The shmoo is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip Li'l Abner on August 31, 1948. It has had a considerable influence on pop culture, language, geopolitics, human history, and science.
Shmoo
A child in West Berlin holding a Shmoo-shaped balloon and sitting on a CARE Package (October 1948)
Shmoo 78rpm disc
Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast mating type a with shmoo responding to α-factor
Alfred Gerald Caplin, better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which he created in 1934 and continued writing and drawing until 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam (1954). He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1947 for Cartoonist of the Year, and their 1979 Elzie Segar Award, posthumously for his "unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning".
Al Capp drew his own autobiography, the 34-page Al Capp by Li'l Abner (1946), that was distributed to returning World War II amputee veterans.
Al Capp at 1966 Art Festival in Fort Walton Beach, Florida