There is nothing particularly special about the two Kelloggs’ Froot Loops commercials posted below, except that my colleague Leslie Cabarga designed and painted the backgrounds in them.

I had asked Leslie, best known for his underground comics, The Fleischer Story, his illustration work and font design, if he ever made an animated cartoon. He handed me a fading 16mm reel with these commercials. He said they were produced in San Francisco, at Jeff Hale’s studio Imagination Inc. in 1975, about the same time The Fleischer Story was published. Leslie recalls Rudy Zamora Jr. being the director. This was his only professional work in animation.

And yes, that’s Paul Frees as the voice of Toucan Sam.