I had heard some references to Froggy the Gremlin and the obscene occult summoning call “Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy.”

I had a previous employer utter the nonsensical phrase at one point and vaguely explain its origins, and my Grandmother still occasionally will refer to my Uncle’s fondness for his Froggy doll.

However, what really captured my imagination for this bizarre show was Kim Deitch‘s excellent The Search for Smilin’ Ed comics, serialized in the Fantagraphics anthology Zero Zero. Most of those back issues can still be purchased on the Fantagraphics website here. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it has been reprinted as a book yet.

Froggy the Gremlin is much more twisted than I imagined.

See an excerpt from an issue of Buster Brown Comics featuring Smilin Ed’s Gang aka Andy’s Gang courtesy of Stupid Comics here.

Visit froggythegremlin.com.

Read more about Andy Devine on Wikipedia.

Visit the grave of W.H. "Major" Ray aka Buster Brown here.