When cartoonist Morrie Turner began questioning why there were no minorities in the comic strips, his mentor, Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, suggested he create one. Morris' first attempt, Dinky Fellas, featured an all-black cast, but found publication in only one newspaper, the Chicago Defender. Turner integrated the strip, renaming it Wee Pals, and on February 15, 1965, it became the first American syndicated comic strip to have a cast of diverse ethnicity. Initially syndicated by Lew Little Enterprises, it was then carried by the Register and Tribune Syndicate, before moving to United Feature Syndicate in the 1970s. When it debuted, the strip originally appeared in only five daily newspapers, as many papers refused to run a strip featuring black characters. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the number of papers carrying the strip grew either to 60 or to more than 100 dailies. As the comic strip's popularity grew, Turner added characters. He included children of more and more ethnicities, as well as a child with a physical disability. He also added a weekly section called "Soul Corner", which profiled notable African Americans from history. In its later years, the strip was distributed by Creators Syndicate.
Connie — athletic white girl who frequently clashes with Ralph over his misogyny and racism. She's an outspoken member of the neighborhood "Girls' Lib" organization
Sybil — African-American girl who is also in the Girls' Lib organization. She is a very nice and respectful young girl who has a very good relationship with Connie.
Diz — African-American boy who's never without his sunglasses and beret. He plays trumpet like his namesake Dizzy Gillespie and often narrates the "Funky Fables" strips
Charlotte — white bespectacled girl who uses a wheelchair. She has a pet parrot named Polly Esther.
Randy The second in command of the Rainbow Club who is very good friends with Oliver. He also has a one-sided friendship with Ralph.
Pablo A happy carefree young boy who is very good friends with Randy and Jerry. He is often shown to be the pacifist of the group.
Mikki A young girl who has a very big imagination. She is mainly seen with Jerry and Trinh
Rocky A respectful kind young boy who is very proud of his racial background. He is good friends with Randy and Nipper.
George A quiet young boy with a vivid imagination. He has a good realionship with Oliver, Nipper, and Jerry.
Jerry An upbeat, happy, loyal young man with a very big heart. He is very good friends with Nipper, Oliver, Diz. Randy and Trinh. It's shown that he might have feelings for Sybil.
Trinh A kind-hearted little girl who is very good friends with Mikki.
Sally A respectful young girl with a very kind heart. She appears in the later strips in the series.
Wellington A hip young boy who is mainly shown with Diz. It's shown in a earlier strip that he wears glasses underneath his bangs.
Wee Pals bibliography
Wee Pals That "Kid Power" Gang in Rainbow Power ASIN B002T6NAOG
Wee Pals ASIN B003ZUKTLW — introduction by Charles M. Schulz
Kid Power, ASIN B001IKPRM2
Nipper, ASIN B002IY2XOM
Nipper's Secret Power
Wee Pals: Rainbow Power ASIN B000M8UYII
Wee Pals: Doing Their Thing ASIN B00129HWKO
Wee Pals' Nipper and Nipper's Secret Power ASIN B001M5GOOS
The Kid Power Gang Salutes African-Americans in the Military Past and Present, ASIN B0006RSDC4
Animated series: ''Kid Power''
During the 1972-73 television season, Wee Pals was animated as Kid Power, a series produced by Rankin/Bass with animation done in Japan at Topcraft. It aired in the United States on ABC television on Saturday mornings. All of Turner's characters were featured, united through the coalition the characters dubbed "Rainbow Power." In The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows, David Perlutter says, "The same broad ethnic mix , making it one of the first television animation programs aimed at children to accurately reflect the racial diversity of America and thus providing for many others to follow." A total of 17 episodes were made, most of which aired from September 16, 1972, to January 6, 1973, followed by reruns. In the following year, a few new episodes that were unfinished during the first season aired on Sunday mornings until September 1, 1974.
During the same 1972–73 television season, Wee Pals on the Go was aired by KGO-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in the San Francisco Bay Area. This live-action Sunday morning show featured child actors who portrayed the main characters of Turner's comic strip, Nipper, Randy, Sybil, Connie, and Oliver.
