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{{Infobox comics creator
{{Infobox comics creator
|name = Charles Thorson
|image = Charles Gustav Thorson.jpg
|image = Charles Gustav Thorson.jpg
|caption = Thorson, {{circa|1964}}
|caption = Thorson, {{circa|1964}}
|birth_name = Charles Gustav Thorson
|birth_name = Karl Gústaf Stefánsson
|birth_date = {{birth date|1890|08|29}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1890|08|29}}
|birth_place = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada
|birth_place = [[Gimli, Manitoba|Gimli]], [[Manitoba]], Canada
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|08|07|1890|08|29|df=yes}}
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|08|07|1890|08|29|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
|death_place = [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
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|notable works = [[Bugs Bunny]], [[Elmer Fudd]]
|notable works = [[Bugs Bunny]], [[Elmer Fudd]]
|awards =
|awards =
|sortkey =
|subcat = Canadian
}}
}}
'''Charles "Charlie" Gustav Thorson''' (29 August 1890 &ndash; 7 August 1966) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] political cartoonist, character designer, children's book author and illustrator. Thorson is best known as the man who designed and named [[Bugs Bunny]].<ref name="Barrier">{{cite book|title=Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age|last=Barrier|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/Hollywood_Cartoons.html?id=zDJXnzMh7bkC&redir_esc=ydate=2003-11-06|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=United States|isbn=978-0-19-516729-0|accessdate=2008-03-09|page=360}}</ref>
'''Charles "Charlie" Gustav Thorson''' (29 August 1890 &ndash; 7 August 1966) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] political cartoonist, character designer, children's book author and illustrator. Thorson is best known as the man who designed an early version of the then yet unnamed [[Bugs Bunny]].<ref>Leonard Maltin, ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons'' (NAL and McGraw Hill, 1980; revised edition, November 1987), p. 242</ref>


==Early life and family==
==Early life and family==
Thorson was born in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada. He was of [[Iceland]]ic descent, as his parents were part of the [[Icelandic Canadians|Icelandic immigration to Canada]] in the 19th century. His parents were part of the 1,700 Icelanders who registered with the Winnipeg Immigration Office in 1887.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Cartoon Charlie: The Life and Art of Animation Pioneer Charles Thorson|last=Walz|first=Eugene|publisher=Great Plains Publications|year=1998|isbn=0-9697804-9-4|location=|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cartooncharlieli0000walz/page/26 26]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/cartooncharlieli0000walz/page/26}}</ref> Politician [[Joseph Thorarinn Thorson|Joseph Thorson]] was his older brother.
Thorson was born in [[Gimli, Manitoba|Gimli]], [[Manitoba]], Canada and given the name Karl Gústaf Stefánsson.{{fact|date=August 2022}} He was of [[Iceland]]ic descent, as his parents were part of the [[Icelandic Canadians|Icelandic immigration to Canada]] in the 19th century. His parents were part of the 1,700 Icelanders who registered with the Winnipeg Immigration Office in 1887.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Cartoon Charlie: The Life and Art of Animation Pioneer Charles Thorson|last=Walz|first=Eugene|publisher=Great Plains Publications|year=1998|isbn=0-9697804-9-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cartooncharlieli0000walz/page/26 26]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/cartooncharlieli0000walz/page/26}}</ref> Politician [[Joseph Thorarinn Thorson|Joseph Thorson]] was his older brother.


==Career==
==Career==
Thorson's self-portrait drawing in 1931 portrayed him as a Viking based on his Icelandic descent.
Thorson's self-portrait drawing in 1931 portrayed him as a Viking based on his Icelandic descent.


