Who is Miss Cinders? All about the 97-year-old comic book character, Ella Cinders

The name Miss Cinders was on the lips of every American reader in 1925. In an era when television was yet to find its way into American households, newspapers were the primary source of domestic entertainment. Ella Cinders, a popular comic strip, was a retelling of the classic tale of Cinderella set in 1920's America.

Ella Cinders (Image via Metropolitan Newspaper Service)

Published by the Metropolitan Newspaper Service (MNS) in the summer of 1925, Ella Cinders was the brainchild of Bill Conselman and artist Charles Plumb. However, credit can be given to many ghost writers and artists who helmed the creation of subsequent strips. Comic Strip historian Allan Holtz added:

"Very seldom did the credited writer or artist perform the task claimed - though they were usually involved in some capacity."

Ella Cinders gained immense popularity when Tip Top and Sparkler Comics launched her comic book series in 1949.

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The story of Miss Cinders

Black hair, bob cut, and big bright eyes, Ella Cinders, stayed with her stepmother Myrtle "Ma" Cinders after her father's demise. Although her exact age is nowhere to be mentioned in the source material, the woman in her early twenties led a life of servitude. Cinders toiled day and night performing household work and was subjected to torment by her step-sisters Prissie and Lotta Pill.

The thick layers of depressing setting were pierced by Miss Cinders' razor-sharp sarcasm and her contagious optimism. Aided by younger brother Blackie and her boyfriend Waite Lifter, Ella cherished her dreams of becoming a movie star one day.

Ella Cinders (Image via Metropolitan Newspaper Service)

The comic strip follows similarly structured gags in the Myrtle household. The truly inciting incident arrives in the form of a beauty contest where the judges randomly choose Miss Cinders as the winner. Ella secures a job at a movie theater in Hollywood and moves with her brother to LA. Although the studio job turns out to be obsolete and Ella never becomes a movie star. She continues her merry life with her brother Blackie and husband Patches.

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'Ella Cinders' was one of the first Comic strips adapted into movies

Collin Moore as Ella Cinders (Image via First National Pictures/Warner Bros.)

The current success of MCU, DCEU and other comic book movie adaptations owes big credit to Ella Cinders. Soon after gaining fame in 1926, Miss Cinders' story was adapted for the big screen. The beautiful Colleen Moore starred in and as Ella Cinders in the 75 minute long silent film.

Despite immense success, the publishers halted Miss Cinder's comic strip journey in 1961, but the bright-eyed modern Cindrella is immortalized in the hearts of many American readers.