Herbie Popnecker

Herbie Popnecker
Examples of Recurring Themes

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Herbie Claus, stuck in a chimney

Herbie Popnecker Examples:
Recurring Gags:
Shrugging

Created: 2004-11-07 Updated: 2012-06-13
Stories: 26 Examples: 44 Links: 22

Related:

Jewish References (24 examples)
Little Fat Nothing (49 examples)
Story-Ending Panels (52 examples)

Often in response to Dad calling Herbie a "little fat nothing", Herbie's shrug is asking the reader for relief from his incomprehensible situation. Is this a Jewish expression?

Several splash pages and covers feature Herbie shrugging, and he's often shrugging at the end of stories.

Index terms: shoulder shrug, I dunno, beats me, who knows, huh?, impenetrable, unfathomable, ungraspable, unintelligible, Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, non-verbal communication, Richard E. Hughes, Ogden Whitney

Source: Forbidden Worlds #94 p.4 (1961-03)

Updated: 2005-03-21

Themes Cover Scan

Forbidden Worlds #944

Herbie is hovering outside "Horrible Science Fiction" writers where the man pitching a story looks a lot like Richard E. Hughes. The proposal of someone standing in the air outside a window is ridiculed, but when the writers see Herbie, panic ensues, and Herbie shrugs.

Source: Herbie #2a p.8 (1964-06)

Updated: 2008-10-26

Herbie is hovering outside "Horrible Science Fiction" writers where the man pitching a story looks a lot like Richard E.

Source: Herbie #2b (1964-06)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Source: Herbie #4a p.9 (1964-09)

Updated: 2005-09-20

Herbie #4a9

Source: Herbie #4a p.10 (1964-09)

Updated: 2005-09-20

Herbie #4a10

Source: Herbie #4b (1964-09)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Source: Herbie #4b p.2 (1964-09)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Herbie #4b2

Half a shrug because one hand holding lollipop.

Source: Herbie #4b p.9 (1964-09)

Updated: 2004-11-08

Half a shrug because one hand holding lollipop.

Source: Herbie #5a p.2 (1964-10)

Updated: 2008-10-23

Herbie #5a2

Source: Herbie #5a p.3 (1964-10)

Updated: 2008-10-23

Herbie #5a3

"What's to say?" Herbie shrugs, "I'm too fat to have adventures."

Source: Herbie #5a p.13 (1964-10)

Updated: 2005-09-20

"What's to say?" Herbie shrugs, "I'm too fat to have adventures."

Source: Herbie #5b p.3 (1964-10)

Updated: 2004-11-09

Herbie #5b3

Source: Herbie #5b p.6 (1964-10)

Updated: 2008-11-13

Herbie #5b6

Source: Herbie #6 (1964-12)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Cover page

Source: Herbie #6a p.4 (1964-12)

Updated: 2004-11-14

Herbie #6a4

Source: Herbie #6a p.10 (1964-12)

Updated: 2008-11-04

Herbie #6a10

Prime Example:

Source: Herbie #6b p.11 (1964-12)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Prime Example :

Source: Herbie #7a p.12 (1965-02)

Updated: 2005-03-14

Herbie #7a12

Source: Herbie #7b p.4 (1965-02)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Herbie #7b4

Source: Herbie #7b p.11 (1965-02)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Herbie #7b11

Source: Herbie #8b p.2 (1965-03)

Updated: 2008-12-06

Herbie #8b2

Can't fight girl. What am I gonna do...?

Source: Herbie #10b p.6 (1965-06)

Updated: 2008-12-14

Can't fight girl .

Adlai Stevenson and President Johnson shrugging. Not sure why they had to stand on their chairs, though.

Source: Herbie #11a p.5 (1965-08)

Updated: 2008-11-23

Adlai Stevenson and President Johnson shrugging.

Source: Herbie #12a p.11 (1965-09)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Herbie #12a11

Source: Herbie #13a p.13 (1965-10)

Updated: 2005-03-08

Herbie #13a13

Source: Herbie #14 (1965-12)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Cover page

Source: Herbie #14b p.3 (1965-12)

Updated: 2004-11-18

Herbie #14b3

Source: Herbie #16b (1966-03)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Herbie and Gilmartin shrugging.

Source: Herbie #16b p.6 (1966-03)

Updated: 2012-04-08

Herbie and Gilmartin shrugging.

Ahh, animal love...

Source: Herbie #16b p.8 (1966-03)

Updated: 2012-04-08

Ahh, animal love ...

Source: Herbie #17a (1966-04)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

A turtle shrugs.

Source: Herbie #17a p.6 (1966-04)

Updated: 2008-11-10

A turtle shrugs.

Source: Herbie #18a (1966-06)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Source: Herbie #21a p.6 (1966-10)

Updated: 2008-12-06

Herbie #21a6

Source: Herbie #21b (1966-10)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Source: Herbie #21b p.12 (1966-10)

Updated: 2004-11-08

Herbie #21b12

Source: Herbie #22a p.7 (1966-12)

Updated: 2008-11-10

Herbie #22a7

Source: Herbie #22a p.15 (1966-12)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Herbie #22a15

Even Mom gives us a shrug for Herbie's comment in #22b as Herbie breaks through the wall.

Source: Herbie #22b p.11 (1966-12)

Updated: 2004-11-07

Even Mom gives us a shrug for Herbie's comment in #22b as Herbie breaks through the wall.

Source: Herbie #23 (1967-02)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Cover page

Source: Herbie #23a (1967-02)

Updated: 2005-09-21

Splash page

Goldilocks shrugs for Herbie.

Source: Herbie #23a p.9 (1967-02)

Updated: 2008-11-10

Goldilocks shrugs for Herbie.

The last shrug.

Source: Herbie #23a p.11 (1967-02)

Updated: 2004-11-07

The last shrug.

Poor Example: Is this a genuine Herbie shrug in Flaming Carrot #31?

Source: Flaming Carrot #31 p.4 (1994)

Updated: 2008-09-11

Poor Example : Is this a genuine Herbie shrug in Flaming Carrot #31 ?