Herbie Popnecker

Herbie Popnecker
Examples of Recurring Themes

(Welcome to HerbiePopnecker.com)

Page Header, with Links to Examples and a Catalog of Stories

Herbie Comic Covers

Follow @HerbiePopnecker on Twitter, or I'll bop you

Herbie, mustachioed, winds up for a knockout punch

Herbie Popnecker Examples:
Recurring Gags

Related:

Villains/Adversaries (46 examples)
Famous (85 examples)
Hypnotic Eyes (27 examples)
Falling (15 examples)
Swinging Adversaries (16 examples)
Biting (19 examples)
Bop you with this here lollipop (35 examples)
Little Fat Nothing (49 examples)
Recurring Story Subjects (category)
Herbie's Amazing Powers (category)
Speech Patterns (category)
Miscellaneous Collections (category)

If Herbie comics are governed by any rule, it's "Never pass up an opportunity for a joke." There are different types of gags: visual or physical gags, personality quirks, communication situations, sounds, and so on. Some of Herbie's powers are gags themselves.

Index terms: disguises, deception, look-alikes, baby Herbie, short, fat, nicknames, plump lump, women swoon, eating, sleeping, sitting, lying in a hammock, sound effects, butt jokes, Jewish references, shrugging, tapping, deadpan, expressionless, impatient, connoisseur, methodical, breaking the fourth wall, handy items, squishing, splashing, stopping by sticking out feet, boxer shorts, stereotypes, buck teeth, fainting, woman-chasing, idiot, unobservant, maternal support, money, secrets, oblivious, animal love, plunger, two-headed, Richard E. Hughes, Ogden Whitney

1. Disguises

Despite having a unique physique, Herbie is able to use disguises to avoid recognition. It does not take much to fool all of the people all of the time. Herbie finds many of his disguises in a chest of costumes labeled "DISGUISES". Herbie's most famous disguise, the Fat Fury, was created in Herbie #8a.

Created: 2004-11-09 Updated: 2014-11-01

Stories: 43 Examples: 83

2. Deception

Sometimes Herbie and others used misdirection or absurdly bad attempts at deception, such as without the obligatory bad disguise. It helps that everyone, including Herbie, is unobservant.

Created: 2008-11-21 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 14 Examples: 17

3. Lookalikes Galore

People from both sides of Herbie's family look like him, including his father and grandfather. Random people throughout history bear an uncanny resemblance. Some look-alikes look good to Herbie, but some are ugly to him.

Created: 2004-10-02 Updated: 2012-05-10

Stories: 21 Examples: 25

4. Baby Herbie

Sometimes by time travel, disguise, memory, imagination, or a fountain of youth, we get to see Herbie as a baby, looking just like him.

Created: 2004-11-12 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 7 Examples: 8

5. Fat, Fat, Water Rat

Herbie's dad refers to his disappointing son as a little fat nothing, and it's hard not to notice Herbie's shape, a shape Herbie's father once had. But Herbie is never limited by his weight. As Herbie says, "So I'm fat. So what?"

Created: 2005-03-09 Updated: 2012-08-31

Stories: 28 Examples: 40

6. Nicknames

Herbie's father calls him a "little fat nothing," but Herbie has other nicknames. Some names are used maliciously by his foes, some adoringly by the women who can't resist him, and others, commenting on his fat.

Created: 2012-03-18 Updated: 2012-06-18

Stories: 36 Examples: 59

7. Silly Names

The villains and adversaries in Herbie stories tend to have silly names. Herbie himself is the son of Pincus Popnecker, a pretty silly name, even compared to Herbie's many silly nicknames.

Created: 2012-03-20 Updated: 2012-06-18

Stories: 25 Examples: 35

8. Short

While it's obvious that Herbie is absurdly fat, he is also incredibly short. During his evolution, Herbie got fatter and shorter, at times appearing to be well below three feet tall.

Created: 2012-03-07 Updated: 2012-05-06

Stories: 12 Examples: 14

9. Women Swoon

Women find Herbie irresistible, despite his height, despite his weight, despite his face, despite his ineloquence. Maybe it's his savoir-faire.

Created: 2004-11-14 Updated: 2012-04-25

Stories: 24 Examples: 41

10. Eating

Herbie was introduced as a fat boy who ate a lot, but in later issues, he is not often depicted as eating (except lollipops, of course).

Created: 2004-10-15 Updated: 2012-05-15

Stories: 19 Examples: 21

10.

11. Sleeping

Herbie is often sleeping during the day, much to his father's dismay. Herbie sleeps with his glasses on, often with a lollipop in his mouth. Herbie can sleep while sitting, lying in a hammock, and even while eating.

