Scamp

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A daily Newspaper Strip about Lady and the Tramp's son Scamp. Originally written by Ward Greene (the man who wrote the short story that the movie is based off of) and illustrated by Dick Moores (who also worked on Gasoline Alley), it started in October of 1955 (only four months after the release of the movie it was spun off of) and ran until 1988. In its heyday, Scamp had his own comic book series, and remained a common feature in Walt Disney Comics and Stories up until and including the last issue published by Gemstone before Boom! took over. Which isn't bad for a comic starring a character that only appeared in the final scene of a movie.

Currently viewable at Disney's official fansite.

A continuation of the film, the comic follows the lives of Lady and the Tramp as they deal with their children, particularly their son Scamp, who always seems to be getting into some kind of adventure.

Characters include:

• Lady: Slightly over-protective mother of four, she always frets over her children and tries to get her husband to be more involved in their lives.
• Tramp: Former stray dog turned father of four, Tramp tends to have a more hands-off approach about raising his children, which he and Lady get into arguments about. His abilities as a father sometimes come into question, but he'll quickly jump in to help his children if they get into too much trouble.
• Scamp: The star of the series, Scamp is rarely satisfied with simply staying in his yard, and is always out exploring, and learning new things about the world, even if he comes off as a little stupid in the process.
• Fluffy: Scamp's sister, named after Fluffy Ruffles, a girl Tramp... heard of. Like her mother, she's a lady at heart, and thus is rarely interested in anything Scamp does.
• Ruffy: Scamp's other sister, also named after Fluffy Ruffles. She's a real tomboy, and is pretty much the exact opposite of her twin sister.
• Scooter: Scamp's shy younger little brother, and the last of the puppies to be named. Due to his shy nature, his family refereed to him as "the Baby". He is thankful to have an actual name.

The comic started out with a plot-driven format (the longest running about three months), but shifted to a more gag-driven format less than a year into its run, shifting its focus almost entirely on Scamp, which caused the characterizations of Scamp's family to become a bit less defined. Notably, Ruffy becomes less rough, while Scooter becomes less shy. The strip then begins to introduce a cast of friends for Scamp to interact with, from other dogs like Tiny and Chico, to other animals like Chatty the Squirrel and Cheeps the bird.

A Sunday Strip version was also started, but it began as a completely separate entity from the daily version, having it's own contained story arc before also becoming gag driven.

The movie's sequel, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, isn't very related to the comic strip beyond using Scamp's name and the basic plot of the first arc of Scamp running away from home.

NOTE: The Disney site not only changed its file naming system but apparently does not have a searchable archive. An alternate archive of Scamp strips is used for the current images -- but not every strip is in English!

Tropes used in Scamp include:

• A Boy and His X: Scamp and Albert.
• A Day in the Limelight: The story arc where Tramp tries prove he's a good provider for his family and the arc where the other puppies are named are the only arcs to star someone other than Scamp.
• Amplified Animal Aptitude: Tramp and Scamp can whistle.
• Blinding Bangs: Woolly
• Cats Are Mean: They trick Scamp into chasing them into the Dog show, destroying the whole thing. And Scamp gets blamed for everything.
• Comic Book Time: Noticeable when it comes to Albert (Jim Dear and Darling's son from the movie). He gets older, but Scamp doesn't.
• Continuity Drift: The first story arc establishes a strict policy against the puppies leaving the yard of their house. These (without any explicit indication) get gradually more relaxed until he can just casually wander out of his yard.
• Continuity Nod: The bows Fluffy and Ruffy wear a similar to the one Lady wore when she was a puppy (even if that was because she was a Christmas present).
• Fourth Wall Mail Slot: This strip. Doesn't affect the storyline, though.
• Funetik Aksent: Jock in particular. Otherwise used more in the Comic Books than the Newspaper Strip.
• Gender Equals Breed: Averted with Scooter. Played straight in The Movie.
  • As a minor change, Scamp has lighter coloured paws, a trait shared by his mother, but not his father. This isn't the way he's designed in the movies, but nearly every comic has gone with this.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: The slipper slipped!
• Ironic Nickname: Tiny (who's name isn't given in his first appearances) is anything but.
• Meaningful Name: Discussions about where Scamp's name comes from seem to suggest that he was called "a scamp" whenever he got into trouble, and decided that must be his name, while his family decided to go with it. Meanwhile, Fluffy and Ruffy manage to get semi-fitting names; Fluffy being more girly, and Ruffy being "rougher" than her sister.
  • And, of course, Scooter got his name by scooting over a patch of water in the middle of a frozen lake.
• No Name Given: Scamp is the only one of Lady and Tramp's children that has a name when the strip begins. They are eventually named as part of the story, though.
• Overly Long Name: Whenever Kennel names come up.
• Roadside Wave: One story has Scamp getting completely covered in mud by a car splash, which gets him confused for a puppy that looks exactly like him, but brown. After escaping, he promptly finds a water puddle and waits for another car to go by in order to wash off.
• Rouge Angles of Satin: The second letter in the Fourth Wall Mail Slot strip.
  • Justified in that it seems to have been written by a child.
• Sibling Rivalry: Scamp and Scooter get into a little of this in a few strips.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: The main difference between Fluffy and Ruffy and their brother Scooter is that Fluffy and Ruffy wear ribbons around their neck and Scooter doesn't.
• The Faceless: Like the movies, you rarely see more than Jim Dear or Darling's legs. Especially since the comic likes to keep most of the action outside the house.
• The Man in the Moon: He says hi!