Li'l Abner was one of the most popular comic strips in American history. The strip ran in newspapers from 1934 until 1977. Created by Al Capp (1909–1980), the strip was populated by hillbilly characters that resided in rural Dogpatch. The protagonist was Abner Yokum, a muscle-bound simpleton who lived with his Mammy and Pappy. The strip was an instant critical and commercial success, as readers delighted in Capp's expert mixture of verbal and visual humor. John Steinbeck (1902–1968) considered Capp to be America's greatest satirist as the strip mocked the nation's social structure, economics, politics, ideals, and contemporary fads.

Capp believed a comic strip could be more than simple entertainment. He used the strip as a soapbox for his beliefs. Both liberals and conservatives denounced the strip over the years as Capp targeted all sides of the political spectrum. The characters of Li'l Abner were generally...