“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing”

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing” is a jocular saying that has been credited to the newspaper comic strip Pogo (1948-1975) and its creator, Walt Kelly (1913-1973). It’s not certain when this comic strip was published; Google Books appears to show that it’s in the comic strip collection Pogo: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us (1972).
 
   
Wikipedia: Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly, Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), or Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip, Pogo. He began his animation career in 1936 at Walt Disney Studios, contributing to Pinocchio and Fantasia. Kelly resigned in 1941 at the age of 28 to work at Dell Comics, where he created Pogo, which eventually became his platform for political and philosophical commentary.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Pogo: we have met the enemy and he is us.
Author: Walt Kelly
Publisher: New York, Simon and Schuster [1972]
Edition/Format:   Book : English
     
Google Books
Hunger Action Forum
Volume 1, Issue 6
1987
Pg. ?:
OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF OPOSSUMS: From the late Walt Kelly, creator of the Pogo comic strip, comes this truism: “Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.”
   
Google Groups: rec.humor
Henry Cate III
9/11/90
(...)
Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.
—Walt Kelly, “Putluck Pogo”
     
Google Groups: rec.sport.cricket
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
3/4/92
(...)
Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.
—Walt Kelly, “Putluck Pogo”
 
Google Books
Food and Drink:
A Book of Quotations
Edited by Susan L. Rattiner
Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
2002
Pg. 43:
Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.
WALT KELLY
 
Google Books
The Real Family Camping Cookbook
By Maggie da Silva
CAC Digital Arts
2011
Pg. ?:
“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” - Walt Kelly
 
The Rambling Epicure
Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, July 12, 2012
by Simon de Swaan
Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.–Walt Kelly