Timeline Cartoons
Return to home
"Of Mice and Magin: A History of American Animated
Cartoons" was authored Leonard Maltin.
(SFC, 7/13/02, p.A19)
Comiclopedia: http://www.lambiek.net/artists/index.htm
1539
Apr 17, Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter, cartoonist
(Comedia), was born.
(MC, 4/17/02)
1751 Sep 13, Henry Kobell, Dutch
painter and cartoonist, was born.
(MC, 9/13/01)
1754 May 9, The first American
newspaper cartoon was published. The illustration in Benjamin
Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette showed a snake cut into sections, each
part representing an American colony; the caption read, "Join or die."
(AP, 5/9/97)(HN, 5/9/98)
1768 Apr 20, Giovanni AC Canaletto
(70), Italian painter, cartoonist (Rialto), died.
(MC, 4/20/02)
1788 Apr 5, Franz Pforr, German
painter, cartoonist (Lukasbund), was born.
(MC, 4/5/02)
1802 Jul 7, The first comic book
was published in Hudson, NY. "The Wasp" was created by Robert Rusticoat.
(MC, 7/7/02)
1808 Feb 20, Honoré Daumier
(d.1879), French painter, sculptor, caricaturist and lithographer, was
born in Marseilles. He painted Crispin and Scapin.
(AAP, 1964)(WUD, 1994, p.369)(WSJ, 3/10/00,
p.W16)(HN, 2/20/01)
1829-1833 Honore Daumier created his bust of Comte de
Lameth. Daumier honed his caricaturing skills with a series of
terra-cotta busts that lampooned the right-wing leaders of the court
party. Lameth had fought for the colonists in the American Revolution
and had voted to abolish the aristocracy during the French revolution.
(WSJ, 3/10/00, p.W16)
1832 Apr 15, Wilhelm Busch, German
artist, was born. He created the precursor to the cartoon strip.
(HN, 4/15/02)
1832 Honore Daumier, French
artist, was imprisoned for 6 months for his barbs against King
Louis-Philippe.
(WSJ, 3/10/00, p.W16)
1834 Honore Daumier created his
lithograph "The Legislative Belly."
(WSJ, 5/9/00, p.A24)
1835 The French government
prohibited political caricature.
(Econ, 12/20/03, p.75)
1852 Mar 13, Uncle Sam made his
debut as a cartoon character in the New York Lantern.
(AP, 3/13/98)
1867 May 13, Frank Brangwyn,
painter, muralist, cartoonist (Willam Morris), was born in Wales.
(MC, 5/13/02)
1875 Sep 11, 1st newspaper cartoon
strip, "Professor Tigwissel’s Burglar Alarm" appeared in the New York
"Daily Graphics" newspaper.
(MC, 9/11/01)
1877 Apr 29, Tad Dorgen,
cartoonist and columnist, was born.
(HN, 4/29/01)
1879 Feb 11, Honore Daumier
(b.1808), French caricaturist, painter, died.
(WUD, 1994 p.369)(MC, 2/11/02)
1879 Jun 21, Umberto Brunelleschi,
Italian cartoonist, illustrator (Candide), was born.
(MC, 6/21/02)
1880 Aug 22, George Herriman
(d.1944), cartoonist and creator of Krazy Kat, was born.
(HN, 8/22/00)
1883 Jun 11, Frank O. King,
"Gasoline Alley" cartoonist, was born in Cashton, Wisc.
(SC, 6/11/02)
1883 Jul 4, Rube Goldberg (Ruben
Lucius Goldberg, 1883-1970) cartoonist, was born in San Francisco. He
was known for cartoons featuring absurdly complicated mechanical
devices to accomplish absurdly simple tasks.
(WUD, 1994, p.607)(SFEC, 4/5/98, p.A28)(IB,
Internet, 12/7/98)
1900 Apr 27, Walter Lantz,
cartoonist, creator of Woody Woodpecker, was born.
(HN, 4/27/98)
1902 Nov 16, A cartoon appeared in
the Washington Star, prompting the Teddy Bear Craze, after President
Teddy Roosevelt refused to kill a captive bear tied up for him to shoot
during a hunting trip to Mississippi.
(HN, 11/16/00)
1902 National syndication of comic
strips in newspapers originated when Hearst started selling the right
to reproduce his strips in other newspapers.
(http://tinyurl.com/3bqo2r)(WSJ, 12/29/07, p.A8)
1903 Jun 21, Al[bert] Hirschfield,
cartoonist (NINA, NY Times), was born in St Louis, Mo.
(MC, 6/21/02)
1905 Oct 5, Winsor McCay
(1871-1934), cartoonist, debuted his “Little Nemo In Slumberland” in
the NY Herald. An art book reproducing over 100 of his best pages in
full broadsheet was published in 2005.
(SFC, 10/22/05,
p.E1)(www.bpib.com/illustrat/mccay.htm)
1905 Ruben Garrett Lucius Goldberg
(1883-1970), anthropologist aka Rube Goldberg, was hired by the San
Francisco Chronicle as a sports cartoonist. He became renowned as the
comic inventor of complex machines to do simple tasks. In 1948 he
received a Pulitzer Prize for his political cartooning.
(SSFC, 6/7/09,
p.W2)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg)
1906 Apr 6, 1st animated cartoon
was copyrighted.
(MC, 4/6/02)
1906 Aug 21, Friz Freleng,
animator (Bugs Bunny-Emmy 1982), was born.
(SC, 8/21/02)
1907 Feb 28, Milton Caniff,
cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates), was born in Hillsboro, Ohio.
(MC, 2/28/02)
1908 May 30, Mel
Blanc (d.1989), voice of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Porky Pig in
Warner Brothers cartoons, was born in San Francisco. When he died he
had "That's All Folks" inscribed on his tombstone.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Z1 p.8)(AP, 5/30/08)
1912 Jun 17, Wessel Couzijn,
sculptor, cartoonist (Auschwitz-monument), was born.
(MC, 6/17/02)
1913 Aug 25, Walt Kelly,
cartoonist who created the comic strip "Pogo," was born.
(HN, 8/25/98)
1913 Oct 28, The "Krazy Kat" comic
strip by George Herriman (1880-1944) debuted as a daily comic strip in
the New York Evening Journal.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krazy_Kat)
1913 The Toonerville Folks comic
strip by Fontaine Fox began about this time and continued to 1955.
After a few years the strip was often named the Toonerville Trolley, a
funny electric streetcar featured in the strip. Mickey McGuire was a
character in the strip and was played by a child actor named Joe Yule
Jr. in several silent movies. Yule took the McGuire name for himself,
but was sued by Fox. He then changed his name to Mickey Rooney.