From 1935 to 1945, Thorson worked in American animation studios, including [[The Walt Disney Company]] and [[Warner Bros.]]<ref name="Gabler2007">{{cite book|author=Neal Gabler|title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41e-Ru0wRkEC&pg=PA431|year=2007|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=978-0-679-75747-4|pages=431–}}</ref> He contributed sketches of hundreds of cartoon characters, including [[Snow White (Disney character)|Snow White]], [[Elmer Fudd]], [[Little Hiawatha]], [[Sniffles|Sniffles the Mouse]], [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Inki]].
Thorson worked at [[The Walt Disney Company]]'s story department from 1935 to 1937. He worked on ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' shorts and contributed to designs for ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''. He joined [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] where he worked on adapting ''[[The Captain and the Kids (film series)|The Captain and the Kids]]''. He joined [[Warner Bros.]] in July 1938. Thorson claimed to have created [[Bugs Bunny]] "solely by myself and without the assistance or direction of anyone else". He later worked for [[Fleischer Studios]].{{sfn|Mazurkewich|1999|p=13-16}}<ref name="Gabler2007">{{cite book|author=Neal Gabler|title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41e-Ru0wRkEC&pg=PA431|year=2007|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=978-0-679-75747-4|pages=431–}}</ref>


Thorson wrote two children's books, ''Keeko'' in 1947 and ''Chee-chee and Keeko'' in 1952, about the adventures of a little Native American boy. He also created the character [[Punkinhead]], which appeared in several children's books and in [[Eaton's]] catalogues for many years.<ref name="Greer2006">{{cite book|author=Audrey Greer|title=The Santa Claus Parade Story: 100 Years of Great Parades in Toronto|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ydZU0_lP8Z8C&pg=PA26|year=2006|publisher=J.B. Greer|isbn=978-0-9781978-0-3|pages=26–}}</ref>
Thorson wrote two children's books, ''Keeko'' in 1947 and ''Chee-chee and Keeko'' in 1952, about the adventures of a little Native American boy. He also created the character [[Punkinhead]], which appeared in several children's books and in [[Eaton's]] catalogues for many years.<ref name="Greer2006">{{cite book|author=Audrey Greer|title=The Santa Claus Parade Story: 100 Years of Great Parades in Toronto|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ydZU0_lP8Z8C&pg=PA26|year=2006|publisher=J.B. Greer|isbn=978-0-9781978-0-3|pages=26–}}</ref>
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Thorson died in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]] in 1966.
Thorson died in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]] in 1966.

== Filmography ==
* [[The Robber Kitten]] (Short) (character designer, 1935)
* [[Elmer Elephant]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1936)
* [[Mickey's Rival]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1936)
* [[Toby Tortoise Returns]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1936)
* [[The Country Cousin]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1936)
* [[Woodland Café]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* [[Moose Hunters]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* [[Little Hiawatha]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* [[The Old Mill]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* Pluto's Quin-puplets (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* [[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]] (character designer - uncredited, 1937)
* Cleaning House (Short) (character designer, 1938)
* [[Wynken, Blynken and Nod (film)|Wynken, Blynken and Nod]] (Short) (character designer, 1938)
* Old Smokey (Short) (character designer, 1938)
* [[The Little Lion Hunter]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1939)
* [[Dangerous Dan McFoo]] (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1939)
* [[Hobo Gadget Band]] (Short) (character designer, 1939)
* [[Hare-um Scare-um]] (character designer - uncredited, 1939)
* Little Brother Rat (Short) (character designer, 1939)
* Porky the Giant Killer (Short) (character designer, 1939)
* [[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)| Gulliver's Travels]] (character designer - uncredited, 1939)
* [[Elmer's Candid Camera]] (character designer - uncredited, 1940)
* Twinkletoes - Where He Goes Nobody Knows (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1941)
* Wimmin Is a Myskery (Short) (character designer - uncredited, 1940)
* [[Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (1941 film)| Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy]] (Short) (character designer, 1941)
* Happy Circus Days (Short) (character designer, 1942)


==References==
==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


===Bibliography===
==Works cited==
* {{cite book|last=Mazurkewich |first=Karen |title=Cartoon Capers: The History of Canadian Animators |publisher=[[McArthur & Company Publishing]] |date=1999 |url=https://archive.org/details/cartooncapershis0000mazu |isbn=1-55278-093-7}}

