Miss Mizzou Exhibit
May 1-31
Ellis Library Colonnade
In collaboration with local author J. B. Winter, Special Collections and Rare Books presents an exhibit of materials on Miss Mizzou and her connections to Columbia. Miss Mizzou was a comic strip character created by New York cartoonist Milton Caniff, best known for the comic strips Terry and the Pirates (1934-1946) and Steve Canyon (1947-1988). Caniff became acquainted with the University of Missouri and its nickname “Mizzou” when he visited Columbia to speak at a Journalism Week conference on May 5th, 1949.
While in town a mere 24 hours, Caniff’s impressions of Columbia and MU helped form the Miss Mizzou character who debuted in the Steve Canyon comic strip on September 5th, 1952. Miss Mizzou was only an occasional visitor to the comic strip Steve Canyon, but her handful of appearances over the years inspired a life beyond the comics page rare among most comic characters. This exhibit sheds light on this forgotten character and her adventures in the comics and in Columbia.