(SFC, 11/7/07, p.G8)
1917 Aug 28, Jack Kirby,
cartoonist (X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Capt America), was born.
(MC, 8/28/01)
1918 Nov 24, Frank O. King
premiered his comic strip "Gasoline Alley" in the Chicago Tribune. He
aged his characters over time.
(SFC, 7/8/98, Z1 p.3)(WSJ, 6/20/01,
p.A1)(www.toonopedia.com/gasalley.htm)
1919 Jun 17, The "Barney Google"
cartoon strip by Billy DeBeck premiered. In 1924 he introduced a horse
named spark Plug to the strip.
(SFC, 9/7/05, p.G7)(www.toonopedia.com/google.htm)
1919 Dec 19, The Thimble Theatre
cartoon strip, by Elzie Segar (1894-1938) of Chesater, Ill., made its
debut in the New York Journal and featured the characters Olive Oyl,
Castor Oyl, and Ham Gravy, who were the comic's leads for about a
decade. Segar added Popeye in 1929.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.C._Segar)
1919 Movie audiences were
introduced to Felix the Cat. Otto Messmer created Felix for an
animation studio owned by Pat Sullivan, who licensed the character. A.
Schoenhut & Co. of Philadelphia (f.1872) began marketing Felix toys
in the 1920s.
(SFC, 8/31/05, p.G3)
1920 Mar 3, Robert Searle,
cartoonist, was born.
(HN, 3/3/01)
1920 Mar 14, Hank Ketchum,
cartoonist (Dennis the Menace), was born in Seattle, Wa.
(MC, 3/14/02)(http://www.askart.com/Biography.asp)
1923 Jun 27, Paul F. Conrad,
cartoonist (Pulitzer 1964, 71, 84), was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
(SC, 6/27/02)
1923 Frank Willard (1958) created
the Moon Mullins comic strip for the Chicago Tribune. The strip
continued with other artists following Willard’s death until 1991.
(SFC, 9/19/07, p.G6)
1926 Jan, Walt and Roy Disney
moved to their new studio at 2719 Hyperion in Los Angeles.
(www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/disnehis/disn1926.htm)
1927 Walt Disney (1901-1966)
created the cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He was a
precursor to Mickey Mouse.
(WSJ, 2/10/06, p.B1)
1928 Nov 18, Walt Disney’s
"Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse, premiered at the Colony
Theater in NYC. It was the first successful sound-synchronized animated
cartoon.
(TMC, 1994, p.1928)(AP, 11/18/97)
1929 Jan 17, The first Popeye
character appeared in the Thimble Theater cartoon strip by Elzie
Segar (1894-1938) of Chesater, Ill.
(WSJ, 10/15/96,
p.A1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.C._Segar)
1929 Aug 21, Marie Severin, comic
book artist, was born. In the 1950s she worked for the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York as it began publishing educational cartoon-style
booklets.
(WSJ, 1/27/07,
p.P12)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Severin)
1929 The Buck Rogers comic was 1st
introduced. A radio show followed from 1932-1947. Dick Calkins,
co-author of Buck Rogers, died at 67. In 1988 Lorraine Dille Williams
authored "Buck Rogers: The First 60 Years in the 25th Century."
(SFC, 9/2/02, p.D8)(SFC, 4/13/05, p.G4)
1929 The "Tarzan" comic strip
first showed up in newspapers.
(SFC, 3/30/97, Z1. p.2)
1929 Georges Remi (1907-1983),
Belgian author and illustrator, created the cartoon character Tintin
under the pseudonym Herge for the children’s supplement, Le Petit
Vingtieme. Herge wanted to draw cartoons about the Wild West of
America, but his publisher ordered that the new fictional reporter be
sent to the soviet Union and then to Belgium’s colony in the Congo.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herg%C3%A9)(Econ,
6/24/06, p.98)(Econ, 12/20/08, p.82)
1930 Aug 9, A forerunner of the
cartoon character Betty Boop made her debut in Max Fleischer’s animated
short "Dizzy Dishes."
(AP, 8/9/00)
1930 Sep 8, Cartoonist Murat
"Chic" Young (d.1973) introduced the cartoon strip "Blondie." In 2005
it was written seven days a week by his son, Dean, who took over when
his father died, and artist Denis Lebrun.
(AP, 9/8/99)(AP, 7/17/05)
1930 The first cartoon with sound
featured Felix the Cat.
(SFEC, 11/3/96, Z1 p.2)
1930 “Sinkin’ in the Bathtub.” the
first cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, debuted.
(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)
1931 Aug 1, Tom Wilson (cartoonist
of Ziggy), was born.
(MC, 8/1/02)
1931 Oct 4, The comic strip "Dick
Tracy," created by Chester Gould (1900-1985), made its debut.
(AP,
10/4/97)(www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/diktracy.htm)
1932 Apr 9, Paul Krassner, founder
and editor of The Realist, cartoonist (MAD mag.), was born.
(MC, 4/9/02)
1932 May 12, Goofy, aka Dippy
Dawg, 1st appeared in 'Mickey's Revue' by Walt Disney.
(MC, 5/12/02)
1932 The Disney short film
“Flowers and Trees” was the first cartoon made in full-color
Technicolor and was the first animated film to win an Oscar.
(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)
1933 Feb 17, Blondie Boopadoop
married Dagwood Bumstead in the comic Blondie.
(MC, 2/17/02)
1933 Vincent T. Hamlin began his
"Alley Oop" comic strip. It was named after words used by French
gymnast and trapeze artists: allez oup.
(SFC, 12/15/01, p.A25)
1934 Jun 9, Donald Duck made his
1st screen appearance ("The Wise Little Hen"). His distinctive quack
was voiced originally by Clarence Nash.
(MC, 6/9/02)
1934 Jul 26, Winsor McCay
(b.1871), cartoonist, died. His “Little Nemo In Slumberland” was
launched by the NY Herald in 1905. An art book reproducing over 100 of
his best pages in full broadsheet was published in 2005.
(SFC, 10/22/05, p.E1)(www.who2.com/winsormccay.html)
1934 Aug 13, The satirical comic
strip "Li'l Abner," created by Al Capp, made its debut.
(HN 8/13/97)
1935 Jul 24, Pat Oliphant,
political cartoonist, was born.
(MC, 7/24/02)
1937 Mar 26, A 6-foot-tall
concrete statue of the cartoon character Popeye was unveiled during the
Second Annual Spinach Festival in Crystal City, Texas.
(AP, 3/26/97)
1937 Apr 17, Cartoon characters
Daffy Duck, Elmer J. Fudd and Petunia Pig, debuted.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daffy_Duck)
1937 Apr 28, The 1st animated
cartoon electric sign was displayed in NYC.
(MC, 4/28/02)
1937 Dec 21, "Snow White"
premiered as the 1st feature-length color & sound cartoon.
