Little Nemo

'Little Nemo' is the main fictional character in a series of weekly comic strips by Winsor McCay (1871-1934) that appeared in the New York Herald and William Randolph Hearst's New York American newspapers from October 15, 1905–April 23, 1911 and April 30 1911–1913; respectively. The strip was first called Little Nemo in Slumberland and then In the Land of Wonderful Dreams when it changed papers. A brief revival of the title occurred from 1924-27.

Winsor McCay adapted the strip into his first animated cartoon. The cartoon was predominantly experimental, but it was still revolutionary. The film featured 4,000 individual drawings, which gave the motion a highly kinetic feel. McCay was able to create amazingly naturalistic motion, which had never been accomplished before and inspired many future animators. The story of Little Nemo was insignificant and the only similarity between the cartoon and the strip was the characters.

Since its publishing, Little Nemo has had an influence on other artists, including Alan Moore, in Miracleman #4, when the Miracleman family end up in a palace called "Sleepy Town," which is possessed of similar imagery to Little Nemo. In children's literature, Maurice Sendak has said that this strip inspired his book In the Night Kitchen, and William Joyce included several elements from Little Nemo in his children's book Santa Calls, including appearances by Flip and the walking bed.