‘Sausage’ by Robert Grieves

The idyllic market square of two artisan stallholders is invaded by a slick fast-food vendor, set to steal all their customers.

‘Buy Buy Baby’ by Gervais Merryweather

It’s the roaring twenties and things are looking great for Frederick Frinklesworth II and the rest of the New York Stock Exchange, but when his daughter Betty is left in his care for the day can Fredrick and Wall Street survive the mayhem that ensues?

When Amsterdam Went UPA: Dutch Modern Cartoons in the 1950s

Strictly speaking, the term ‘Dutch modern cartoons’ is a little misleading. They were made in Holland, yes. But the major stars in our story are four artists who came from England and Denmark.

Cartoon Modern Inspiration

Courtesy of animation director Michael Sporn, here are some gems of “cartoon modern” design from the collection of animator Vincent Cafarelli.

A Cartoon Modern Primer

I pity the fool who doesn’t watch this primer about the “cartoon modern” era. The cheeky but informative piece was created for an …

UPA Commercials Discovered

In the six years since the publication of my book Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation, a lot of new artwork and films …

Tee Hee Meets the Eames

I was digging around for some UPA photos the other day when I stumbled onto this photo that I’d labeled “Tee Hee and visitors.” Tee Hee …

TV Cartoon Explains Politics to Kids

This 1961 episode of Tales of the Wizard of Oz harkens back to a time when animation writers didn’t speak down to kids. It’s a perfect …

2012 Animation Book Preview

The future of animation books, like the rest of the publishing industry, isn’t rosy. Page counts and print runs are shrinking, and …

The Fabulous Firework Family (1959)

Over at Bob Shea and Lane Smith’s wonderful Curious Pages blog, they’ve posted the classic Jim Flora children’s book, The Fabulous …

1955 UPA article

Sam Henderson has uploaded a rare, heavily illustrated article about UPA on his Magic Whistle blog. The article, by Catherine Sullivan, …

Boris Gorelick Circus Mural on eBay

I don’t post links to eBay items frequently, but I can’t resist pointing out this huge, stunning Fifties silkscreen mural by Boris …

Films by Malcolm Sutherland

A couple years back, Montreal-based animator Malcolm Sutherland picked up a copy of my book Cartoon Modern at the Ottawa International …

Format Films in TV Guide (1961)

Internet broadcaster Stu Shostak has an almost complete collection of TV Guide magazine. While waiting for his radio show to start (which …

A Little Love: The Art of Bill Melendez

Check out this self-produced mini-doc by writer Matt Zoller Seitz about Peanuts director Bill Melendez – covering his artistic roots, …

The Cartoon Modern YouTube Playlist

Since Cartoon Modern was published a few years ago, the most frequently asked question I’ve received about the book is, “Where’s the …

The Twelve Animated Days of Christmas, #9

Today’s entry from the UK is more curio than classic: the 1959 Halas and Batchelor cartoon The Christmas Visitor, directed by John Halas, …

The Twelve Animated Days of Christmas, #1

The “twelve days of Christmas” technically begin after Christmas Day, but we’re starting them early. Every day between now and Christmas, …

Walt Peregoy and Fernand Léger

Oswald Iten’s blog Colorful Animation Expressions offers a nice post about the influence of Fernand Léger on Walt Peregoy, the color …