Weatherbird

[1] The Weatherbird, in its long run, has been drawn by just six cartoonists (three of them, by coincidence, named Martin):[2] The character first appeared on February 11, 1901,[1] Harry B. Martin originated the character, which was originally called "Dickey Bird" ('dicky-bird' is a generic slang term for any small bird).

[citation needed] In 1912, the Post-Dispatch began running a full-page, multiple-panel color strip on Sunday, titled "Jinx and the Weather Bird Family", and featuring the Weatherbird (called "George" in the strip), his wife, and their mischievous Katzenjammer Kids-like children in various putatively comical escapades.

(Jinx was an imp who observed or initiated the hijinks; later the strip was later retitled to just "The Weather Bird Family".)

[8] Wohlschlaeger recalled that when barely out of his teens "I was doing sports art for the Post and when Carlisle died, I stayed up all night and drew 12 Weatherbirds so I could put them on the feature editor's desk the next morning.

[9] In his nearly half-century-long tenure, Wohlschlaeger's Weatherbird commented on events such as D-Day, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the Apollo 11 Moon landing, but his favorite cartoon appeared on October 2, 1944: it showed the Weatherbird dressed in St. Louis Browns uniform and standing on his head, in honor of the Browns' first and only American League pennant.

[citation needed] A life-size Weatherbird costume is used by the Post-Dispatch for promotions such as meet-and-greets at local bars.

First Weatherbird appearance, February 11, 1901, drawn by Harry B. Martin
Another Harry Martin Weatherbird, showing the cigar associated with the character until the late 20th century
An S. Carlisle Martin Weatherbird
Dan Martin's Weatherbird (this one marking the 2004 death of Ronald Reagan). The Weatherbird has long since traded his wings and tail for hands. Martin's bird shows a bit of beak, though, in contrast to Amadee's entirely flat face.