Both preternaturally hungry and egotistical, Tubby's overriding monomania and blissful lack of self-awareness propel him through an endless series of near-disasters and minor epics of suburban adventure.

Tubby is the leader of The Fellers, a gang of neighbourhood boys with a strict "No Girls Allowed" policy in their clubhouse, and it is in this role that he most often runs afoul of Lulu and her genius.

These unidentified boys (the strip was in pantomime, with no captions or word balloons) were often dressed alike, in typical schoolboy fashions of the period, with short pants, large collar with bow tie, suit jacket, and tiny sailor cap.

However, in the next year's "Beau Ties" (released April 20, 1945), Tubby takes center stage as "Fatso", erstwhile boyfriend of Lulu, who discovers him two-timing her with Gloria (known in this cartoon as "Fifi") at the malt shop.

The characters of Lulu and Tubby appear together for the first time in this format in Dell Comics' Four Color #74 in a story titled "The Costume Party" and written and drawn by cartoonist John Stanley.

Because Tubby was little more than a simple stereotype when his comic book adventures began, John Stanley was able to use him as a vehicle to explore a variety of themes and put his own stamp on the character.