The Comics They Loved: Doe Mee
Anne and Margot Frank enjoyed a typical pre-war childhood activity: reading comic strips. Their favorite was Doe Mee, a popular Dutch comic published by the Algemeen Handelsblad from May 7, 1936, until the end of December 1942.
The comic was a source of entertainment for Dutch youth, offering beloved American-origin strips like The Katzenjammer Kids (Jongens van Stavast), Popeye, and Flash Gordon. The provided photograph is a charming glimpse into Anne’s childhood. It shows Anne Frank on the sunbathing lawn of the Amstel Park swimming pool in Amsterdam, thoroughly engrossed in the July 29, 1938 issue of Doe Mee.
Margot’s Small Victory
Even the reserved Margot Frank had a connection to the comic’s contests. The December 22, 1939 issue listed Margot Frank of Amsterdam among the winners of consolation prizes for the Sint Nicolaas puzzle, a small, happy victory in her young life.
The End of the Fun
The war tragically disrupted even this simple pleasure. As the war years progressed, problems arose over the magazine’s mostly American-origin pictorial stories. Eventually, the publisher was forced to stop the publication. Although a restart was attempted after the liberation, it was ultimately unsuccessful. Doe Mee remains a poignant symbol of the simple, international joys that were systematically shut down by the Nazi occupation.
