{"product_id":"footrot-flats-heres-to-the-good-times","title":"Footrot Flats Heres to the Good Times","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable December 2026 – Pre-order now!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 50th anniversary celebration of the much-loved\u003cem\u003e Footrot Flats\u003c\/em\u003e comic strip and its creator, Murray Ball. A must-own for all fans of this iconic series.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those who know and love Wal', Dog, Horse, Cooch, Major, Aunt Dolly, Cheeky Hobson and Rangi, \u003cem\u003eFootrot Flats \u003c\/em\u003eneeds no introduction. But it does need a 50th birthday celebration! This tribute to the iconic series gives old fans and new a chance to enjoy daily life on the farm and share the joy that Wal' Footrot, Dog and their friends bring.\u003cbr\u003eMurray Ball was a New Zealand cartoonist who wanted to change the world. He was, what you might call, a bit of a stirrer. Then in 1976 he decided a cartoon about a man and his dog 'might be a good idea' and Footrot Flats was born. It turned out to be a bloody good idea!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFootrot Flats\u003c\/em\u003e daily cartoons went on to appear in over 200 newspapers in New Zealand and Australia, and also found fans in Denmark, where it was translated and renamed 'Faehunden'. Its popularity led to compilation books and merchandising, a stage play and an amusement park. Then, in1986 \u003cem\u003eFootrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale\u003c\/em\u003e, New Zealand's first animated feature film, was released and firmly fixed Wal' and Dog in the national psyche.\u003cbr\u003eMurray stopped drawing\u003cem\u003e Footrot Flats\u003c\/em\u003e in 1995. He noted that Dog would, by then, have been old with a grey-streaked muzzle – and he couldn't let that happen to his old mate. So Ball retired the strip, reflecting that, in\u003cem\u003e Footrot Flats,\u003c\/em\u003e he was 'just happy to have struck something people like'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAffection for \u003cem\u003eFootrot Flats\u003c\/em\u003e has only grown stronger over time, and in its 50th anniversary year it is only fitting we celebrate Wal' Footrot, Dog and their friends. Curated by the Ball family, this collection will immerse fans in the world they love and adore.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISBN 9781869718862\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e192 pages, 301 x 237 mm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Murray Ball","offers":[{"title":"Hardback \/ Hachette","offer_id":51461411176612,"sku":"9781869718862","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/7200\/4772\/files\/9781869718862.jpg?v=1787707018","url":"https:\/\/bookreps.co.nz\/products\/footrot-flats-heres-to-the-good-times","provider":"Bookreps NZ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}