- National Cartoon Museum
-
Coordinates: 40°00′05″N 83°00′32″W / 40.001501°N 83.008922°W
The National Cartoon Museum was an American museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of cartoons, comic strips and animation. It was the brainchild of Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey. It opened in 1974, went through several name changes and relocations, finally closing in 2002. Originally known as the Museum of Cartoon Art in 1974, the name was changed to the National Cartoon Museum when it moved to Boca Raton, Florida in 1992.[1] In 1996, it became the International Museum of Cartoon Art.[2]
In June 2008, Walker's collection was merged with the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, affiliated with Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Contents
History
Walker began preserving cartoon artwork in the 1940s, when he discovered King Features Syndicate using Krazy Kat drawings to sop up water leaks.[3] Walker lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, and in 1974, with a contribution of $50,000 from the Hearst Foundation, he opened his museum nearby at 850 Canal Street in Stamford, Connecticut.[3][4] Two years later, the landlord decided he could rent the mansion for more, forcing a move to a large, dilapidated house in Port Chester, New York.
The city of Boca Raton, Florida invited Walker to relocate there, and in 1996, the new facility opened. However, the museum did not attract enough donations and two corporate sponsors went bankrupt.[3] To pay off some of the debts, Walker auctioned off a Mickey Mouse drawing in 2001 for $700,000.[3] However, it was not enough; the museum was forced to close in 2002, and the collection was put into storage. An attempt was made to relocate to three floors of the Empire State Building in New York City in 2007, but the deal fell through for reasons that are disputed.[5] Walker finally accepted an offer to merge his collection with that of Ohio State University in 2008.[3][6]
Collection
The collection includes over 200,000 original drawings, 20,000 comic books, 1000 hours of film and tape, and various other items. It consists almost entirely of donations from artists, including Chester Gould (Dick Tracy), Hal Foster (Prince Valiant), Bill Keane (Family Circus), political cartoonist Jeff MacNelly, Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm), Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates), Dik Browne (Hagar the Horrible), Stan Lee (Spider-Man), Rube Goldberg and others.[3] According to the curators, it is valued at an estimated $20 million. Among its prized possessions is the first drawing of Mickey Mouse, by Ub Iwerks for the character's film debut in Plane Crazy (1928).
William Randolph Hearst Cartoon Hall of Fame
Begun in 1974, the Hall of Fame was renamed the William Randolph Hearst Cartoon Hall of Fame in 1997 after a sponsorship was provided by the Hearst Foundation. The 31 inductees, chosen by non-cartoonist authorities, are:
- Harold Gray
- George Herriman
- Lynn Johnston
- Chuck Jones
- Walt Kelly
- Winsor McCay
- George McManus
- Thomas Nast
- Frederick Opper
- Richard Outcault
- Alex Raymond
- Charles Schulz
- Jimmy Swinnerton
- Mort Walker
- Chic Young
- Cathy Guisewite
See also
References
- ^ Mort Walker
- ^ Charla, Steve."International Museum of Cartoon Art".
- ^ a b c d e f Mary Pilon (July 16, 2008). "Beetle Bailey's Long March: Classic Cartoons Search for a Home". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121615221992855615.html. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ Greenwich Roundup: Editor & Publisher
- ^ "Empire State Building won't host National Cartoon Museum". Boston Globe, September 14, 2006.
- ^ Whiteman, Doug. "Addition to make school's comic art collection really super", Associated Press, May 16, 2008.
External links
Categories:- Cartooning museums
- Defunct museums in the United States
- History of animation
- Museums disestablished in 2002
- Museums established in 1974
- Ohio State University
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
