Hays was subsequently offered work as a staff illustrator for the Cleveland Press, a job procured for her by the designer of the correspondence course himself, Charles N.

"[3] Hays also drew the noted one-panel cartoon series Flapper Fanny Says, also for NEA and starting in about 1924,[8] with a Sunday page following in 1928.

[9] In this panel, which featured a flapper illustration and a witticism, Hays "moved away from the fancy style of Nell Brinkley, drawing sleeker women with short hair—some even wearing pants.

"[10] Her panel inspired competition for a time from Faith Burrows' similarly-themed Flapper Filosofy from the rival King Features Syndicate.

Ethel Hays was married in 1925[3] to W.C. Simms of Kansas City, Missouri (she continued to use her maiden name in signing her art throughout her career).

[4][8] Between 1931 and 1936, however, Hays did find time to illustrate at least 17 stories by noted and prolific author Ellis Parker Butler that were distributed to newspapers.

[11] Hays continued to produce a variety of other work for NEA, including full-page illustrations and montages for Every Week magazine, a Sunday newspaper supplement.

Comic strip historian Allan Holtz wrote, "While the art was vintage Hays, the gags were strictly jokebook material.

[12] In 1938–1940, Hays worked for The Christian Science Monitor, drawing cartoons to accompany a series of poems called "Manly Manners."

Saalfield had secured the license from the Johnny Gruelle Company in 1944 to produce Raggedy Ann storybooks, coloring books, paper dolls[13] and booklets.

"[6] Comics historian Trina Robbins wrote that Hays was "without a doubt the most brilliant of the women cartoonists influenced by Nell Brinkley.