(MC, 12/21/01)
1937 Hal Foster began the Prince
Valiant cartoon saga. He passed it on to John Cullen Murphy (d.2004) in
1970. Murphy passed it on to Gary Gianni in 2004.
(SFC, 7/9/04, p.B7)
1938 Jun 1, Superman made his
first appearance in D.C. Comics’ Action Comics Series issue #1. The
comic book sold for 10 cents. By 1995 surviving copies sold for over
$75,000. Jerry Siegel created Superman in 1934 after he dreamed about
the Biblical story of Moses, whose parents abandoned him as a baby in
order to save his life. This became the plot of the first Superman
story. In 2001 Bradford W. Wright authored "Comic Book Nation," a
history of comic books. In 2009 a copy of the first Superman comic book
sold for 317,200 dollars at an auction.
(SFC, 6/2/96, p.T-11)(DTnet, 6/1/97)(WSJ, 5/23/01,
p.A24)(AFP, 3/14/09)
1938 Nov 6, The Red Ryder and
Little Beaver cartoon strip by Fred Harman (b.1902) began appearing in
the Chicago Sun. It went out of syndication in 1964.
(WSJ, 12/23/03, p.D8)
1938 Bugs Bunny made his premiere
in the cartoon "Porky’s Hare Hunt."
(WSJ, 5/4/01, p.A1)
1938 The animated cartoon “Porky
in Wackyland” featured Porky Pig in a Salvador Dali-esque landscape.
(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)
1939 May 1, Batman comics hit the
street. Bob Kane (d.1998 at 83) created Batman for DC Comics. The
cartoon hero was based on Zorro, da Vinci’s sketch of a flying man, and
a silent mystery movie titled "The Bat."
(SFC, 11/6/98, p.D5)(SFC, 12/14/00, p.C9)(WSJ,
10/25/02, p.A1)(MC, 5/1/02)
1939 May, John Hench (d.2004)
joined Disney as a sketch artist on "Fantasia." He was the official
portrait painter of Mickey Mouse.
(SFC, 2/7/04, p.A21)
1940 Feb 20, The Tom and Jerry
cartoon “Puss Gets the Boot,” created by Hanna & Barbera, debuted
by MGM. It went on to win 7 Academy Awards.
(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)(www.imdb.com/title/tt0032953/)
1940 Feb 23, Walt Disney's
animated movie "Pinocchio" was released.
(MC, 2/23/02)
1940 Jun 19, "Brenda Starr," first
cartoon strip by a woman, appeared in Chicago.
(DT, 6/19/97)
1940 Jun 29, In the Batman Comics,
mobsters rubbed out a circus highwire team known as the Flying
Graysons, leaving their son Dick (Robin) an orphan.
(MC, 6/29/02)
1940 Jul 27, Bugs Bunny made his
official debut in the Warner Bros. animated cartoon "A Wild Hare." This
marked the beginning of the Bugs Bunny series by Fred "Tex" Avery along
with the rhetorical "What’s up, Doc?"
(AP, 7/27/97)(SFEC, 10/5/97, Z1 p.6)
1940 Fawcett Publications spun off
Mary Marvel as a comic character from the Captain Marvel series.
(SFC, 9/7/05, p.G9)
1940 Universal Pictures introduced
Woody Woodpecker in the animated short “Knock Knock.”
(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)
1941 Mar, Timely Comics, the
predecessor of Marvel Comics, introduced the "Captain America” comics.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America)
1941 Plastic Man debuted in US
comic books. After an accident at a chemical plant gives Eel O'Brian
the ability to stretch and alter his shape, he renounces his criminal
past and becomes the longest arm of the law. Green Arrow also appeared
in US comic books. The Emerald Archer learns his skills while trapped
on a desert island. He later escapes to become a modern Robin Hood.
(AP, 7/20/06)
1942 Feb 11, "Archie" comic book
debuted.
(MC, 2/11/02)
1942 Aug 13, Walt Disney's
animated feature "Bambi" premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New
York.
(AP, 8/13/99)
1942 Nov 21, Tweety Bird, cartoon
character, was born.
(MC, 11/21/01)
1943 Aug 30, Robert Crumb, US,
cartoonist (Father Time, Fritz Cat), was born.
(MC, 8/30/01)
1944 Feb 20, The Batman &
Robin comic strip premiered in newspapers.
(MC, 2/20/02)
1944 Jun 25, George Herriman
(b.1880), creator of the "Krazy Kat" cartoon strip (1913-1944), died.
In 2002 Fantagraphics published "Krazy and Ignatz: The Komplete Kat
Comics 1925-1926."
(SFC, 1/18/97, p.D1)(SSFC, 3/24/02,
p.M6)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herriman)
1944 Sep 13, Heath Robinson
(b.1872), English cartoonist, died. He is best known for drawings of
eccentric machines and "Heath Robinson" has entered the language as a
description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contraption.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Robinson)
1945 Jan 6, Pepe Le Pew, the
cartoon skunk created by Chuck Jones and voiced by Mel Blanc, debuted
in Odor-Able Kitty.
(AH, 2/05,
p.16)(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037956/)
1945 Mar 3, Mystery fans remember
this day as they gathered around the radio set, listening to the Mutual
Broadcasting System as Superman encountered Batman and Robin for the
first time. The cartoon character was created by Joe Schuster and Jerry
Siegel at DC Comics.
(HC, Internet, 3/3/98)(SFC, 7/8/04, p.B9)
1945 Jul 28, Jim Davis, cartoonist
(Garfield), was born.
(SC, 7/28/02)
1948 Jul 21, Garry Trudeau,
political cartoonist (Doonesbury), was born.
(http://din-timelines.com/1948.q3_timeline.shtml)
1949 Mar 6, Robert Storm Petersen
(b.1882), Danish cartoonist, writer, animator, illustrator, painter and
humorist, died. He is known almost exclusively by his pen name Storm P.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Storm_Petersen)
1949 France banned children’s
books and comic strips from presenting cowardice in a “favorable
light,” on pain of up to a year in prison for errant publishers.
(Econ, 12/20/08, p.81)
1950 Feb 15, Walt Disney's
animated "Cinderella" was released.
(www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/)(WSJ, 6/28/08, p.W6)
1950 Aug 14, Gary Larson,
cartoonist (Far Side), was born.
(MC, 8/14/02)
1950 Sep 4, The Beetle Bailey
cartoon appeared for the 1st time in syndication. Beatle Bailey, the
laziest private in the army, was created by Mort Walker.
(USAT, 8/31/00, p.1D)(SFC, 6/18/96, p.B2)
1950 Sep 5, Cathy Guisewite,
cartoonist and creator of Cathy, was born.
