As comics historian Don Markstein described: Jimmy was a wide-eyed innocent, but easy prey to the foibles of little boys.

He'd constantly forget what task he was about and wander off to do boyish things, to the great consternation of the adults in his life.

It soon became a regular in the Sunday comics section and was picked up as a feature in other newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst.

Markstein noted that Swinnerton "drew his strip in a clear, open style, unlike most cartoonists of his time.

In this, he anticipated dominant styles of the 20th century, less crowded and more easily read — quite appropriate for newsprint production, where the printing isn't always as clear as it should be.