Created: 2004-10-17 Updated: 2012-05-22

Stories: 25 Examples: 40

11.

12. Sitting

Herbie often sits expressionless in a chair, with arms by his sides, doing nothing.

Created: 2012-03-04 Updated: 2012-05-10

Stories: 20 Examples: 26

12.

13. In the Hammock

Herbie rests in the hammock, often with a lollipop. Herbie naps in the hammock. Dad does not like to see Herbie in the hammock.

Created: 2012-03-19 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 12 Examples: 14

13.

14. Sound-Effects

Like many comics, every Herbie story has sound effects, mostly silly, almost all with exclamation points. There are many sound effects with punching, things getting squished, butt jokes, breaking through walls, lolli-bopping, ...

Created: 2008-11-22 Updated: 2012-04-21

Stories: 51 Examples: 76

14.

15. Butt Jokes

Butts are the butt of many visual jokes, usually with sound-effects. Sometimes, Herbie falls on adversaries, butt first, resulting in severe damage.

Created: 2005-02-05 Updated: 2012-05-15

Stories: 42 Examples: 75

15.

16. Herbie is Unwanted

This is not the sad unwanted as in love or out of fear because of his powers like those eyes, this is the funny unwanted where people would like Herbie to be elsewhere.

Created: 2012-03-21 Updated: 2013-01-12

Stories: 19 Examples: 25

16.

17. Herbie is Surrounded

Only a well-coordinated attack can subdue Herbie, and Herbie can be overwhelmed (until he gets impatient) by adversaries coming from every direction. Other times, Herbie's attackers are defeated all at once.

Created: 2012-05-05 Updated: 2013-01-05

Stories: 7 Examples: 10

17.

18. Jewish References

Herbie stories have many Jewish references in character names, food, and manner of speaking. This may be attributable to the roots of the author of the stories.

Created: 2005-07-30 Updated: 2012-08-21

Stories: 17 Examples: 24

18.

19. Shrugging

Often in response to Dad calling Herbie a "little fat nothing", Herbie's shrug is asking the reader for relief from his incomprehensible situation. Is this a Jewish expression?

Created: 2004-11-07 Updated: 2012-06-13

Stories: 26 Examples: 44

19.

20. Tap-Tap

Herbie has to be stealthy to get so close that he can tap them to get their attention. Because he is about three feet tall, he only taps on the shoulder when flying. Herbie has other forms of non-verbal communication, including those eyes of his.

Created: 2011-12-26 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 11 Examples: 16

20.

21. Calm, Deadpan

While one could call Herbie calm, cool, and collected, one could also call him comically detached or clinically autistic, but he shows genuine empathy for others.

Created: 2004-10-05 Updated: 2012-06-18

Stories: 22 Examples: 29

21.

22. Impatient/Busy/Rushed

When Herbie is ready to act, he doesn't like waiting around. Enough dilly-dallying, enough shilly-shallying, or just enough. If he's in a hurry to get somewhere, he might try alternative modes of transportation.

Created: 2008-12-14 Updated: 2013-01-05

Stories: 19 Examples: 22

22.

23. Do it Myself

Herbie is a good guy and wants to help, but he does observe that he always has to take care of problems by himself. The only help Herbie seems to get is from animal friends.

Created: 2012-04-28 Updated: 2012-05-16

Stories: 17 Examples: 19

23.

24. Appreciates the Finer Things

Maybe it's from being famous and part of the reason that women swoon for him, or maybe it's related to his relationship with Professor Flipdome, Herbie is interested in and appreciates the quality of things.

Created: 2008-11-09 Updated: 2012-08-31

Stories: 29 Examples: 51

24.

25. Methodical, Organized

Herbie keeps his lollipops well-organized and he can fight and argue methodically.

Created: 2012-02-29 Updated: 2012-06-18

Stories: 6 Examples: 7

25.

26. Breaking the 4th Wall

Like many cartoons, characters in Herbie comics break the 4th wall and refer to being in a comic and address the audience. Herbie went further by breaking the 4th wall of stories within the comic.

Created: 2005-03-13 Updated: 2013-01-05

Stories: 16 Examples: 22

26.

27. Handy Items

Sometimes, Herbie just happens to have handy just what he needs. It doesn't matter where he is, the size of the item, or how unusual it would be to have it handy. Never mind where he got it from, either.

Created: 2004-11-12 Updated: 2012-04-25

Stories: 13 Examples: 13

27.

28. Animated Inanimate Objects

Not only do animals talk in Herbie stories, but inanimate objects show emotions and sometimes talk.

Created: 2014-12-09 Updated: 2014-12-09

Stories: 19 Examples: 29

28.

