Leigh Rubin began making and distributing his own greeting cards in 1979 through his company Rubes. The cartoonRubes began appearing in newspapers in 1984 and is since January 1989 syndicated byCreators Syndicate to over 400 newspapers worldwide, and was published in paperbacks from 1988 on.[2] It was pulled from theBrigham Young University student newspaperThe Daily Universe after several complaints by readers, but seems to have attracted little controversy otherwise.[3]
Being a popular cartoon,Rubes is also heavily merchandised, with calendars, greeting cards, mugs, and T-shirts.[4]
Rubes hasn't won any of the major comics or cartoon awards, but has won a few minor awards like a bronze award atForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year.[5]
^Holtz, Allan (2012).American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 336.ISBN9780472117567.