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Paul Coker Jr. (March 5, 1929 – July 23, 2022)[1][2][3] was an American illustrator. He worked in many media, including Mad, character design for Rankin-Bass TV specials, greeting cards, and advertising.[4][5]
Career
Coker was born in Lawrence, Kansas, the son of Bernice (Rutherford) and Paul Coker.[6] One of his first professional works was in 1946 when he designed Chesty Lion, the mascot for Lawrence High School. His first appearance in Mad was in 1961; he went on to illustrate over 375 articles for the magazine. Beginning in 1967, Coker was a production designer on more than a dozen Rankin/Bass specials and shorts, including Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph's Shiny New Year and The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town. In 1968, he illustrated the Mad paperback "MAD for Better or Verse"; written by Frank Jacobs, it was the first of eight all-new paperbacks drawn by Coker. In 2002, the magazine also published a collection of "Horrifying Cliches", the long-running feature that featured Coker art. Coker collaborated with writer Don Edwing on two comic strips: "Lancelot" and "Horace and Buggy".
Works
Rankin/Bass Productions
- The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967) (uncredited)
- Cricket on the Hearth (1967)
- Frosty the Snowman (1969)
- The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show (1970)
- Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)
- Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)
- The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye (1972)
- The Red Baron (1972)
- Mad Mad Mad Monsters (1972) (uncredited)
- Festival of Family Classics (1972–73)
- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)
- The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
- Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)
- The First Easter Rabbit (1976)
- Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)
- The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town (1977)
- Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
- The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
- Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)
- Jack Frost (1979)
- Pinocchio's Christmas (1980)
- The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (1981)
- Santa, Baby! (2001)
References
External links
- Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
- Template:IMDb name
- Complete list of Coker's work for MAD Magazine
- Two examples of Coker's original art
- Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
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