French-Canadian publication of 'Eb and Flo'. Eb and Flo have an argument and Eb suggests compromising. Flo agrees: "That's fine. You admit you're wrong and I apologize."
Paul Sellers is a cartoonist, toy maker and puzzle developer from Kent, England. He is the creator of the newspaper strips 'Eb and Flo' (1961) and 'Lancelittle' (1964-1966), and of the puzzle feature 'Dingbats'/'Whatzit?' (1980). Syndication of his strips was not limited to British newspapers, as his features also ran in papers from the USA and Canada. Paul Sellers should not be confused with the British woodworker Paul Sellers (°1950).
'Lancelittle'.
Early life and career
Paul Sellers was born in 1920 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. He studied art and worked as a teacher before he became a full-time cartoonist, illustrator and inventor.
Eb and Flo
Paul Sellers' family comic 'Eb and Flo' (1961- ...) started as a daily and Sunday feature in Britain in 1961. It featured the recognizable antics about a man Eb, and his wife Flo, whose names are a pun on the expression "eb and flow". The series ran in the USA and Canada through United Feature Syndicate from 16 January 1967 through 25 April 1987. In the French translated version, Eb's name was sometimes misspelled as 'Ed'.
Lancelittle
Sellers also made the pantomime comic, 'Lancelittle', about a knight whose name is a pun on Lancelot from the 'King Arthur' saga. The series ran in U.S. newspapers through the Hall Syndicate from 30 November 1964 through 16 April 1966. Its original British run may have lasted longer.
Mr. Men and Little Miss
Sellers and children's book author Roger Hargreaves also made a 1983-1988 newspaper comic based on Hargreaves' educational children's book series 'Mr. Men' and 'Little Miss'.
'Whatzit?'
Dingbats
In 1980, Sellers created 'Dingbats', a word-and-picture puzzle. Through a series of cryptic descriptions and visual wordplay, readers have to discover hidden phrases, names or sayings which are turned around, upside down, sideways or jumbled up. 'Dingbats' appeared in local newspapers, after which it was internationally syndicated through the Andrews-McMeel Syndicate. From 1982 on, it was a regular staple of The Daily Mail's Sunday supplement Mail on Sunday. Since then, the series inspired board games, travel games, books and an iPhone app. In foreign publications, 'Dingbats' has different titles, namely 'Whatzit?' in North America, 'Katch-its' in Australia, 'Was is' es?' in Germany and '¿Que es?' in Spain.
'Dingbats' was perhaps Sellers' most successful endeavor. The royalties made him a millionaire and he received lots of fanmail. Readers could also send in their own puzzles. Sellers continued 'Dingbats' contributions until 2020.
Death
Paul Sellers died in 2020, at age 89. A month earlier, he had decided to retire and therefore drew his last 'Dingbats' puzzle comic.
French-Canadian publication of 'Eb and Flo' (25 January 1970). Translation: "My dear! Flo! You're going to get exhausted. Why didn't you try to make me shovel?"