Little Lulu

Marjorie Henderson Buell's Little Lulu was a comic strip that debuted in The Saturday Evening Post in 1935, starting out as a modest back-page filler. Rising to prominence over the next two decades, Lulu would eventually become one of the most successful Little Girl franchises in the history of the medium, eventually rivaling Little Iodine's popularity in newsprint and branching out into comic books, animation and various forms of advertising.

As with its two precursors - Little Iodine and Nancy - the series’ humor was based largely on generational conflicts, presenting Lulu as a naively destructive child whose simple presence wreaks chaos in the lives of every adult around her (an almost universal characteristic of many later Little Girl strips).

The character found equal success in comic book format when Dell launched its Little Lulu title in 1948. Illustrated by John Stanley, the series became a domestic comedy featuring an extended cast of characters, including long-time friend and nemesis, Tubby Tompkins. Stories were often formulaic, placing the Lulu in the proximity of an unsuspecting adult teacher, sales clerk, policeman, etc) who is gradually reduced to a quivering wreck.

As was the convention of the period, Lulu was depicted with an impossibly short hemline, leaving her plain white underwear visible at all times.

Animated cartoons
Little Lulu has a long and complicated history of animated adaptions, starting with Famous Studios' theatrical shorts of the 1940s. The series was discontinued in 1948, coinciding with the introduction of Little Audrey, Lulu's replacement. In 1955, these cartoons - twenty six in all - were syndicated in black and white for television.

In 1977, an anime version was produced by Nippon Animation, meeting with considerable success due to its high technical quality and fidelity to the source material. The next revival took place in 1995, when two seasons of The Little Lulu Show appeared on HBO. Initially voiced by Tracey Ullman, the series included faithful adaptions of John Stanley's comic books in an updated setting.

Keeping the character true to its origins, panchira played a significant role in all of the animated adaptions.

Trivia

 * According to The Spanking Art Wiki, many of the pre 1990 animated versions finished with Lulu being spanked on the panties.