For those who know and love Wal', Dog, Horse, Cooch, Major, Aunt Dolly, Cheeky Hobson and Rangi, Footrot Flats needs no introduction. But it does need a 50th birthday celebration! This tribute to the iconic series gives old fans and new a chance to enjoy daily life on the farm and share the joy that Wal' Footrot, Dog and their friends bring. Murray Ball was a New Zealand cartoonist who wanted to change the world. He was, what you might call, a bit of a stirrer. Then in 1976 he decided a cartoon about a man and his dog 'might be a good idea' and Footrot Flats was born. It turned out to be a bloody good idea! Footrot Flats daily cartoons went on to appear in over 200 newspapers in New Zealand and Australia, and also found fans in Denmark, where it was translated and renamed 'Faehunden'. Its popularity led to compilation books and merchandising, a stage play and an amusement park. Then, in 1986 Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale, New Zealand's first animated feature film, was released and firmly fixed Wal' and Dog in the national psyche. Murray stopped drawing Footrot Flats in 1995. He noted that Dog would, by then, have been old with a grey-streaked muzzle - and he couldn't let that happen to his old mate. So Ball retired the strip, reflecting that, in Footrot Flats, he was 'just happy to have struck something people like'. Affection for Footrot Flats has only grown stronger over time, and in its 50th anniversary year it is only fitting we celebrate Wal' Footrot, Dog and their friends. Curated by the Ball family, this collection will immerse fans in the world they love and adore.

• Format: Hardback
• Publication Date: 10/11/2026
• Publisher: Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand
• Country of Origin: New Zealand
• Pages: 192