I look at it: If Obama wins, I'm in the flow and commenting on a phenomenon. If he loses, it'll be a massive upset, and the goofy misprediction of a comic strip will be pretty much lost in the uproar. I figure I can survive a little egg on my face."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cavna |first=Michael |title=Obama Wins? Yes, 'Doonesbury' Calls the Election |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2008/10/doonesbury_calls_the_election.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101034319/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2008/10/doonesbury_calls_the_election.html |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In response, McCain spokesman [[Tucker Bounds]] said, "We hope the strip proves to be as predictive as it is consistently lame."<ref name="latobama" />
===2010s===
* The sequence for the week of March 12–17, 2012, lampooning the changes in abortion law in several states was pulled or moved to the editorial page by a number of newspapers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/11/doonesbury-strip-texas-abortion-law |title=Doonesbury strip on Texas abortion law dropped by some US newspapers |work=The Guardian |date=March 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509193309/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/11/doonesbury-strip-texas-abortion-law |archive-date=May 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Criticism==
When the strip became a success with its often seemingly static imagery where the essential action is entirely in the dialogue, veteran cartoonist [[Al Capp]] grudgingly admitted: "Anybody who can draw bad pictures of the White House four times in a row and succeed knows something I don't. His style defies all measurement."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=DOONESBURY: Drawing and Quartering for Fun and Profit |url=https://time.com/archive/6851747/doonesbury-drawing-and-quartering-for-fun-and-profit/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 9, 1976 |publisher=Time Magazine |access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>
[[Charles M. Schulz]] of ''[[Peanuts]]'' called Trudeau "unprofessional" for taking a long sabbatical.<ref>{{cite book | last = Soper | first = Kerry | title = Garry Trudeau: Doonesbury and the Aesthetics of Satire | publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] | date = October 1, 2008 }}</ref> (See also, similar comments by Schulz about sabbaticals taken by [[Bill Watterson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/selling-newspaper-comic-strip/|title=Selling Out the Newspaper Comic Strip |website=Los Angeles Review of Books|date=August 15, 2015 |access-date=November 18, 2017|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220123721/https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/selling-newspaper-comic-strip/|url-status=live}}</ref>) Nor was the return of the strip itself greeted with universal acclaim; in 1985, ''[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]'' listed Trudeau as one of the country's "Most Overrated People in American Arts and Letters", commenting that the "most publicized return since [[Douglas MacArthur|MacArthur]]'s has produced a strip that is predictable, mean-spirited, and not as funny as before."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The 42 Most Underrated/Overrated People in American Arts and Letters|magazine=Saturday Review|date=April 1985|pages=31–35}}</ref>
''Doonesbury'' has angered, irritated, or been rebuked by many of the political figures that have appeared or been referred to in the strip over the years. A 1984 series of strips showing Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] placing his manhood in a [[blind trust]]—in parody of Bush's use of that financial instrument to fend off concerns that his governmental decisions would be influenced by his investment holdings—brought the politician to complain, "''Doonesbury''{{'s}} carrying water for the opposition. Trudeau is coming out of deep left field."<ref name="msnbc35">{{cite news |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/doonesbury-still-feisty-after-35-years-wbna9998791 |title=''Doonesbury'' still feisty after 35 years |date=November 17, 2005 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Today.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104203912/https://www.today.com/popculture/doonesbury-still-feisty-after-35-years-wbna9998791 |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Some [[Conservatism|conservatives]] have intensely criticized ''Doonesbury''. Several examples are cited in the [[#Milestones|Milestones]] section of the strip's website. The strip has also met criticism from its readers almost since it began syndicated publication. For example, when Lacey Davenport's husband Dick, in the last moments before his death, calls on God, several conservative pundits called the strip blasphemous. The sequence of Dick Davenport's final bird-watching and fatal heart attack was run in November 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1986/11/06|title=Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for Nov 6, 1986|date=November 6, 1986|website=GoComics|access-date=November 18, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916182920/http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1986/11/06|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Liberalism|Liberal]] politicians skewered by Trudeau in the strip have also complained, including [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] such as former U.S. House Speaker [[Tip O'Neill]] and California Governor [[Jerry Brown]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/10/26/doonesbury-at-20-postcards-from-the-edge-of-the-envelope/|title=Doonesbury At 20: Postcards From The Edge Of The Envelope|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=November 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127131456/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-10-26-9003290989-story.html|archive-date=November 27, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
Strips about post-World War II American wars have also generated controversy, including [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]], [[Invasion of Grenada|Grenada]], [[Invasion of Panama|Panama]] and both [[Iraq war (disambiguation)|Gulf Wars]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/27/iraq.iraqandthemedia|title=Doonesbury at war|first=Dan|last=Glaister|date=May 27, 2004|access-date=November 18, 2017|work=The Guardian|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916182525/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/27/iraq.iraqandthemedia|url-status=live}}</ref>