(HN, 9/5/00)
1950 Oct 2, The comic strip
"Peanuts," created by Charles M. Schulz (28), was syndicated to seven
newspapers as "Li'l Folks." It started with only four characters:
Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty (Reichardt), Shermy and the world's
most famous beagle, Snoopy. Schulz announced his retirement in 1999
with the last Peanuts to appear Feb 13, 2000.
(SFC, 11/29/97, p.C1)(SFC, 12/15/99, p.E1)(AP,
10/2/08)
1950 Oct, Hank Ketcham began his
cartoon strip "Dennis the Menace."
(SFC, 9/20/97, p.E1)(SFC, 12/15/99, p.E1)
1950 Charles Preston conceived the
"Pepper and Salt" cartoon for the Wall Street Journal.
(WSJ, 11/2/99, p.A24)
1951 Mar 12, "Dennis the Menace,"
created by cartoonist Hank Ketcham, made its syndicated debut in 16
newspapers.
(AP, 3/12/01)
1952 Aug, Mad Magazine, cover
dated for October, came out with its first issue. It was co-founded by
Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder.
(SFEC, 12/20/98, Z1 p.8)(SFC, 3/3/99, Z1
p.4)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_(magazine))
1952 Charles M. Schulz copyrighted
his Lucy character in the Peanuts cartoon strip.
(SFC, 10/22/08, p.G3)
1952 Osamu Tezuka, Japanese
cartoonist, dreamed up Astro Boy and put his b-day at April 7, 2003.
His features soon defined the Japanese style called anime. In 1963
Astro Boy was imported to the US and 10-min. episodes ran until 1967.
(SSFC, 4/13/03, p.C4)(WSJ, 1/15/04, p.B1)
1953 John Werthan authored
"Seduction of the Innocent," which linked comic books to juvenile
delinquency. This led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority. EC
Comics withdrew "Tales From the crypt" and many other titles.
(SFC, 1/21/04, p.D2)
1953 Speedy Gonzalez, a cartoon
mouse with a Mexican accent, debuted in the US.
(AP, 6/30/05)
1954 May 2, Walt Disney and
associates announced plans to build a $9 million Disneyland on a
160-acre tract, once part of the Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana, in
Orange County.
(SFC, 4/30/04, p.F5)
1954 Dec 23, Safeway stores in the
Bay Area announced they will stop welling comic books and pocket-size
books due to their emphasis on horror, crime and sex.
(SFC, 12/24/04, p.F2)
1955 Mar 1, The SF Chronicle
reported that a Univ. of California survey found that Americans spend
more money on comic books that all the country’s elementary schools and
high schools spend on textbooks.
(SFC, 2/25/05, p.F4)
1955 Jun, The Detroit centered 12
O’Clock Comics with Soupy Sales went national on the ABC network for
8-weeks.
(DFP, 7/28/96, p.F8)
1955 New York Gov. Averell
Harriman signed legislation that prohibited the distribution of lurid
comics, banned their sale to people under the age of 18 and banned such
words as “crime,” “terror,” “horror,” and “sex” from comic book titles.
In 2008 David Hajdu authored “The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book
Scare and How it Changed America.”
(WSJ, 3/14/08, p.W2)
1956 Jan 13, Lyonel Feininger
(b.1871), American-German painter, died. His work included the woodcut
"Kreuzende Segelschiffe" (1919) and the pen and ink wash "Three Ghosts"
(1953). A catalog of his prints was made by Leona Prasse (1897-1984),
late curator of prints at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Feininger
published comics for the Chicago Tribune from 1906-1907.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyonel_Feininger)(HT,
5/97, p.60)(WSJ, 1/10/06, p.D10)
1956 May 20, Max Beerbohm,
caricaturist, writer (Yet Again), died.
(MC, 5/20/02)
1956 Julius Schwartz (d.2004),
Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino revived the Flash, mothballed since
1949, for DC Comics.
(SFC, 2/13/04, p.A28)
1956 DC Comics introduced Batwoman
with the alter ego Kathy Kane. The character was killed off in 1979. In
2006 DC Comics revived Batwoman as a lesbian.
(SFC, 6/1/06, p.A2)
1957 Feb 5, Joseph Benson Hardaway
(b.1895), animation director and voice actor, died. Nicknamed "Bugs,"
he was instrumental in naming the character "Bugs Bunny" when, while
working on the film short "Hare-um, Scare-um," an animator handed him a
model sheet of the rabbit character.
(www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=pr&FSctf=170)
1957 Mr. Magoo, a near-sighted
cartoon character, won his 2nd academy award.
(WSJ, 7/31/97, p.A1)
1957 MGM closed its cartoon studio
in a panic over diminishing audiences due to television. William Hanna
and Joe Barbera (1911-2006) formed their own company and began making
cartoons for TV. The Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon program "Ruff &
Reddy" began.
(SFC, 6/3/97, p.B4)(WSJ, 12/21/06, p.D8)
1957 Terrytoons produced the "Tom
Terrific" cartoons series until 1959. Lionel Wilson (d.2003 at 79) was
the voice. It ran on Captain Kangaroo.
(SFC, 5/31/03, p.A20)
1958 Feb 17, The comic strip
"B.C.", created by Johnny Hart (1931-2007), 1st appeared.
(http://www.toonopedia.com/bc.htm)
1958 Pierre Culliford (Peyo),
Belgian cartoonist, created the gnomelike Smurfs for publisher Charles
Dupuis (d.2002 at 84). Hanna-Barbera turned it into a US cartoon
program in 1981.
(SFC, 12/3/02, p.A24)
1959 Albert Uderzo and René
Goscinny introduced their comic characters Asterix and Obelix in the
magazine Pilote. A book followed in 1961. Comic books in France are
known as bandes dessinees (BD).
(Hem., 4/97, p.103)(Econ, 12/23/06, p.72)
1960 May 25, Benoît van
Innis, Belgian cartoonist, painter, (New York Post), was born.
(SC, 5/25/02)
1960 Sep 30, The Flintstones, a
cartoon about the domestic life of a stoneage family premiered on TV.
It was the 1st prime time animation show and continued in prime time to
1987.
(MC, 9/30/01)(SFC, 7/27/05, p.G2)
1960 The magazine Hara-Kiri was
founded as a monthly French version of Mad.
(Econ, 12/20/03, p.76)
1961 Phil Frank began a daily
cartoon for the State News, the student newspaper of Michigan State
Univ.
(SFC, 6/16/05, p.E2)
1963 Spider-Man was introduced by
Marvel Comics. It was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko.
(SFC, 7/8/04, p.B9)
1963 Dan O'Neill presented his Odd
Bodkins cartoon strip in the San Francisco Chronicle.
