Monday PSA: Buzzy Says ‘Stay in School — Give Yourself A Break!’

May 4th, 2009

Filed under: Comics

Buzzy Says 'Stay in School -- Give Yourself A Break!' Click for the full page.Another in the series of “stay in school” public service ads, one of the most common themes seen in the DC PSA campaign of the late ‘40s, ‘50s, and early ‘60s. Unlike later PSAs, where Buzzy is counseling other characters to stay in school, in this case it is Buzzy himself who wants to drop out.

This is probably because the ad is an early PSA, and the first featuring Buzzy that I am aware of.

Click on the image for the full ad

This PSA was written by Jack Schiff. I’ve seen the art attributed to both Bob Oksner and Graham Place. It looks more like Place’s art to me, particularly when you look at the hands, but this is well before my time and I’m no expert. This PSA was found in DC Comics from October 1949 such as Action Comics #137, where I found this ad.

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6 Responses to “ Monday PSA: Buzzy Says ‘Stay in School — Give Yourself A Break!’ ”

  1. Jeffrey
    May 4th, 2009 at 7:35 am

    Speaking from my wealth of psychiatric experience (which mostly consists of watching Silence of the Lambs), Buzzy seems to have some problem with personal dilemma absolution. The phrase he uses at the beginning of this strip “Woe is me” seems pretty indicative to the fact that Buzzy’s school continuation dilemma is in fact quite distressing. Yet, the answer to his problem (which is to simply go back to school) seems pretty mundane, to the point where he should have come up with this one on his own. Seem’s Buzzy is pretty dependant on Susie to present relatively simple solutions to manage his own life compicating problems.

    I’m recommending a full course of electroshock therapy for Buzzy. Etiher that, or we should nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

  2. Sean Duggan
    May 4th, 2009 at 8:54 am

    Och… I wish I could say that I didn’t know people in high school who were battering against self-imposed dilemnas. Like Susie points out, the only thing keeping him from graduating would be himself.

  3. Bash
    May 4th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    So Buzzy researched the data, discovered HS grads earn more, and then decided to quit School. Then realized this was a bad idea. It then took Susie’s intervention to show him his idea was bad. Definatly looks like Buzzy has a dependent type relationship with Susie. Does she pick out his clothes in the morning too?

    Also, Susie said she knows “millions of boys and girls(hopefully not personally) leave High School every year” and regret it. Yeah, I’ll admit when I “graduated” HS and left, later in years I wish I hadn’t. I would like to go back. I bet those kids who left HS “early” regret it even more.

  4. Mr. B
    May 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    —Also, Susie said she knows “millions of boys and girls(hopefully not personally) leave High School—

    I had the same thought, about Susie. lol

  5. Joe
    May 4th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    The Library is a little-known hot-spot for high school dropouts.

  6. Dean
    May 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    “Fatal facts”? Man, Buzzy a real drama queen.

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