Paul Coker Jr. (March 5, 1929 – July 23, 2022) was an American illustrator. He worked in many media, including '' Mad'', character design for

Rankin-Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...

TV specials, greeting cards, and advertising.

Career

Coker was born in Lawrence, Kansas, the son of Bernice (Rutherford) and Paul Coker. 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 "Frosty the Snowman" is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante. It was written after the success o ...

'', ''

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was then s ...

'', ''

The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...

'', ''

Rudolph's Shiny New Year ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' is a 1976 American-Japanese Christmas and New Year's stop motion animated television special and a standalone sequel to the 1964 special ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The ...

'' and ''

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town ''The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town'' is a 1977 musical Easter television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, using their "Animagic" stop motion animation. It reunites the writer Romeo Muller. designer Paul Coker Jr., and narrator Fred As ...

''. In 1968, he illustrated the ''Mad'' paperback "MAD for Better or Verse"; written by

Frank Jacobs Franklin Jacobs (May 30, 1929 – April 5, 2021) was an American author of satires, known primarily for his work in '' Mad'', to which he contributed from 1957 to 2014. Jacobs wrote a wide variety of lampoons and spoof, but was best known as a ve ...

, 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 Don "Duck" Edwing (1934 – December 26, 2016) was an American gag cartoonist whose work has appeared for years in '' Mad''. His signature "Duck Edwing" was usually accompanied by a small picture of a duck, and duck calls were heard on his answer ...

on two comic strips: "Lancelot" and "Horace and Buggy."

Works

Rankin/Bass Productions

* ''

The Wacky World of Mother Goose ''The Wacky World of Mother Goose'' is a 1967 animated musical fantasy film made by Rankin/Bass, written by Romeo Muller and directed by Jules Bass based on Charles Perrault's stories and nursery rhymes. The movie is the first theatrical feature b ...

'' (1967) (uncredited) * ''Cricket on the Hearth'' (1967) * ''

'' (1969) * '' The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show'' (1970) * ''

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was then s ...

'' (1970) * ''

Here Comes Peter Cottontail ''Here Comes Peter Cottontail'' is a 1971 Easter stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, currently distributed by Universal Television and based on the 1957 novel ''The Easter Bunny That Overslept'' by Priscil ...

'' (1971) * ''

The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye ''The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes'' is an animated television special broadcast on ABC on Monday night, February 21, 1972. The special was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, a former division of Tomorrow Entertainmen ...

'' (1972) * ''The Red Baron'' (1972) * ''

Mad Mad Mad Monsters ''Mad Mad Mad Monsters'' is a 1972 traditional animated comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in the United States and animated overseas by Mushi Production in Japan. The special aired on September 23, 1972 as an episode of ''The ABC S ...

'' (1972) (uncredited) * ''

Festival of Family Classics ''Festival of Family Classics'' is a Rankin/Bass animated anthology series that originally aired between 1972 and 1973. The show originally aired in syndication. It was re-aired 1 November 2005 on the Boomerang channel and on 16 June 2011 via the ...

'' (1972–73) * '' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'' (1974) * ''

'' (1974) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

The First Easter Rabbit ''The First Easter Rabbit'' is an animated Easter television special that premiered April 9, 1976 on NBC and later aired on CBS. Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin. The special is loosely based on t ...

'' (1976) * ''

Frosty's Winter Wonderland ''Frosty's Winter Wonderland'' is a 1976 animated Christmas television special and a standalone sequel to the 1969 special ''Frosty the Snowman'', produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by Topcraft. It is the second television special fe ...

'' (1976) * ''

The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town ''The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town'' is a 1977 musical Easter television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, using their "Animagic" stop motion animation. It reunites the writer Romeo Muller. designer Paul Coker Jr., and narrator Fred As ...

'' (1977) * ''

Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey ''Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey'' is a 1977 Christmas stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It premiered on ABC on December 3, 1977. The story is based on the 1975 song of the same name, written by ...

'' (1977) * ''

The Stingiest Man in Town is a 1978 animated Christmas musical television special based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. It was created by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, and features traditional animation rather than the stop motion animatio ...

'' (1978) * ''

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'' (titled on-screen as ''Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in July'', or simply ''Rudolph and Frosty'') is an American-Japanese Christmas/Independence Day television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions ...

'' (1979) * ''

Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...

'' (1979) * ''

Pinocchio's Christmas ''Pinocchio's Christmas'' is a 1980 Christmas stop motion television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions that is a holiday adaptation of the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. The special was originally aired on A ...

'' (1980) * '' The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold'' (1981) * '' Santa, Baby!'' (2001)

References

External links

Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
*
Two examples of Coker's original artBilly Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
American comics artists 1929 births 2022 deaths American illustrators Mad (magazine) cartoonists Artists from Kansas People from Lawrence, Kansas {{US-illustrator-stub