(SSFC, 1/11/04, p.M2)
1966 Dec 15, Walt Disney (b.1901),
movie producer, actor and director, died in Los Angeles. In 1998 a
CD-ROM was produced titled: “Walt Disney: An Intimate History of the
Man and His magic.” In 2006 Neal Gabler authored “Walt Disney: The
Triumph of the American Imagination.”
(AP, 12/15/97)(SFC, 11/4/98, p.E1)(WSJ, 11/3/06,
p.W6)
1968 Jul 17, Beatle's animated
film "Yellow Submarine" premiered in London. The US premiere was on
November 13.
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqUKJj0gGkM)(www.imdb.com/title/tt0063823/releaseinfo)
1968 Sep 14, Al Frueh (b.1880),
American caricature artist (New Yorker magazine), died.
(WSJ, 8/21/01,
p.A17)(www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/221010/Al-Frueh)
1969 Sep, Marvel Comics introduced
Falcon, the first African-American superhero, in an issue of its
Captain America comics.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_(comics))
1970 Dec 7, Rube Goldberg (87), US
cartoonist (Mike & Ike, Pulitzer 1948), died.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg)
1970 Dec 11, Walt Disney's
"Aristocats" was released.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aristocats)
1971 Bill Mauldin (1921-2003),
American soldier cartoonist, authored “The Brass Ring,” his story of
the Stars and Stripes newspaper during WWII. Mauldin had created the
cartoon soldiers Willie and Joe.
(WSJ, 9/29/07,
p.W8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mauldin)
1971 Disney Corp. filed suit
against the Air Pirates, underground cartoonists led, more or less, by
Dan O'Neill. 2 issues of Air Pirates Funnies had appeared under the
imprint of Hell Comics, a front for Last Gasp. In 2004 Bob Levin
authored "The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney's War Against the
Underground."
(SSFC, 1/11/04, p.M2)
1972 Sep 11, Max Fleischer
(b.1889), Viennese-born cartoonist, died in California. In the 1930s he
introduced the character of 'Betty Boop' in the "Dizzy Dishes" cartoons
which brought him great fame.
(SFC, 6/13/00,
p.A22)(www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=7323557&page=gr)
1973 Oct 18, Walt Kelly (b.1913),
US comic strip artist, died. He was notable for his comic strip Pogo
featuring characters that inhabited a portion of the Okefenokee Swamp
in Georgia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Kelly)
1974 Mort Walker, creator of the
Beetle Bailey cartoon character, opened the National Cartoon Museum in
Greenwich, Conn. The museum moved a few times before closing in 2002.
In 2008 Ohio State Univ. received the collection and planned to make it
available for all to see.
(WSJ, 7/16/08, p.A14)
1975 Jun 16, The cartoon “Travels
With Farley” by Phil Frank (1943-2007) launched in 50 newspapers.
(SFC, 6/16/05, p.E2)
1976 Feb 6, Vince Guaraldi
(b.1928), jazz pianist, died in Menlo Park, Ca. He wrote "Cast Your
Fate to the Wind" and composed for the Charley Schulz "Peanuts" cartoon
specials.
(SFEC, 10/18/98, DB
p.44)(www.imdb.com/name/nm0345279/)
1976 Nov 22, Comic strip "Cathy,"
by Cathy Guisewhite, made its debut.
(www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cartoonists/66531)
1977 Jan 6, William Gropper
(b.1897), painter and political cartoonist, died. He worked for the
radical publications "The Masses" and "Art Front."
(SFC, 2/5/97,
p.E1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gropper)
1977 Apr 21, The musical play
"Annie" opened on Broadway, the 1st of 2,377 performances. Laurie
Beechman (d.1998) made her debut in the show based on the “Little
Orphan Annie” comic strip. Beechman later played Grizabella for 5 years
in “Cats.”
(SFC, 3/10/98, p.A17)(AP, 4/21/08)
1977 Nov 13, The comic strip "Li'l
Abner" appeared in newspapers for the last time as creator Al Capp
(1909-1979) retired. He had started the strip 1934.
(AP,
11/13/97)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li'l_Abner)
1977 The animated film “Tubby the
Tuba” was produced by Pixar.
(Econ, 5/24/08, p.107)
1978 Jun 19, America's favorite
lasagna-loving cat, Garfield, created by Jim Davis, first appeared in
newspapers as a comic strip.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield)
1978 Will Eisner (1917-2005)
published “A Contract With God,” the 1st serious book-length comic to
describe itself as a graphic novel.
(Econ, 10/30/04, p.86)(WSJ, 1/10/06, p.D10)
1978 Charles M. Schulz
memorialized Christo's work with Snoopy pondering what the Bulgarian
artist would do next. In 2003 Christo created his "Wrapped Snoopy
House."
(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A15)
1979 Nov 5, Al Capp (b.1909), US
cartoonist, died. He is best known or his Li'l Abner comic strip.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capp)
1979 Dec 23, SF cartoonist Marty
Links retired her comic strip, Bobby Sox, saying there was no place for
her characters in the modern cartoon world.
(SFC, 12/24/04, p.F2)
1979 John Saunders (d.2003 at 79)
took over writing the "Mary Worth" comic strip soap opera from his
father, Allen Saunders.
(SFC, 11/18/03, p.A24)
1983 Haim Saban (b.1944) founded
Saban Entertainment with the rights to a handful of Schlocky Japanese
cartoons. The company recycled foreign shows for kids and dubbed them
into English. "Power Rangers Turbo," and "Ninja Turtles: The Next
Generation" were some of its later programming.
(WSJ, 10/1/97,
p.A1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim_Saban)
1983 Kenshi Hirokane created his
Mr Shima, a salaryman manga (cartoon) character. By 2008 some 30
million Shima Kosaku books had been sold.
(Econ, 8/9/08, p.65)
1984 Oct 1, Gary Trudeau's
Doonesbury comic strip resumed after a 2-year hiatus.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doonesbury)
1985 Feb 19, Mickey Mouse was
welcomed in China.
(www.440.com/twtd/archives/feb19.html)
1985 Feb 20, Clarence Nash (80),
voice of Donald Duck, died of leukemia, in Calif.
(MC, 2/20/02)
1985 Mar 2, The Gordo cartoon
strip, one of the first in the US to celebrate Mexican culture, ended.
Gus Arriola (1917-2008) had begun the strip in 1941.
(SSFC, 2/3/08, p.B1)
1985 Nov 18, Bill Watterson’s
comic strip Calvin and Hobbes began a 10-year run that ended Dec 31,
1995. In 2005 Watterson published his 3-volume set: The complete Calvin
and Hobbes.”
