Little Dot #23
Little Dot #23 (May 1957) holds a place in the Harvey universe as the issue most commonly cited as the first appearance of Mrs. Plump — the mother of Little Lotta (Lotta Plump) — in the story "Urge to Splurge," introducing a supporting family member who would go on to anchor Lotta's domestic world across dozens of stories. The issue also demonstrates the mid-series vitality of the Little Dot anthology format, which continued to serve as the primary showcase for Richie Rich and his circle of friends years before he earned his own title. As a 1957 entry in a run that launched in 1953, it documents how Harvey was actively expanding the supporting casts of its signature characters throughout the Silver Age, building out the family-and-friends networks that would define the Harvey style for the next two decades.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Little Dot launched in September 1953 from Harvey Enterprises, Inc., with Richie Rich debuted in that very first issue — created by Alfred Harvey alongside artists Warren Kremer and/or Steve Muffatti, though there has been some dispute over creative credit between Harvey, artist Warren Kremer, and editor Sid Jacobson. By issue #23, the series was firmly in its mid-run groove, publishing bi-monthly and acting as a rotating anthology for the Harvey kids line while Richie Rich remained a backup feature without his own dedicated title. The series eventually ran 164 issues in its original volume before concluding in April 1976.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Mrs. Plump (Little Lotta's mother) in the story "Urge to Splurge" — though this attribution is flagged as uncertain by at least one indexing database.
- Little Lotta (Lotta Plump) appears as a lead character in "Urge to Splurge," continuing her established role as a backup feature since Little Dot #1 (September 1953).
- Richie Rich appears in a football/trains story; his first appearance was in Little Dot #1 (1953), created by Alfred Harvey with Warren Kremer and/or Steve Muffatti.
- Reggie Van Dough, listed in the catalog index for this issue, first appeared in Little Dot #2 (November 1953) — not in this issue; his presence here is as a returning character.
- The GCD records a Dot-and-Lotta story in which the two girls outmaneuver a group of boys who had sabotaged a boat, as well as a solo Dot story involving a loose tooth and another involving a mechanical doll named Jot.
- The Little Dot series ran 164 issues in its first volume (1953–1976), with this issue falling roughly at the one-third mark of the run, during the period when Richie Rich was still exclusively a backup feature — he did not receive his own self-titled series until 1960.
- Harvey's Little Dot line served as the primary proving ground for the company's kids characters throughout the 1950s, a strategy that ultimately produced one of the most expansive character rosters in American children's comics.
Cast · 7 characters
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Dot's Uncle Sly, an expert in camouflage and disguise, brings Dot a polka-dotted kite as a gift. Since he won't be in town long, Dot insists on flying the kite right away. It soon gets caught in a tree on the property of Mr. Grumble, who has a reputation for not liking kids. Uncle Sly offers to buy her another kite, but Dot insists on getting the original back. Using Uncle Sly's disguises and camouflage equipment, they are able to get it back after several attempts. Uncle Sly is then frustrated to learn that after all their efforts, Dot has many other polka-dotted kites at home.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).