Comical Way the Phrase ‘Keeping Up With the Joneses’ Originated in New York

You're probably used the phrase 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' while talking about someone, or maybe even realized you fell into the trap at some point in your life.

But did you know it became a mainstream phrase used in everyday life, all because of a comic strip decades ago in the Hudson Valley?

Just a refresher for you that 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' is all about trying to be like the cool kids, so to speak, and match their social standing.

Whether you're in high school, hoping your parents will buy you the latest trends so you feel cool and fit in, or as an adult trying to keep up with all of the material goodness your neighbors have, you're trying to keep up with the Joneses.

According to the Phrases website, 'Keeping up with the Joneses' was first used in a comic strip literally called 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' which ran for 25 years, starting in 1913.

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The comic strip starred the McGinises. Aloysius, Clarice, and their daughter Julie were social climbers. They also had a maid named Bella Donna.

Creator Arthur (Pop) Momand first ran his successful comic in the New York Evening Globe, then it was syndicated by the New York World, and eventually adapted into an animated film seen around the country.

WHY THE LAST NAME JONES

According to Phrases, the Joneses weren't characters in the comic strip but rather a popular last name that became a generic way to refer to neighbors.

The Joneses weren't characters in the comic strip but rather a popular last name that became a generic way to refer to any neighbor you're trying to emulate or feel like you're enough around.

According to the Sloww website, the last name Jones was chosen because of one of the wealthiest families in the Hudson Valley region of New York State, where the comic strip creator Arthur lived.

Edith Wharton was a socialite (and American novelist) whose father was George Frederic Jones, a wealthy real-estate magnate who owned one of the most lavish homes in the Hudson Valley.