(SSFC, 10/16/05,
p.M1)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes)
1986 Art Spiegelman published the
1st volume of “Maus,” a collection of black and white drawings with
text that told the story of his father’s survival in the holocaust. Vol
2 came out in 1991.
(Econ, 10/30/04, p.86)
1987 The animated film “The
Chipmunk Adventure” was produced. It was based on the cartoon
characters created by Ross Bagdasarian.
(SSFC, 5/21/06, Par p.2)
1988 May 3, Milton A. Caniff
(b.1907), US cartoonist (Terry & the Pirates), died.
(www.comic-art.com/bios-1/caniff01.htm)
1988 May 18, Daws Butler (b.1916),
cartoon voice (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound), died.
(www.voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=1250)
1988 Jun 21, The Roger Rabbit
cartoon character debuted in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
(www.metacritic.com/video/titles/whoframedrogerrabbit)
1988 The animated film “Tin Toy,”
produced by Pixar, won an Oscar.
(Econ, 5/24/08, p.107)
1989 Jul 10, Mel Blanc (81), the
"man of a thousand voices," including such cartoon characters as Bugs
Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety, Tazmanian Devil,
Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner, died in Los Angeles.
(AP, 7/10/99)(SFC, 1/16/03, p.A19)
1989 Dec 17, The cartoon series
“The Simpsons” premiered on Fox TV.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons)
1990 Oct 7, Grim Natwick (b.1890),
American animator and film director, died. He created Betty Boop in
1930.
(WSJ, 12/21/06,
p.D8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grim_Natwick)
1991 The French satirical magazine
La Grosse Berthe was launched.
(Econ, 12/20/03, p.76)
1992 Mar 4, Arthur Babbitt (84),
Disney animator (Mr. Magoo, Goofy), died of heart failure.
(SC, 3/4/02)
1992 Mar 17, Grace Stafford Lantz
(87), cartoon voice (Woody Woodpecker), died.
(www.imdb.com/name/nm0821282/)
1992 The Turner Broadcasting
System launched US cable TV’s Cartoon Network.
(SFC, 12/19/06, p.B5)
1994 Feb 6, Jack Kirby (76),
cartoonist (X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk), died.
(www.imdb.com/name/nm0456158/)
1994 Mar 22, Walter Lantz, "Woody
Woodpecker" creator, died in Burbank, Calif., at age 93.
(AP, 3/22/99)
1994 Jun 11, Jack Hannah (90),
animator (The Flintstones), died.
(www.imdb.com/name/nm0360286/)
1994 Jun 15, Disney's "Lion King,"
opened in theaters.
(MC, 6/15/02)
1994 Raymond Scott, composer born
as Harry Warnow in Brooklyn, died. He mixed jazz, classical and klezmer
sounds as backdrop for cartoons in the 1930s. In 1991 the compilation
CD "The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights"
was produced.
(SSFC, 1/4/04, p.E3)
1995 Jan 1, Gary Larson's "Far
Side" cartoon panel ended a 14-year run.
(SSFC, 11/16/03, BR p.17)
1995 Dec 31, Cartoonist Bill
Watterson ended his "Calvin & Hobbes" comic strip.
(http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/10/24/reclusive.cartoonist.ap/)
c1995 A Japanese weekly comic book
featured the story "Initial D," which focused on a drifter named
Takumi, who honed his (car) sliding skills on early morning runs
delivering tofu to a resort hotel in the mountains.
(WSJ, 9/18/03, p.A10)
1996 Apr 12, The artwork of
Masamune Shirow was featured in the Japanese animation epic "Ghost in
the Shell." It was set in a futuristic Tokyo of 2029.
(SFC, 4/12/96, p.D-3)
1996 Stuart Levy founded Tokyopop.
It became the largest publisher of English-language manga in the world.
The serialized stories were illustrated in the same Japanese artistic
tradition that produced anime.
(SFC, 1/6/06, p.E1)
1997 Feb 9, Fox cartoon series
"Simpsons" aired its 167th episode, the longest running animated series
in cartoon history.
(MC, 2/9/02)
1997 May 22, The US Postal Service
released a Bugs Bunny commemorative stamp, the first animated character
on a US stamp.
(SFC, 5/22/97, p.A3)
1997 Jul 10, RJR Nabisco Holdings
said it would phase out the Joe Camel cartoon character used for
advertising their cigarettes.
(WSJ, 7/11/97, p.B1)
1999 Feb 23, The Disney film
"Mulan" premiered in China. Only 10 foreign films per year were allowed
into China so as to protect its own industry.
(SFC, 2/24/99, p.E3)
1999 May 10, Cartoonist,
playwright and songwriter Shel Silverstein was found dead in his Key
West, Florida, apartment; he was 66.
(AP, 5/10/00)
1999 May 12, Saul Steinberg
(b.1914), Romania-born artist, died in NYC. In 2002 a series of
tape-recorded conversations with Aldo Buzzi, translated by John
Shepley, was published.
(SSFC, 7/14/02,
p.M6)(www.britannica.com/eb/article-9069548/Saul-Steinberg)
1999 Jul, SpongeBob SquarePants
began running as a character on TV.
(WSJ, 10/8/02, p.A1)
2000 Feb 12, Charles Schulz
(b.1922), creator of the Peanuts cartoon, died in Santa Rosa,
California, at age 77. His final cartoon was scheduled to run in the
Feb 13 Sunday newspapers. In 2007 David Michaelis authored “Schulz and
Peanuts: A Biography.”
(SFEC, 2/13/00, p.A1)(AP, 2/12/01)(WSJ, 10/12/07,
p.W5)
2000 Feb 13, Charles Schulz’s
final "Peanuts" strip ran in Sunday newspapers, the day after the
cartoonist died in his sleep at his California home at age 77.
(AP, 2/13/01)
2000 Jun 8, Jeff MacNally (52),
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, died in Baltimore, Maryland.
(AP, 6/8/01)
2000 Julius Schwartz (d.2004 at
88), comic book editor, authored his biography "Man of Two Worlds: My
Life in Science Fiction and the Comics." He co-wrote it with Brian M.
Thomsen.
(SFC, 2/13/04, p.A28)
2001 Mar 22, William Hanna
(b.1910), animation pioneer, died in Los Angeles. Cartoon characters
that he helped create included Fred Flintstone, Quick Draw McGraw, Yogi
Bear, Papa Smurf, as well as Tom and Jerry.
(SFC, 3/23/01, p.D7)(AP, 3/22/02)(NW, 12/31/01,
p.107)
2001 Jun 1, Hank Ketcham (b.1920),
the creator of the "Dennis the Menace" cartoon, died in Pebble Beach at
age 81.
(SFC, 6/2/01, p.A1)(NW, 12/31/01, p.108)
2001 Oct 7, Herbert L. Block
(b.1909), Washington Post cartoonist, died at age 91. He authored
"Herblock: A Cartoonist’s Life" in 1993.