==Bibliography==
*''Cartoon Charlie: The Life and Art of Animation Pioneer Charles Thorson'', by Prof. [[Gene Walz]] (with the assistance of Stephen Thorson. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: [[Great Plains Publications]], 1998. 222 pages. {{ISBN|0-9697804-9-4}}.
*''Cartoon Charlie: The Life and Art of Animation Pioneer Charles Thorson'', by Prof. [[Gene Walz]] (with the assistance of Stephen Thorson. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: [[Great Plains Publications]], 1998. 222 pages. {{ISBN|0-9697804-9-4}}.
* [http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/collections/complete_holdings/rad/mss/thorson.shtml Charlie Thorson fonds], University of Manitoba
* [http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/collections/complete_holdings/rad/mss/thorson.shtml Charlie Thorson fonds], University of Manitoba
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[[Category:1966 deaths]]
[[Category:1966 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Icelandic descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Icelandic descent]]
[[Category:People from Gimli, Manitoba]]
[[Category:Artists from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Artists from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:Canadian cartoonists]]
[[Category:Canadian editorial cartoonists]]
[[Category:Canadian children's writers]]
[[Category:Canadian children's book illustrators]]
[[Category:Canadian animators]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people]]

{{Canadian-comics-creator-stub}}

Latest revision as of 01:09, 28 August 2024

Charles Thorson
Thorson, c. 1964
BornKarl Gústaf Stefánsson
(1890-08-29)August 29, 1890
Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
Died7 August 1966(1966-08-07) (aged 75)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Area(s)Cartoonist
Notable works
Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd

Charles "Charlie" Gustav Thorson (29 August 1890 – 7 August 1966) was a Canadian political cartoonist, character designer, children's book author and illustrator. Thorson is best known as the man who designed an early version of the then yet unnamed Bugs Bunny.[1]

Early life and family

[edit]

Thorson was born in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada and given the name Karl Gústaf Stefánsson.[citation needed] He was of Icelandic descent, as his parents were part of the Icelandic immigration to Canada in the 19th century. His parents were part of the 1,700 Icelanders who registered with the Winnipeg Immigration Office in 1887.[2] Politician Joseph Thorson was his older brother.

Career

[edit]

Thorson's self-portrait drawing in 1931 portrayed him as a Viking based on his Icelandic descent.

Thorson worked at The Walt Disney Company's story department from 1935 to 1937. He worked on Silly Symphony shorts and contributed to designs for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he worked on adapting The Captain and the Kids. He joined Warner Bros. in July 1938. Thorson claimed to have created Bugs Bunny "solely by myself and without the assistance or direction of anyone else". He later worked for Fleischer Studios.[3][4]

Thorson wrote two children's books, Keeko in 1947 and Chee-chee and Keeko in 1952, about the adventures of a little Native American boy. He also created the character Punkinhead, which appeared in several children's books and in Eaton's catalogues for many years.[5]

Thorson lived his life without public credit for his creations. His name was never mentioned in associated movie credits, and "rarely mentioned in studio records or in other animation books." These creations can be found in Thorson's personal albums that includes sketches and model drawings shared with his family.[2]

Thorson died in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1966.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Leonard Maltin, Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (NAL and McGraw Hill, 1980; revised edition, November 1987), p. 242
  2. ^ a b Walz, Eugene (1998). Cartoon Charlie: The Life and Art of Animation Pioneer Charles Thorson. Great Plains Publications. pp. 26. ISBN 0-9697804-9-4.
  3. ^ Mazurkewich 1999, p. 13-16.
  4. ^ Neal Gabler (2007). Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Vintage Books. pp. 431–. ISBN 978-0-679-75747-4.
  5. ^ Audrey Greer (2006). The Santa Claus Parade Story: 100 Years of Great Parades in Toronto. J.B. Greer. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-0-9781978-0-3.

Works cited

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
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