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. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

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 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 in that year. It was written after the success of Autry's ...

'', ''

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas music, Christmas song written by John Frederick Coots, J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show ...

'', '' The Year Without a Santa Claus'', ''

Rudolph's Shiny New Year ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' is a 1976 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 special premiered on ...

'' and '' The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town''. 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 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 cel animated th ...

'' (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 music, Christmas song written by John Frederick Coots, J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show ...

'' (1970) * ''

Here Comes Peter Cottontail ''Here Comes Peter Cottontail'' is a 1971 Japanese-American 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 Ove ...

'' (1971) * ''

The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye ''Hans Christian Andersen's 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 Entertainment, using ...

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

Mad Mad Mad Monsters ''Mad Mad Mad Monsters'' is a 1972 traditional animated Halloween-themed comedy television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in the United States and animated overseas by Mushi Production in Japan. The special aired on September 23, 1 ...

'' (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 t ...

'' (1972–73) * ''

'Twas the Night Before Christmas "A Visit from St. Nicholas", routinely referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1823. A ...

'' (1974) * '' The Year Without a Santa Claus'' (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 ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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 ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July'' (titled on-screen as ''Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in July'') is a 1979 American–Japanese Christmas/Independence Day film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, featuring characters from the company' ...

'' (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, a ...

'' (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 premiered on ABC on Dec ...

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

References

External links

Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
*

Two examples of Coker's original art

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
American comics artists 1929 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American illustrators 21st-century American illustrators American parodists American satirists American satirical comics artists Mad (magazine) cartoonists Artists from Kansas People from Lawrence, Kansas American advertising artists and illustrators American humorists American comic strip cartoonists {{US-illustrator-stub