Phoebe and Her Unicorn
| Phoebe and Her Unicorn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Author(s) | Dana Simpson |
| Website | Phoebe and Her Unicorn at GoComics |
| Current status / schedule | Running |
| Launch date |
April 22, 2012 (as a webcomic) March 30, 2015 (in newspapers) |
| Syndicate(s) | Universal Uclick |
| Publisher(s) | Andrews McMeel Publishing |
| Genre(s) | Humor, fantasy, children |
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a daily comic strip by American cartoonist Dana Simpson. Originally called Heavenly Nostrils, the strip debuted as a webcomic on April 22, 2012, in Universal Uclick's GoComics website.[1] It was later launched in more than 100 newspapers on March 30, 2015, under the current name.[2]
The strip began when 9-year-old Phoebe Howell, a girl in the fourth grade, skips a rock across a pond and accidentally hits a unicorn in the face. Freed from her own reflection, the unicorn—named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils—gives Phoebe one wish, which she decides to use by making the unicorn her best friend.
Marigold, like all unicorns in the series, is experienced in magic. Through various "spellcraft", she is able to perform such feats as divert or redirect rain and send text messages and broadcast a Wi-Fi hotspot through her horn. However, her most frequently-used spell is "The Shield of Boringness", which causes humans to view her as nothing out of the ordinary and allows her to interact with them on a daily basis.
Influences
The design of the unicorns draws inspiration from Medieval depictions, including the series of tapestries entitled The Lady and the Unicorn and The Hunt of the Unicorn. Marigold is drawn with cloven hooves and a swan-shaped body.[3] The latter set of tapestries was referenced in the opening sequence of The Last Unicorn. Simpson has stated that the book was one of the inspirations for her comic strip.
Publications
- Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle. Andrews McMeel. 2014. ISBN 1449446205.
Reprints comics from the first eight months (April 22, 2012 - November 18, 2012) of the strip in full color, whereas many were originally in black and white. - Unicorn on a Roll: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure. Andrews McMeel. 2015. ISBN 1449470769.
- Unicorn vs. Goblins: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure. Andrews McMeel. 2016. ISBN 1449476287.
Awards
- Washington State Book Award, Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award, 2015: Books for middle readers (ages 9 to 12)[4] for Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle
- PNBA Book Award, 2016 for Unicorn on a Roll[5]
References
- ↑ "Phoebe and Her Unicorn". GoComics. Universal Uclick. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ↑ "Universal Uclick Launches Phoebe and Her Unicorn in more than 100 Newspapers Worldwide". Universal uClick. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ↑ Simpson, Dana (May 2014). "How to draw Marigold". Dana Simpson's deviantArt account.
- ↑ Simpson, Dana (October 10, 2015). "Winners of the Washington State Book Awards (2015)". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
- ↑ Simpson, Dana (October 10, 2015). "2016 PNBA Book Awards". Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. Retrieved January 14, 2016.