(SFC, 10/8/01, p.A20)(NW, 12/31/01, p.109)
2002 Feb 22, Chuck Jones, cartoon
animator, died at age 89. His work included Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and
Road Runner. His books included “Chuck Amuck” (1989).
(SFC, 2/23/02, p.A2)(SFC, 2/27/02, p.D2)(WSJ,
3/1/02, p.A14)(WSJ, 11/12/05, p.P14)
2002 May 16, David Berg (81), Mad
magazine artist, died. He began his "The Lighter Side of" comic strips
for Mad Magazine in 1961 and continued for 365 subsequent issues. He
also wrote and drew 17 Mad books along with "My Friend God and "Roger
Kaputnik and God."
(SFC, 5/25/02, p.A27)
2002 Jul 8, Ward Kimball (99),
Disney animator, died. He was known as one of Disney’s "Nine Old Men,"
the top group of early animators.
(SFC, 7/13/02, p.A19)
2002 Sep, The Charles M. Schultz
Museum and Research Center opened in Santa Rosa.
(SSFC, 9/29/02, p.C1)
2002 Larry Gonick authored "The
Cartoon History of the Universe III: From the Rise of Arabia to the
Renaissance."
(SSFC, 11/30/02, p.M4)
2002 Brian Walker authored "The
Comics Since 1945."
(SSFC, 12/29/02, p.M4)
2003 Jan 20, Al Hirschfield
(b.1903), caricaturist of Hollywood stars, died in NYC.
(SFC, 1/21/03, p.A2)
2003 Jan 22, Bill Maudlin
(b.1921), WW-II era cartoonist, died in Newport Beach, Ca. In 1945 he
won a Pulitzer Prize for his war cartoons and later authored "Up
Front," a collection of cartoons and an essay on war. In 2008 Todd
DePastino authored “”Bill Maudlin: A Life Up Front.”
(SFC, 1/23/03, p.A2)(WS, 2/22/08, p.W6)
2003 Jul 20, William Woolfolk
(86), writer for cartoon characters like Batman and Captain Marvel,
died. He coined one of Captain Marvel's signature lines: "Holy Moley,"
and authored the 1968 bestseller "The Beautiful Couple."
(SFC, 8/11/03, p.A16)
2003 Sep 6, Jules Engel (94),
animator, died in Ca. He worked on the Disney films "Fantasia" and
"Bambi" and helped found 2 studios that produced Mr. Magoo and helped
give life to Alvin and the Chipmunks.
(SFC, 9/16/03, p.A23)
2003 Oct 3, William Steig (95), an
illustrator for The New Yorker who was known as the "King of Cartoons"
for his award-winning, best-selling children's books including "Shrek,"
died.
(AP, 10/4/03)
2004 Nov 13, Harry Lampert (88),
the illustrator who created the DC Comics superhero 'The Flash' (1940)
and later became known for his instructional books on bridge, died.
(AP, 11/14/04)(SFC, 11/17/04, p.B8)
2003 US sales of Japanese manga
comics reached $100 million.
(SSFC, 4/4/04, p.F5)
2005 Jan 3, Will Eisner (b.1917),
comic book pioneer, died in Fla. In 1978 he wrote and drew his graphic
novel “A Contract With God.” It was the 1st of a trilogy that included
“A Life Force” (1983) and “Dropsie Avenue” (1995).
(SFC, 1/4/05, p.A2)(Econ, 1/15/05, p.81)(SSFC,
12/25/05, p.M3)
2005 Jan 15, Dan Lee (35), Pixar
animator, died in Berkeley, Ca. His work included the design of Nemo in
Pixar’s animated film “Finding Nemo.”
(SFC, 2/1/05, p.B7)
2005 Apr 5, Dale Messick (b.1906),
creator of the Brenda Starr cartoon series, died. The strip began in
1940 in Long Island.
(SFC, 4/8/05, p.B7)
2005 May 6, Joe Grant (96),
pioneering Disney artist/storyman, died. He was co-story director on
"Fantasia," co-writer of "Dumbo" and designer of the witch/queen
character in "Snow White." Grant remained vital and active at Disney
feature animation until his death.
(www.talkdisney.com/forums/printthread.php?t=27485)
2005 May 19, Henry Corden (85),
the voice of cartoon character Fred Flintstone, died in Ca.
(SFC, 5/23/05, p.B4)
2005 Jun 29, Mexico released a
series of five stamps depicting a child character from a comic book
started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico. The stamps
depicted an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin.
(AP, 6/30/05)
2005 Sep 30, The Danish newspaper
Jyllands-Posten published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Death
threats against the artists soon followed with protest strikes in
Kashmir, condemnation from Muslim leaders worldwide and even criticism
from the UN. The paper refused to apologize for publishing the
drawings, citing freedom of speech, a right cherished in this northern
European country of 5.4 million, that also refused to prosecute an
artist who depicted a crucified Jesus Christ with an erection. Kurt
Westergaard created one of the cartoons, which featured the Prophet
Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. In 2008 Westergaard offered to sell
the cartoon.
(AP, 12/9/05)(WSJ, 2/29/08, p.A1)
2005 Richard Branson agreed to an
investment in a Bangalore studio with a focus on Indian religion and
mythology. His Virgin Comics LLC followed soon thereafter.
(WSJ, 1/2/07, p.B4)
2006 Feb 4, Rage against
caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim
world. Aggrieved believers in Syria called for executions, stormed,
European buildings and torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in
Damascus. In Gaza Palestinians marched through the streets, storming
European buildings and burning German and Danish flags.
(AP, 2/4/06)(AP, 2/4/07)
2006 Jul, DC Comics re-introduced
Batwoman (1956-1979), alter ego Kathy Kane, as a lesbian.
(SFC, 6/1/06, p.A2)
2006 Aug 28, Ed Benedict (94),
legendary animator, died in Auburn, Ca. He put life, love and laughter
in TV cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone (1960), Huckleberry Hound
and Yogi Bear.
(AP, 10/10/06)(SFC, 10/13/06, p.B9)
2006 Dec 9, Martin Nodell (91),
the creator of Green Lantern, the comic book superhero who uses his
magical ring to help him fight crime, died in Wisconsin. The first
Green Lantern appearance came in July 1940, an eight-page story in a
comic book also featuring other characters. The character then got his
own series, and Nodell drew it until 1947 under the name Mart Dellon.
After its cancellation in 1949, the series was reborn in 1959 with a
revised story line, and it has been revived several times.
(AP, 12/12/06)
2006 Dec 18, Joseph Barbera (95),
legendary Hollywood animator, died. His characters Fred and Wilma
Flintstone and Scooby-Doo made generations of people laugh.
