"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated January 05, 1908:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (SEPTEMBER 21, 2020):
So when my sister-in-law was really little (she'd KILL me if she knew I was telling this story…), she took her Dad's razor from the bathroom and "shaved" (in other words, nicked her cheeks and chin) trying to "shave like him". - 1/18
I don't know if it's that personal context or just because a pretty big fear of mine is one of my boys somehow getting a hold of *my* razor, but this strip doesn't do much for me. - 2/18
Obviously, the gag (as it has been for a while now) is that they have made themselves look so unrecognizable through their shenanigans that when the Slumberlandians see them, they brush them off as randoms. - 3/18
The fact that the two boys start with Impie (Flip condescendingly remarks about the amount of hair that he has and Nemo is willing to hold him down against his will) is frustrating… - 4/18
I really don't like the strips that treat Impie as less than a member of the team and this one does that; it makes him a prop for them to play with/practice on rather than the compatriot that I think he's become/is becoming. - 5/18
Flip's mix-up with the "perfume" and "hair tonic" is a good laugh, though. If anyone were perfect for growing a massive thick beard, it's Flip and that penultimate panel is quite a sight. - 6/18
All of this said, I think the real importance of this strip is that it leans very heavily into dream analysis… - 7/18
We've discussed in the past our mixed feelings about whether or not McCay was familiar with Freud's theories of dreaming, but I think we conceded that a New Yorker of McCay's prominence was probably running in crowds that had, at the very least, discussed Freud. - 8/18
But even if you discredit that, one could probably argue a type of simultaneous invention; McCay using cartoons and comics to illustrate his theories of dreaming and Freud using lectures and the written word. Different approaches, but similar experimentation. - 9/18
Though there are many interpretations for the "hair being cut" dream (a quick google search will bring up several), one of the most common is the idea of "change". - 10/18
The website dreamingandsleeping.com had this to say: - 11/18 [INSERT IMAGE]
I think it's pretty safe to say that Nemo has been changing. He's left the Princess in order to embark on a journey with his two dream pals, Flip and Impie. He's becoming more adventurous and sure of himself as the strip goes on (old scared Nemo is pretty much gone now)… - 12/18
…so maybe this dream sequence is Nemo's unconscious propelling him to continue down that path of change? Maybe Nemo *wants* to experience this change? I think that it's very likely. - 13/18
Furthermore, Freudian analysis suggests that dreams are built upon external stimuli so this could be telling us that Nemo's development within Slumberland is impacting his daily life, as well; helping him to change and grow. - 14/18
We never see Nemo in the waking world, so we can only imagine that his adventures are influencing who he is in the real world... but, again, it seems likely, doesn't it? As Nemo changes in the real world, he changes in Slumberland, and vice versa. - 15/18
Now, again, whether McCay constructed this strip because he had similar ideas about "hair cutting dreams" and "change" is debatable, but the reading is there… it lines up with Freudian dream analysis and, I think, has been evident within the narrative of the strip. - 16/18
So, how far you want to run with this is entirely up to you… just remember to put the scissors down first! - 17/18
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #117. What's yours? - 18/18