Beetle Bailey cartoonist to visit Iowa

A funny papers soldier and his creator have joined forces to help the Iowa Lottery, and Iowa veterans. Perennial army goof-off Beetle Bailey is appearing now on a new scratch ticket from the Iowa lottery, and Mort Walker — the man who draws the 52-year-old Bailey comic strip –is coming to the Hawkeye State. Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer says there is a licensing fee involved with the Beetle Bailey game, and Walker is donating a portion of that fee to the Iowa Commission on Veterans Affairs. Nuebauer says the 12-hundred dollar donation will be used to educate veterans about available benefits. The lottery ticket will feature Bailey in his famous pose — lying on his back taking a nap. She says Beetle should help sell tickets. Nuebauer says symbols like Bailey aren’t always hot sellers, but they can’t hurt.She says there are a lot of factors involved from the color of the ticket to the price. She says Bailey has a 70-percent recognition factor among Americans. Cartoonist Mort Walker will attend the annual Veteran’s Day ceremonies November 11th in Des Moines to make the presentation of his donation to the Iowa veterans.