Cartoon character Snagglepuss has his own comic, and he's officially gay
After years of speculation, it's finally been confirmed: The classic and beloved cartoon star Snagglepuss is officially gay.
This may come as a shock to some, if they haven't really looked into the life of the big, pink mountain lion who pals around with Huckleberry Hound & Co., but those in his inner circle have known for a very long time.
Mark Russell, who is writing a new DC comic book series based on Snagglepuss's life — Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles is available January 3 — delivers a pretty clear picture of what's going on here. "Lila Lion is his beard, and he does have a boyfriend in his private life."
Lila, Russell says, is fully aware of the situation and not being conned in any way.
It's 1953 and Snagglepuss is one of the best Broadway playwrights out there. His Southern charm is serving him well in the public eye. But how would his adoring public react if they knew that he has a boyfriend named Pablo who escaped Cuba, fleeing the Batista regime?
Considering that society is dealing with accusations of Communism being thrown left and right, as well as the threat of the Cold War with Russia (does 1953 seem at all familiar to anyone else?), he'd probably be in serious trouble.
His current play — one depicting a realistic version of life, a la Tennessee Williams and A Streetcar Named Desire — is extremely successful, even though this gritty and honest theater is considered pretty revolutionary for its time. Given its momentum, Snagglepuss definitely doesn't want this personal fact about him out in the public consciousness.
In the world of comic books, there is little LGBTQI+ representation, so a character with this kind of name recognition officially being a part of that community is important. While great characters like Batwoman, Mystique, Midnighter and Apollo, and even Wonder Woman do indeed exist, Snagglepuss adds more to the story.
So that's one bit of positivity coming from Snagglepuss's plight.
Russell says that Dorothy Parker, one of Snag's friends and a member of the Algonquin round table, advised him to be careful in this trying time. Who knows what could happen to a gay, Southern Gothic playwright in a time of Cold War and McCarthyism?
To keep up with the drama, and for a lot of laughs from a lovable lion, look for Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, starting January 2018.