29. Squishing

No one gets injured in Herbie comics, so to show how badly someone has been beaten, they appear to be compressed, flattened, squished like an accordion. Early on, people were squished by punching, but in later stories, Herbie would fall on villains and squish them with his butt.

Created: 2003-03-09 Updated: 2012-04-21

Stories: 11 Examples: 15

29.

30. Splashing

Splashing is usually the effect of landing in a liquid (butt first), or an insult from an animal. Sound-effects are required.

Created: 2008-11-24 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 14 Examples: 17

30.

31. Coated

Herbie gets coated by various substances, sometimes by being splashed, but he always gets out, no worse for wear.

Created: 2012-05-10 Updated: 2012-05-10

Stories: 5 Examples: 7

31.

32. Stopping by Sticking Out Feet

Herbie and others make sudden stops on land and in the air by sticking out their feet and leaning back SKREE-EEEE!

Created: 2008-11-20 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 14 Examples: 14

32.

33. Boxer Shorts

Somehow, Herbie often ends up in his underwear in public, which always includes polka dot boxer shorts.

Created: 2004-11-11 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 13 Examples: 17

33.

34. Stereotypes

They were different times back then. I don't think any of the stereotypes were mean-spirited, but there are examples of African, Native American (Indian), Eskimo, and Chinese stereotypes that today would probably not appear in print.

Created: 2011-12-25 Updated: 2012-05-16

Stories: 9 Examples: 12

34.

35. Buck Teeth

It's pretty clear that Herbie does not find buck-teeth objectionable. There is more dental humor in Herbie comics: biting.

Created: 2004-11-12 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 10 Examples: 10

35.

36. Fainting

Women faint, men faint, animals faint. Even Herbie faints. Oh yes, Dad... he faints, too. Fainting is usually combined with an exclamation.

Created: 2008-11-29 Updated: 2012-04-10

Stories: 9 Examples: 10

36.

37. Dad is a Masher

Pincus Popnecker loves his wife, but thinks he is quite a stud. Well, he wishes it were so. Women swoon, not for him, but for Herbie.

Created: 2008-10-23 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 5 Examples: 9

37.

38. Dad is an Idiot

Sure, Dad has bad ideas, so we think Pincus Popnecker is an idiot, but characters in Herbie stories think so, too.

Created: 2011-12-29 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 12 Examples: 15

38.

39. Dad is Unobservant

Herbie's father, Pincus Popnecker, can never see through any of Herbie's disguises, or notice when Herbie is floating in air. Dad convinces himself that he is imagining the things that he thinks he sees Herbie doing.

Created: 2008-10-23 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 6 Examples: 7

39.

40. Mom Reacting

Dad is always complaining about Herbie being a little fat nothing, and Mom often has something to say. Usually at the start of a story or at the end, Mom tries to defend Herbie, or just calm down Dad.

Created: 2012-03-10 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 13 Examples: 19

40.

41. Money Mania

To Herbie's dad, money was synonymous with success, and nothing showed success better than a big pile of cash. And who has big piles of cash? Men with top hats.

Created: 2012-02-26 Updated: 2012-05-15

Stories: 8 Examples: 12

41.

42. Herbie's Secret Powers

Although Herbie is famous around the world and throughout history, his parents are unaware of his powers. Herbie thinks that it is better that they not know, especially his Dad, Pincus Popnecker, who likes to think of Herbie as a little fat nothing.

Created: 2011-12-26 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 6 Examples: 9

42.

43. Herbie is Oblivious

While Dad is unobservant, Herbie can be completely unaware of what's going on around him, no matter how spectacular.

Created: 2011-12-28 Updated: 2012-04-11

Stories: 8 Examples: 9

43.

44. Animal Love

Several Herbie stories conclude with a main female character falling in love with someone (or something) unusual: a caveman, an alien, or an animal.

Created: 2004-11-12 Updated: 2012-06-18

Stories: 9 Examples: 11

44.

45. Plunger Jokes

Herbie wears a plunger as a hat on his head when disguised as the Fat Fury. It never serves a useful purpose, except as a prop in a gag, usually with its own sound-effect, FWOINNNG!, as Fat Fury plunges into the ground.

Created: 2005-02-07 Updated: 2013-03-16

Stories: 6 Examples: 6

45.

46. Mountain Top Placement

Herbie puts his foes on mountain tops because it leaves them with no options. They are defeated non-violently.

Created: 2004-10-04 Updated: 2012-04-24

Stories: 3 Examples: 3

46.

47. Two-Headed Adversaries

Two-headed creatures are the main villains in two stories, and a camel with two elephant heads makes it a trio. They all laugh like this: HAW-HAW-HAW!

Created: 2005-03-09 Updated: 2013-01-06

Stories: 7 Examples: 9

47.