The Freakin' History

Created by Gilbert Shelton, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers started as an underground comix in 1968 and today is considered to be one of the most iconic underground comix of all time.

Following the zany antics of the three Freak Brothers (not actual brothers) and their much smarter cat, the Freaks quickly became the 3 stooges of cannabis and counterculture while rapidly building a loyal following around the world.

Hailed by The Comics Journal as one of the 100 greatest comics of the century, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers have sold more than 45 million copies around the world, are sold in 20 countries and have been translated into 16 languages.

1959

Gilbert smokes marijuana for the first time during a trip to Mexico

May
1968

Classic illustration of the 3 freak brothers holding newspapers

The Freak Brothers is first published in “The Rag,” an Austin, TX-based underground newspaper

Spring
1968

The Feds n Heads comic cover

Gilbert creates and self-publishes the “Feds N Heads” comic book, his first collection of Freak Brothers material in addition to Wonder Warthog

1968

Gilbert first sees a Zap #1 in Austin, packs up remaining 3000 issues of Feds N Heads and follows Texas friends Janis Joplin and Chet Helms out to San Francisco with the intention of designing and printing posters for Helms’ outfit, “The Family Dog”

1969

Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, Jack Jackson, and Dave Moriaty each pitch in for a Davidson offset press and start the Rip Off Press in San Francisco

September
1971

The “Feds N Heads” board game is published in Playboy magazine

1971

The first compilation, The Collected Adventures of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, is printed

1971

1,000,000th Freak Brothers issue sold

February
1977

High Times featuring The Freak Brothers

Freak Brothers appear on the cover of High Times Magazine

Nov 15
1978

Grateful Dead Shakedown Street cover

Gilbert draws Grateful Dead’s Shakedown Street Album Cover after hanging with Jerry Garcia

Shelton continued to write and illustrate the comix until 1992

November
2021

Freak Brothers adult animated tv show airs in the US on FOX’s streaming service Tubi

September
2022

Gilbert Shelton is inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame at New York Comic Con