"Keeping it Up with the Joneses" engages with a range of comic strip conventions, from the traditional grid layout to the use of recurring characters and storylines. Jones cleverly subverts these conventions, using them to create a sense of familiarity and comfort for the reader.
: The McGinises constantly struggle to match the social status and material wealth of their neighbors, the , who are famously never actually shown in the strip. keeping it up with the joneses jab comix
The story begins in the early 20th century. On March 31, 1913, a new comic strip by cartoonist Arthur R. “Pop” Momand debuted in The New York Globe . Its title was Keeping Up with the Joneses . The strip was a domestic comedy centered on the McGinis family—father Aloysius, mother Clarice, their daughter Julie, and their housekeeper, who was humorously named Bella Donna. The central joke of the strip was that the McGinises were constantly striving to match the wealth, style, and possessions of their next-door neighbors, the Joneses. The Joneses themselves were a clever narrative device: they were frequently mentioned and served as the benchmark for social status, but they were . It was this relatable, and often humorous, anxiety of social comparison that resonated with readers. The strip ran for 25 years until April 16, 1938, but in that time, it popularized a catchphrase that would become a permanent part of the lexicon. "Keeping it Up with the Joneses" engages with