After many letter-writing campaigns demanding the removal of the strip were unsuccessful, conservatives changed their tactics, and instead of writing to newspaper editors, they began writing to one of the printers who prints the color Sunday comics. In 2005, Continental Features refused to continue printing the Sunday ''Doonesbury'', causing it to disappear from the 38 Sunday papers that Continental Features printed. Of the 38, only one newspaper, ''[[The Anniston Star]]'' in [[Anniston, Alabama]], continued to carry the Sunday ''Doonesbury'', though of necessity in black and white.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/continental-complaints-led-to-drop-doonesbury-poll/|title=Continental: Complaints Led to Drop-'Doonesbury' Poll – Editor & Publisher|website=Editor and Publisher|access-date=November 18, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916184542/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/news/continental-complaints-led-to-drop-doonesbury-poll/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some newspapers have dealt with the criticism by moving the strip from the comics page to the editorial page, because many people believe that a politically based comic strip like ''Doonesbury'' does not belong in a traditionally child-friendly comics section. The ''[[Lincoln Journal]]'' started the trend in 1973. In some papers (such as the ''[[Tulsa World]]'' and ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'') ''Doonesbury'' appears on the opinions page alongside ''[[Mallard Fillmore]]'', a politically conservative comic strip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://knoxblogs.com/editor/2006/11/16/no_ducking_out/|title=No ducking out|date=November 16, 2006|website=Knox Blogs|access-date=November 18, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225335/http://knoxblogs.com/editor/2006/11/16/no_ducking_out/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Awards and honors==
* In 1975, the strip won Trudeau a [[Pulitzer Prize]] for [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning|Editorial Cartooning]], the first strip cartoon to be so honored. The Editorial Cartoonists' Society subsequently passed a resolution condemning the Pulitzer Committee. (After being assured that the award was irrevocable, Trudeau supported the resolution.)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/doonesbury/strip/archive/timeline|title=Doonesbury Comic Strips by Garry Trudeau|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2 December 2018|archive-date=December 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055437/https://www.washingtonpost.com/doonesbury/strip/archive/timeline|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Doonesbury'' was also a Nominated Pulitzer Finalist in 1990, 2004, and 2005.
* In 1977, the short film ''A Doonesbury Special'' won the Grand Jury Prize from the Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or for "Best Short Film". It was also nominated for an Academy Award.
* Trudeau received Certificates of Achievement from the [[US Army]] 4th Battalion 67th Armor Regiment and the Ready First Brigade in 1991 for his comic strips dealing with the first Gulf War. The texts of these citations are quoted on the back of the comic strip collection ''Welcome to Club Scud!''
* Trudeau won the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp |title=The Reuben |website=National Cartoonists Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220061214/http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp |archive-date=December 20, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Trudeau was awarded the [[US Army]]'s [[Commander's Award for Public Service]] in 2006 for his series of strips about B.D.'s recovery following the loss of his leg in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001919927|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060215224157/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001919927|archive-date= 2006-02-15 |title=U.S. Army Honors 'Doonesbury' Cartoonist |work=[[Editor & Publisher]]|date=January 27, 2006 |access-date=September 3, 2011}}</ref>
* In 2008, Trudeau received the Mental Health Research Advocacy Award from the [[Yale School of Medicine]] for his depiction of the mental-health issues facing soldiers upon returning home from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=Yale University|url=https://news.yale.edu/2008/03/20/doonesbury-cartoonist-garry-trudeau-receive-yale-award-raising-awareness-about-war-relate |title=Doonesbury" Cartoonist Garry Trudeau to Receive Yale Award for Raising Awareness about War-Related Mental Health |date=March 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730012020/https://news.yale.edu/2008/03/20/doonesbury-cartoonist-garry-trudeau-receive-yale-award-raising-awareness-about-war-relate |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |access-date=December 2, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2020, Trudeau was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nyslittree.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/content.display/page/nyswritershalloffame.cfm |title=NYS Writers Hall Of Fame 2020 Inductees |website=NYSCA Literary Tree |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920204643/http://www.nyslittree.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/content.display/page/nyswritershalloffame.cfm |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of published collections of Doonesbury|List of published collections of ''Doonesbury'']]
==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==References==
* {{cite book | author-link = Garry Trudeau | last = Trudeau | first = Garry | title=Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy | url = https://archive.org/details/doonesburymusica00trud | url-access = registration | publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston | year=1984 | isbn=978-0-517-05491-8}}
* Trudeau, Garry, ''Doonesbury Flashbacks'' CD-ROM for Microsoft Windows. Published by Mindscape, 1995.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051228043005/http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards.asp NCS Awards]
==
* [http://www.doonesbury.com/ ''Doonesbury'' home page]
* [https://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/ ''Doonesbury''—The Sandbox-Military Blog]
* [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917981-10,00.html ''Doonesbury'': Drawing and Quartering for Fun and Profit]—''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article from February 9, 1976
* {{IMDb title|id=0075953|title=The Doonesbury Special (1977)}}
* [[hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.trudeau|Garry Trudeau Papers]]. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
{{Doonesbury|state=expanded}}
{{Andrews McMeel Universal}}
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