OTTO61-migration

I've always been interested in the exact blueprint of the Mitchell's house (to include the exact layout of the yard and surrounding neighborhood). Working with Word.XLS I could paste and move furniture, trees, etc. combining all the arrangements that were shown and only using as a final product the arrangements that were shown most often. It was kind've a daunting task. The Kitchen is an example: The kitchen is the smallest room in the house (next to the bathroom) but it is the most complex because of all the different arrangements. I have counted over two dozen. Some comic panels show the sink on the left side of the refrigerator, in others on the right side, sometimes the refrigerator is facing the sink from the other wall. Sometimes the stove is on the opposite wall facing the sink, or on the left of the sink, or the right, etc. In (Comic #14 – 1963 – and His Dog RUFF) Henry mentions the size of the kitchen as being "about 14 by 18" feet. This is rather too square a space. Most of the artwork showing the kitchen has it as long and narrow as in (FANTA-1951). In the pprbk Dog's Best Friend the floor space in the kitchen is so narrow it seems to be barely 4 foot wide! A more realistic approach (going by the artwork) is 8 or 9 x 12 to 14 feet.] The kitchen itself has expanded through the years and seems more spacious than the very narrow place it used to be. It's too bad I can't add an xls file on here to show the layouts, it might be of interest to Dennis fans. This site will only accept certain files.

Hello, Dennis the Menace has been my favorite comic since I started reading it back in the 50s. Through the past years I've collected every comic having Wiseman artwork, and then when Fantagraphics published all the earlier stuff I had to grab that too. I always wondered where the "action" took place until I came across the following statement made by Hank Ketcham: "I set the whole thing in Wichita, Kansas." Well now . . . was it really? Ketcham lived in California, he never lived in Kansas. So why there? I've noticed there are a LOT of place-names connected to areas the Mitchell's had activity in. The Mitchells visit Westlake Zoo. [there is a Westlake Zoo . . . in California. Not Kansas] (FANTA-1951) Dennis at the Beach (He and his family visit the seashore) [10 miles of beach at an ocean – just how far away from the middle of Kansas did the family travel? It appears they left their house and made it there in an hour or two] (Comic #6 – 1954) Mr. Wilson makes mention of fishing "I hear the salmon are running good in the bay." (Comic #7 – 1954) [is there a bay near this Kansas town? California has bays. Kansas doesn't] The Mitchells go to the Monterey County Fair. (Comic #19-1956). There is a Monterey County in California. There is none in Kansas. In the nearby park there are various Civil War statues of uniformed soldiers. Often enough can be found bums and hobos in the park. [There are also quite a few sailors in the park implying there is a Naval port nearby . . . which is an odd thing for the middle of Kansas, which has none. To the west, in California, however, there are 6 Naval ports] (FANTA-1958). Mr. Wilson receieves a letter at his address, 2251 Pine Street, Shadygrove (Comic #23 – In HOLLYWOOD – 1964) [There is a Shady Grove, California ... but I can find no reference to Kansas] "But the ocean's too COLD now!" Henry tells his son, who wants to go swimming in the winter. "Put on your clothes and we'll drive down to the beach." (Comic #27-1958). [Alright. This isn't Kansas. Not with the ocean nearby. You don't just drive to a beach from anywhere in Kansas . . . But you can in California] There is a Gallatin's restaurant [seen in a Punky story ... but since the small kid must live in the same neighborhood . . .). And there is a Gallatin's Restaurant in California, but I cannot find one in Kansas. (Comic #30-1958). The Mitchells visit the Junior Museum of Marin County. There is a Marion County in Kansas, but no Marin. But there is a Marin County in California. Maybe they drove all the way to California, which is doubtful because at this place one is allowed to 'borrow' an animal (like a guinea pig) for a week and bring it back. I don't think the Mitchells would travel almost 1200 miles for something like that. (Comic #31-1958). "It's a nice deserted beach I found!" Henry says. (Comic #38-1959). [They visit the ocean again. They must be traveling out of the state of Kansas. They encounter a mother seal and her pup. Various species of seals are found from the Arctic clear down to Florida in both Atlantic and Pacific waters, so it is unknown which beach they were visiting. But this has to be on a California beach. The odd thing is, they meet the Wilsons' on the very same beach. It would seem natural if the beach were not far from both neighbors, and they ran into each other ... but for both to travel so far out of state – since there is no ocean beach in Kansas, if that's where the Mitchell's live, which they do according to Ketcham the creator] [The ocean has to be near the Mitchell residence, and since there are so many references to California, particularly Monterey County (which isn't far from the Pacific), I conclude they must live there instead of Kansas] "Mmmm! Smell that salt air!" Henry says as they make a short drive to the 'wharf.' (Comic #54-1961). Not too far from the Mitchell's, MUNRAS Blvd crosses over CASA St. [There is a Munra's Avenue in California, and a Casa Street in San Luis Obispo, California] (Comic #1-AND HIS DOG RUFF-1961). There is a wooden crate labeled CAL PAK Portersville in the Wilson's cellar. (Comic #46-1967) [There is a Cal Pak in Portersville, California. It's a freight trucking company] The Mitchell's have visited a lot of places . . . many of them in California. Carville, CA (Comic #16). Point Lobos, CA (Comic #30). Santa Cruz, CA (Comic #36). Fort Ord, Monterey Bay, CA (Comic #37). Kennolyn Camp, CA (Comic #44). Del Ray Oaks, CA (Comic #53). El Estero Lake, CA (Comic #53). Fountain Springs, CA (Comic #36 – SPRING SPECIAL). Yosemite, CA (Comic #47 – IN CALIFORNIA). Now, all these trips weren't short drives away. More like 1,200 miles away. This is another point for them living in California and not Kansas