Dad uttering the famous name for the first time in Forbidden Worlds #73

Herbyitis! It's a medical condition...

...and it affects Dad's blood pressure!

In this lament, Dad refers to the previous story.

Many references to "little fat nothing" came at the end of stories, this at the end of the first story in Herbie #1.

Another blood pressure reference.

A sad moment of rejection for Herbie.

In #3b, the story begins with...

...and ends with a "little fat nothing".

Mr. Bibblesnicker refers to Herbie as a little fat nothing.

In #11a, Dad seems particularly upset with Herbie as he sleeps while he eats. In the second frame, he refers to Herbie as a "little fat slug".

Hmmm. Dad can't say "Little Fatter Nothing" so he has to change the word order.

Dad does not notice that Herbie is floating.

In #14b, Mom asks Dad to avoid being, uh, negative? no, hmmm, inaccurate!

Not just Dad calls Herbie a little fat nothing.

In #15a, we learn that Herbie's dad was once a little fat nothing Herbie look-alike...

...and even Pincus Popnecker refers to himself as a former little fat nothing.

In #20b, Herbie acknowledges that his dad likes to think of him as a little fat nothing, and that it's better if his dad does not know of his powers.

#22a starts with it...

...and ends with it.

The last "little fat nothing" from Dad.

In the 1992 "The Most Beautiful Mom in the World!", Dad looks angry instead of woeful, and he gets the order of the words wrong. "Fat Little Nothing"?

Dad's out of character, looking angry instead of self-pitying, and he gets the word order wrong.

Wrong word order. Sigh. And, Herbie is wearing purple pants. Undignified.

In 1994 Flaming Carrot #31, Dad gets it right. "Little Fat Nothing". But Herbie is much more talkative than normal. The real Herbie would say "Will try." or more likely "Zzzzzzz" because he'd be asleep.

In the 1996 "Pass the Puck Herbie", Dad doesn't look like his self-pitying self or sound like himself when he gets the order of the words wrong. "Fat Little Nothing"?

The correct order for "Little Fat Nothing" is discussed in a letter in Herbie #10. "Big difference."

In the letters from Herbie #12, Herbie does not correct Vernon Proctor, but repeats the order "Fat Little Nothing", which makes me wonder who was answering the letters that month. "Fat little nothing" does turn nicely into "fattest little nothing", which might explain the exception. You can't say "Little Fattest Nothing" can you?