Alex Anderson (cartoonist)
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Born Alexander Hume Anderson Jr.
September 5, 1920
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Died October 22, 2010 (aged 90)
Carmel, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation Cartoonist
Relatives Paul Terry (uncle)
Alexander Hume Anderson Jr. (September 5, 1920 – October 22, 2010)[1] was an American cartoonist who created the characters of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle, and Dudley Do-Right, as well as Crusader Rabbit. He was not directly involved in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, however.
Biography
Anderson was born in Berkeley, California, a nephew of Mighty Mouse producer Paul Terry, and began his career in 1938 at his Terrytoons animation studio. Anderson and Jay Ward grew up together in Berkeley, California, and formed a business in the late 1940s to pitch cartoon ideas to television, including Crusader Rabbit, Rocky, Bullwinkle, and Dudley Do-Right. Only Crusader Rabbit was accepted, and after Anderson's other cartoon ideas failed to sell, he joined a San Francisco advertising agency, while Ward moved to Los Angeles to try to sell TV studios on a Bullwinkle series.
Following Jay Ward's death, Anderson, who had not received public recognition for creating Dudley Do-Right, Bullwinkle and Rocky, learned the characters had been copyrighted in Ward's name alone. Consequently, Anderson sued Ward's heirs to reclaim creator credit. In 1993 or 1996, (sources differ), Anderson received a settlement and a court order acknowledging him as "the creator of the first version of the characters of Rocky, Bullwinkle and Dudley." Ted Key, creator of the comic strip Hazel, had a similar situation with his characters Mr. Peabody and his pet boy Sherman.
Death
Anderson died due to complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 90 on October 22, 2010, at a nursing home in Carmel, California. He was survived by his wife of 36 years, Patricia Larsen Anderson, his third spouse following divorces from first wife Gail and second wife Beverly. He had two children from his first marriage, sons Terry and Scott, and three stepchildren, Matthew Kennedy, Carolyn Kennedy, and Daniel Kennedy.
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I only mention this bit of useless trivia because my mom grew up with his first wife. And even more tangential if the fact Anderson's first wife and my mom grew up in the same Podunk Sacramento Valley town where Matthew Groening was counseled to protect his property by copyrighting The Simpsons. The Simpsons was NOT copyrighted when it was first seen on the The Tracey Ullman Show!
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