(Reuters, 12/19/06)
2007 Jan 8, Iwao Takamoto (81),
creator of the Scooby-Doo cartoon character, died in Los Angeles. He
also assisted in the designs of some of the biggest animated features
and television shows, including "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," "Lady and
the Tramp" and "The Flintstones."
(AP, 1/9/07)
2007 Feb 8, Joe Edwards (85),
comics artist, died at his home in NY. He worked on the 1942 debut
issue of Archie comics and later created the character Li'l Jinx.
(AP, 2/14/07)
2007 Apr 7, Johnny Hart (76),
creator of the B.C. comic strip (1958), died at his home in Endicott,
NY. He and Brant Parker created the “Wizard of Id” strip.
(SFC, 4/9/07, p.B3)
2007 Apr 15, Brant Parker (86),
collaborator with Johnny Hart on the “Wizard of Id” (1964) cartoon
strip, died in Lynchburg, Va. In 1997 Parker handed the illustration of
the cartoon over to his son, Jeff Parker.
(SFC, 4/9/07, p.B3)
2007 Jul 10, Doug Marlette (57),
Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist and writer, died in a car accident
near Holly Springs, Mississippi.
(SFC, 7/11/07, p.B5)(AP, 7/10/08)
2007 Sep 9, Phil Frank (64),
longtime resident of Sausalito, Ca., and creator of the Farley and
Elderberries comic strips, announced his retirement. His Farley strip
had run in the SF Chronicle for decades.
(SSFC, 9/9/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 12, Phil y (b.1943),
creator of the Farley and Elderberries comic strips, died from a brain
tumor in Bolinas, Ca. His Farley strip had run in the SF Chronicle for
decades.
(SFC, 9/14/07, p.A1)
2007 Sep 17, Lars Vilks, a Swedish
cartoonist who depicted Islam's Prophet Muhammad with the body of a
dog, said that police have taken him to a secret location and told him
he cannot return home following a death threat from al-Qaida in Iraq.
(AP, 9/17/07)
2007 Nov 13, Two cartoonists who
depicted Spain's crown prince having sex with his wife were convicted
of insulting the heir to the throne and were fined $4,370 each.
(AP, 11/13/07)
2008 Jan 6, Martha Arguello
(b.1917), the cartoonist known as Marty Links, died in San Rafael, Ca.
She was the creator of the Bobby Sox and Emmy Lou cartoon strips, which
ran in the SF Chronicle for over 35 years.
(SFC, 1/9/08, p.B9)
2008 Feb 2, Gus Arriola (b.1917),
cartoonist, died in Carmel, Ca. His Gordo (1941-1985) cartoon strip was
one of the first in the US to celebrate Mexican culture.
(SSFC, 2/3/08, p.B1)
2008 Feb 12, Danish police said
they have arrested three people suspected of plotting to kill one of
the 12 cartoonists behind the Prophet Muhammad drawings that sparked a
deadly uproar in the Muslim world two years ago.
(AP, 2/12/08)
2008 Feb 10, Steve Gerber (80),
the comic book writer and creator whose signature character was the
alienated, cigar-chomping Howard the Duck, died in Las Vegas. Gerber,
who also co-created Marvel's "Omega the Unknown" and created the 1980s
animated series "Thundarr the Barbarian," suffered from pulmonary
fibrosis.
(AP, 2/15/08)
2008 Mar 19, Osama bin Laden
accused Pope Benedict XVI of helping in a "new Crusade" against Islam
and warned of a "severe" reaction to European publications of cartoons
of the Prophet Muhammad that insulted many Muslims.
(AP, 3/20/08)
2008 Apr 9, Venezuela forced US
cartoon "The Simpsons" off its airwaves, calling the show a potentially
bad influence on children, and filled its morning slot with reruns of
the beach-and-bikini show "Baywatch."
(Reuters, 4/9/08)
2008 Apr 14, Ollie Johnston
(b.1912), the last of Walt Disney's original team of animators, known
as the Nine Old Men, died. He had worked for Disney for 43 years,
drawing characters for animated Mickey Mouse short films before
contributing to such classics such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
(1937), "Pinocchio" (1940), "Peter Pan" (1953) and "The Jungle Book"
(1967).
(Reuters, 4/16/08)(Econ, 4/26/08, p.109)
2008 May 15, Will Elder (b.1921),
founding artist at Mad Magazine (1952), died. After Mad he established
himself at Playboy where he produced the “Little Annie Fanny” cartoon.
(WSJ, 5/17/08, p.A8)
2008 Jun 27, Michael Turner
(b.1971), comic book artist, died in Santa Monica of complications
related to cancer. His company, Aspen MLT, created online comic
adaptations for the NBC series “Heroes” and published his own titles
including Fathom.
(SFC, 7/4/08, p.B5)
2008 Jul 14, David Remnick, editor
of The New Yorker magazine, defended the newest satirical cover of the
magazine by cartoonist Barry Blitt, which depicted Sen. Barack Obama in
Muslim garb and his wife as an Afro-sporting gun packer.
(SFC, 7/15/08, p.A10)
2008 Nov 2, Opus, a politically
beleaguered penguin created by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, appeared
in the Sunday comics for the last time.
(SFC, 10/27/08, p.E1)
2008 Nov 4, In London A sketch by
Winnie the Pooh illustrator E.H. Shepard titled "Tiggers Don't Like
Honey" fetched 31,200 pounds ($49,770) at auction, well above the
pre-sale estimate of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds ($24,000 to $32,000).
(AP, 11/4/08)
2008 David Hajdu authored “The
Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America.”
(SFC, 9/7/08, Books p.7)
2009 May 18, Wayne Allwine (62),
the actor who voiced Mickey Mouse for more than 30 years, died of
complications from diabetes with Russi Taylor, his wife of 20 years and
the voice of Minnie Mouse, by his side. He was the third man behind
Mickey's voice. The first was Disney himself, then Jimmy MacDonald, who
became Allwine's mentor and passed him the reins after voicing the
mouse for 30 years.
(AP, 5/20/09)
2009 Jun 2, In Belgium a new
museum, designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, opened in
Louvain-la-Neuve dedicated to Georges Remi (1907-1983), creator of the
comic book hero Tintin (1929).
(Econ, 5/30/09, p.87)
2009 Aug 31, The Walt Disney Co.
said it is buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and
stock, bringing such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the
family of Mickey Mouse and WALL-E.
(AP, 8/31/09)
2009 Sep 2, Dutch prosecutors said
they will charge an Arab cultural group under hate speech laws for
publishing a cartoon that suggests the death of 6 million Jews during
World War II is a fabrication.
(AP, 9/2/09)
Go to http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = Cartoons
End of file