Known the world over as the eternal optimist, the cartoon character "Ziggy" has been bringing cheer to the funny pages since 1971.
Distributed by Universal Uclick (formerly Universal Press Syndicate), Ziggy cartoons can be seen daily in more than 400 newspapers worldwide. But as widely recognized as the loveable comic character has become, you may be surprised to learn that there is a Pittsburgh connection to his creator, Tom Wilson (1931-2011).
Wilson, who was born in Grant Town, W.Va., was a 1955 visual communications graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. And, in honor of that fact, the exhibit "Ziggy: An Island of Humor in a Sea of Trouble," in the lobby of the Art Institute, Downtown, pays tribute to Wilson and the enduring popularity of Ziggy.
The exhibit includes more than three-dozen original drawings for the comic strip -- both daily panels and Sunday features -- and more than half a dozen Ziggy-inspired artworks by regional artists. The exhibit includes information on the process of creating and producing color comics, via a comic strip and printing plates on loan from the ToonSeum.
Organized by Angela Love, lead faculty in media arts and animation at the Art Institute, and Tom Wilson Jr., the comic creator's son and the current producer of Ziggy, the exhibit is a fitting homage to Wilson Sr. and Ziggy.
"Naturally, this exhibit represents a portion of the overall body of work my dad created over his lifetime, but as a character, Ziggy embodies many of the wonderful attributes my dad possessed as a man," Wilson Jr. says. "So, I hope that this exhibit is able to give folks maybe a sense of the wonderfully talented and creative man I grew to know, love ... and call Dad."
With his dog, Fuzz, his cat, Sid, and a parrot named Josh, Ziggy first sprang to life when Wilson was working for American Greetings in Cleveland as a creative director. Wilson had been working with the company since graduating from the Art Institute, but, in 1968, American Greetings published a collection of single-panel cartoons he created featuring the Ziggy character titled "When You're Not Around." The book was such a success it sold more than two million copies.
Three years later, Universal Press Syndicate signed Wilson up for a daily panel and Sunday strip, and Ziggy was officially launched in June 1971. That first year, Ziggy appeared in only 15 newspapers. Since then, Ziggy cartoons have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on countless coffee mugs, calendars, T-shirts and, of course, greeting cards.
In 1987, Wilson's son took over the daily drawing and creation of the comic strip. As president of Ziggy & Friends, Wilson Jr. directs Ziggy licensing, and works as a creative consultant for product development at Richard Saunders International, a world-renowned creative think tank in Cincinnati.
"Tom Jr. sent cartoons in a big batch," Love says, "but I sorted through them and winnowed them down. ... They were roughly tied to themes. Lots of them seemed precursors to Dilbert's workaday office angst ... perfect in the thread of office dread so prevalent these days."
At nearly three times the size of regular newspaper cartoons it's easy to see how perfectly they are drawn, with nearly an underlying pencil sketch visible in each panel. Even the Sunday comics, with their notations of color, indicate that Wilson was nothing less than a consummate professional.
As for the works by regional artists, they are equally humorous and well executed. There is Pittsburgh-based illustrator and Art Institute alum Vince Dorse's "Super Ziggy," which transforms Ziggy into a superhero and places him and Fuzz squarely in the middle of a famous Superman comic-book cover. Mt. Lebanon-based illustrator and Art Institute instructor Mark Bender's colored-pencil illustration "Hug Life" re-imagines Wilson's lovable character as a tattooed thug. And "An Island of Hope," a pen-and-ink drawing by media arts and animation student Ayla Zimmerman, depicts a swirling world in which Ziggy is consumed by his own optimism.
Other works by former Art Institute instructor Dana Ingham of McKees Rocks and Youngstown-based caricaturist and Art Institute alum Billy Melago round out the exhibit.
Finally, there are two pieces by Love that give nod to the optimistic nature of the character. There is "Hugs for Us," a small drawing in which Love drew Ziggy with a tattoo that says "Hug Life," and an altar candle that is emblazoned with Ziggy art in which he is being hoisted on the shoulders of a mariachi band.
"It was meant to be Ziggy as icon to optimism -- an island of hope in a sea of trouble," Love says. "So, keeping to (the exhibit's) theme, the altar candle would venerate the dead, and ask Ziggy to hug for us, rather than pray."
Love says the guilty pleasure that Ziggy provides his readers is "not be overlooked or under-estimated. Ziggy is a symbol of optimism ... not just optimism, but optimism maintained in the face of adversity. Sometimes, achingly sweet is just what you want in uncertain times."
Photo Galleries
Ziggy
An exhibit in Art Institute lobby pays tribute to creator Tom Wilson and the enduring popularity of the cartoon character.
'Ziggy: An Island of Humor in a Sea of Trouble'
When: Through April 14. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.
Admission: Free
Where: Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown
Details: 412-291-6200
