Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
When it comes to pop culture icons, he may not be mainstream, but Mister Oswald has garnered celebrity status and a loyal following in the hardware industry. He first appeared in the comic strip bearing his same name in October 1927 and would delight readers of Hardware Retailer magazine for over eight decades. In honor of the North American Hardware and Paint Association’s 125th anniversary, we invite you to learn more about the legend of Mister Oswald.
The Beginning
Mister Oswald was born from the creative mind of Russell Johnson, an artist and independent retailer. After serving in World War I, Johnson moved back to his hometown of Gibson City, Illinois, where he worked in his father’s hardware store. He drew advertising cartoons for the store’s window displays and created cartoons for one of the local newspapers. An editor for Hardware Retailer saw Johnson’s work in the newspaper and reached out to him to contribute to the magazine, and in 1925, Johnson began a six-decade stint with the magazine and brought Mister Oswald to life.
Learning From the Best
After retiring from retail in 1963, Johnson continued working on the Mister Oswald comic for two more decades. At the age of 95, he officially retired, passing the reins to illustrator Larry Day, who had been assisting Johnson with the comic since the early 1980s. Johnson had worked on his strip continuously for 62 years, a record for a comic strip done by its original creator. Mister Oswald last appeared in the magazine in 2008.
“Russell’s shoes were not easy to fill,” Day says. “I felt I came close to Russell’s level on a couple of occasions, but it was always Russell’s inspiration in the back of my mind that kept me going. When anyone asked how he came up with his ideas he would always say ‘cocaine.’ He never did cocaine, and neither have I, but his work had an intoxicating magic to it. Russell was a natural. He was sharply in tune with the world around him.”
The Legend Lives On
Today, Mister Oswald lives on through Rob Stolzer, a comic book fan who created a website dedicated to the comic strip.
“Russ created wonderfully believable and flawed characters readers could relate to, whether they were or are in the hardware business or not,” says Stolzer. “Part of that character extends to the spaces he created. I love the family-owned hardware stores, and Mister Oswald’s store is a perfect example of one of those stores where you could go in and ask specific questions about a job or purchase a single bolt.”
