Cedar Rapids Billboard Message: Be a Willie, Not a Ted
The adventures of the two young boys appeared regularly in Highlights, the children's magazine that was wildly popular with baby boomers growing up in the '60s and is still being published today.
The boys were the stars of a one page, six panel comic strip that was created in 1940 by Garry Cleveland Myers. The premise of the Goofus and Gallant page was to show children examples of behaviors that were polite and correct as opposed to selfish and incorrect.
Get our free mobile app
As you can probably guess by their nicknames, the boys were polar opposites. Goofus was always taking shortcuts, being sneaky and often acting recklessly. Gallant was the polite, thoughtful and considerate one, and he was always doing the right thing.