When 'Bloom County' Came to Television

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

Next to Bill Watterson announcing that he’s spent the past two decades drawing more Calvin & Hobbes, few things would warm the hearts of comic strip enthusiasts more than Berkeley Breathed’s casual revelation that he’s planning a return to Bloom County. The writer/illustrator broke the news via his Facebook page, posting the first Bloom County comic since he retired the strip in 1989, once again starring its signature character, Opus the penguin.

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Launched in 1980, Bloom County quickly became one of the most popular cartoons of its era, one that worked wry social commentary into its depiction of a small town populated by various eccentrics. Introduced as a supporting character, Opus quickly became Bloom County’s poster penguin and starred in two spinoffs, Outland and Opus, which ran from 1989-1995 and 2003-2008, respectively.

Though he picked up a Pulitzer for his work, Breathed never amassed the merchandising dollars of Garfield or Peanuts, but he did follow both of those strips into television animation. In 1991 — two years after Bloom County ended — he turned his Opus-starring children’s book, A Wish for Wings that Work, into a Christmas special that aired on CBS. You can watch the half-hour cartoon above, which follows Opus as he tries to achieve his holiday dream of taking flight with wings that actually work. Keep your eyes peeled for Bloom County favorites like Bill the Cat, Ronald-Ann Smith, and Milquetoast the Cockroach (voiced by Dustin Hoffman).

If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of this special before, that’s because Breathed himself doesn’t like to acknowledge its existence. Even though he was involved with its production, he proved unhappy with the end result and has said as much in interviews, reportedly telling the Washington Post in 2003: “We can do better than that, and we will with an eventual Opus film… but I’m glad you enjoyed it. I presume your family was on speed when they watched it. I would imagine it helps.” Hey, it may not be A Charlie Brown Christmas or Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, but at least it ain’t Ziggy’s Gift. 

Classic Bloom County strips can be purchased on Amazon. New strips will appear on Breathed’s Facebook page.