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Another view of Sparkplug here.
Sparkplug, as any dedicated comic strip reader can tell you, was Barney Google's horse. According to one source, "Barney was one of nature's victims -- the man everyone picked on." Sparkplug preferred to race in his patched blanket, which "did not affect his performance."
The strip "enriched" the language with phrases like "heebie-jeebies" and "yardbird." In later years, Barney met up with Snuffy Smith and his folk in hillbilly country.
My guess is that Ol' Sparkplug was for some school play or pageant, or maybe a parade? Also, a nice view of a classic 1940s housing development. Where is this? UPDATE: That question got answered in your other photo. I was going to guess Southern California.
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