History ComicStrip / LittleNemo

* AbortedArc: In one adventure, Nemo gets separated from his companions, and finds himself in a dilapidated neighborhood outside of Slumberland. After coming into possession of a wish stick, he uses his new power to give the poor new clothes, rebuild rundown areas, and heal a sick little girl from near death. Knowing that the King of Slumberland is offering a huge monetary reward for his safe return, Nemo decides to let the little girl claim it so she can help her home. The Slumberland princess arrives in a massive parade to give the reward and bring Nemo back to the kingdom…and in the very next comic, Nemo finds himself back home (in his dream) because Flip had his uncle destroy Slumberland for making him feel unwelcome. The little girl is never mentioned again.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first several comics featured narration at the bottom of each panel, describing in detail what’s happening in the strip. McCay’s lack of experience with storytelling is fully on display here, as the narration is completely superfluous and unnecessary. Worst of all, the sentences are often split between panels, making it difficult to read the narration and dialogue bubbles in any coherent order. Later on, McCay shifted the summarizing narration from below the panels into a scene at the beginning of the comic, where a character will literally summarize what’s about to happen in the comic. Thankfully these narration sequences were done away with shortly after as well.

A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''. An indy game, ''Little Nemo and the Nightmare Friends'', is [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littlenemogame/little-nemo-and-the-nightmare-fiends currently being made]].

* ComicBookTime: Although it's also heavily {{Lampshaded}} at times, with characters complaining they feel like they've waited "for weeks" for something to happen.

Has nothing to do with ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', in case you were wondering.

A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''. An indy game, ''Little Nemo and the Nightmare Friends'', is [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littlenemogame/little-nemo-and-the-nightmare-fiends currently in the works]].

A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''.

The music video for Music/TomPetty and the Heartbreakers' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1D3a5eDJIs Runnin' Down a Dream]]" is an homage to the strips, as is the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Scenes from a Night's Dream". A French Coldwave band named themselves Little Nemo in reference to the strip, and made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4EF2Ibx9RI occasional references to the comic in their videos]]. Its 107th anniversary was celebrated by a very lengthy [[http://www.google.com/doodles/107th-anniversary-of-little-nemo-in-slumberland Google Doodle]] on Website/{{Google}}'s site.

Comic book publisher Creator/IDWPublishing and writer Eric Shanower began a sequel series, ''Return to Slumberland'', in which a modern child named Nemo is invited to Slumberland to become the princess's new playmate.

* CouchGag: Each strip ends with Nemo waking up from his dream/nightmare, to varius responses from his parents (or himself, if he wakes up alone).

A Live-Adaptation was made in 1984, titled ''Film/{{Nemo}}'' or ''Dream One'', and a feature-length AnimatedAdaptation, ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'', was produced in the late Eighties. A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''. Comic book publisher Creator/IDWPublishing and writer Eric Shanower began a sequel series, ''Return to Slumberland'', in which a modern child named Nemo is invited to Slumberland to become the princess's new playmate.

!!''Little Nemo'' provides examples of the following tropes:

* FloorboardFailure: In Little Nemo in Slumberland, Nemo and Flip are served a new kind of breakfast food that gives them a BalloonBelly. The chairs start to collapse underneath their weight, and then the floors, leading to the entire house being demolished.

In 1911 [=McCay=] produced a short animated film entitled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSp2ej2S00 Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and his Moving Comics]]'', also known simply as ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Nemo_(1911_film) Little Nemo]]'', featuring characters from ''Little Nemo'' comic strip. The film is considered an early landmark in animation and was admitted to the UsefulNotes/NationalFilmRegistry.

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!!Tropes featured in the 1911 film:

* AnimatedAdaptation: It might be the very first one.
* TheBet: [=McKay=] is challenged by his friends to make a four-thousand frame animated cartoon, within one month. He does so. The animated portion takes up the final quarter of the 10-minute film.
* DerangedAnimation: The animation is quite surreal, with characters stretching and shrinking, materializing out of random lines, etc. [=McKay=] is demonstrating potential of the art form.
* LineBoil: Present, as one might expect for a hand-drawn cartoon.
* MediumAwareness: One of the characters in the animated short draws another character, which he then interacts with.
* SmokyGentlemensClub: Where [=McKay=] and his friends are hanging out when they make the bet, and where he shows them the finished cartoon.
* SplashOfColor: The cartoon characters are hand-colored.
* {{Undercrank}}: Employed when [=McKay=] is sketching out his ''Little Nemo'' characters for his friends.

The music video for Music/TomPetty and the Heartbreakers' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1D3a5eDJIs Runnin' Down a Dream]]" is an homage to the strips, as is the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Scenes from a Night's Dream". Its 107th anniversary was celebrated by a very lengthy [[http://www.google.com/doodles/107th-anniversary-of-little-nemo-in-slumberland Google Doodle]] on Website/{{Google}}'s site.

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses

* AllJustADream

* SceneryPorn

* DreamLand

The music video for Music/TomPetty and the Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down a Dream" is an homage to the strips, as is the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Scenes from a Night's Dream". Its 107th anniversary was celebrated by a very lengthy [[http://www.google.com/doodles/107th-anniversary-of-little-nemo-in-slumberland Google Doodle]] on Website/{{Google}}'s site.

* CyclicTrope: [=McKay=] enjoyed a publishing environment that allowed an extravagant art style that subsequent generations of sequential artists would be unable to approach until WebComics became practical.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Before ''Nemo'', [=McCay=] wrote a strip called ''Dream of the Rarebit Fiend'', which was about random people having surreal dreams thanks to eating Welsh rarebit (a kind of cheese stew).

* BanisterSlide: Nemo and Flip slide down a very long and winding banister in one issue, which ends up going in zig-zags, wavy bumps, and cork screws. It was later also done in the movie.

* BedmateReveal: There is one installment of the comic strip where Nemo wakes up, thinking his dream has ended, and to his suprise sees Flip in bed next to him, meaning he's still dreaming.

A Live-Adaptation was made in 1984, titled ''Film/{{Nemo}}'' or ''Dream One'', and a feature-length AnimatedAdaptation, ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'', was produced in the late Eighties. A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by {{Capcom}} for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''. Comic book publisher Creator/IDWPublishing and writer Eric Shanower began a sequel series, ''Return to Slumberland'', in which a modern child named Nemo is invited to Slumberland to become the princess's new playmate.

* FrameBreak: Among its many fourth-wall gags.

A Live-Adaptation was made in 1984, titled ''Film/{{Nemo}}'' or ''Dream One'', and a feature-length AnimatedAdaptation, ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'', was produced in the late Eighties. A video game adaptation, ''[[VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster Little Nemo: The Dream Master]]'', was released by {{Capcom}} for the NES in 1990, as well as an arcade game named simply ''Nemo''. Comic book publisher Creator/IDWPublishing and writer Eric Shanower began a sequel series, ''Return to Slumberland'', in which a modern child named Nemo is invited to Slumberland to become the princess's new playmate.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Before ''Nemo', [=McCay=] wrote a strip called ''Dream of the Rarebit Fiend'', which was about random people having surreal dreams thanks to eating Welsh rarebit (a kind of cheese stew).

In 1911 [=McCay=] produced a short animated film entitled ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSp2ej2S00 Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and his Moving Comics]]'', also known simply as ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Nemo_(1911_film) Little Nemo]]'', featuring characters from ''Little Nemo'' comic strip. The film is considered an early landmark in animation and was admitted to the NationalFilmRegistry.