Pickles Gets 500th Client – Oops, Make That 501st

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WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 -- Pickles by Brian Crane reached the magical 500-client mark, and then added another sale so quickly, we couldn't get the press release out in time. The lucky 500th newspaper – the Shreveport Times – will receive an original drawing from Brian.

Crane was pleased, and a little surprised, by the news. "I honestly never thought Pickles would be in this many papers," Crane said. "I try not to think about it, really, or I’m sure I would probably get stage fright. In my mind this comic strip is just something I do every day in the privacy of my home to amuse myself, and then I mysteriously get paid for it."

Alan English, the Executive Editor at the Times, was also pleased at the news that his is the lucky paper. "Our core audience is going to be very excited about Pickles. The readers can see us making changes, working on improving the paper every day, and we know Pickles is going to entertain them." The paper plans to add the strip to its daily lineup on Aug. 4.

Pickles' growth has been steady for most of its 18 years, but the strip's list has taken off recently. As some comics leave the pages and editors try others, Pickles has been a frequent winner. "One cartoonist e-mailed me with news of a recent Pickles win and called Brian's strip the 'Godzilla' of the comics pages," said Amy Lago, comics editor for The Washington Post Writers Group.

Lago added that 500 clients for a Writers Group strip is "more like 800 in 'promotion-speak.'" Writers Group Editorial Director Alan Shearer explained, "We've always been honest with our numbers, because, well, we work at a newspaper. Five-hundred [and one] is the real number of daily and Sunday clients. And it's quite an achievement for one of the most gifted humorists in our business."

Soon after Pickles’ debut in 1990, Crane "retired" as an art director for an advertising agency in Reno, Nev., to devote his full attention to his strip. In 1995 and 2001, Pickles was nominated for best comic strip of the year by the National Cartoonists Society, winning in 2001. Crane was also nominated for the coveted Cartoonist of the Year Reuben Award in 2006.

There are four collections of Pickles strips: "Let’s Get Pickled" (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2006),"Still Pickled After All These Year" (AMP, 2004), "Pickles" and "Pickles, Too: The Older I Get, The Better I Was" (1998 and 1999 by Longstreet Press).

Crane was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He graduated with a degree in art from Brigham Young University in 1973. He lives near Reno with his wife, Diana. He's the proud father of seven and grandfather of seven.

As the syndicate for The Washington Post, the Writers Group distributes editorial features and comics to newspapers, magazines and electronic publications worldwide. The Writers Group is host to columnists such as Pulitzer Prize winners George Will, David Broder, Jim Hoagland, Charles Krauthammer and Ellen Goodman, as well as Kathleen Parker, David Ignatius, Ruben Navarrette Jr., E.J. Dionne Jr and Eugene Robinson; Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonists Nick Anderson, Clay Bennett and Signe Wilkinson, as well as Lisa Benson; advice columnist Carolyn Hax; the comic strips Opus by Berkeley Breathed (also a Pulitzer winner) and Red and Rover by Brian Basset; and the Newsweek and AmericaEconomia news services.

Contact: Amy Lago
202-334-6510
lagoa@washpost.com