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Charlie Thorson fonds

Charlie Thorson was a seminal figure in the development of animation in the United States and Canadian children's literature. Beginning with political cartoons for local Icelandic language newspapers, his drawing career encompassed work in several fields and disciplines He illustrated Eaton's catalogues at the noted Canadian art studio Brigden's, designed and developed characters at nearly every major Holywood animation studio of the pre-World War II era, worked extensively in commercial and industrial advertising, and made some of the first attempts to develop Canadian children's literature. Among his many accomplishments, Thorson has been credited for designing beloved animated characters Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Bugs Bunny.

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: "Prince of the Wilderness", cover - coloured pencil sketch; The cover of an unpublished manuscript illustrated and written by Charlie (Charles) Thorson titled "Prince of the Wilderness." The cover features a coloured pencil sketch of a dog, Prince, with a book in his mouth looking at a young girl. This sketch is encased in plastic and pasted on a 12" x 14 1/2" white leather album., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218573, Luna Image ID - 122597

: "Why I Hurt So Many Children," pg. 16 - pencil sketch

: Boy and puppy model sheet; A model sheet created by Charlie Thorson featuring fifteen poses of a boy and his puppy that he created for Terrytoon Inc. in the 1940s., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218535, Luna Image ID - 122590

: Bugs Bunny Developmental Pencil Sketch; A developmental pencil sketch by Charlie Thorson of an early draft of Bugs Bunny. Thorson claimed partial credit for originating the character., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218495, Luna Image ID - 122594

: Charlie Thorson framed portrait; A 3" x 3" framed photograph of a portrait of artist Charlie Thorson., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218557, Luna Image ID - 122601

: Comical bear sketches

: Elmer Elephant with giraffe and pelicans sketch; A coloured pencil sketch by Charlie Thorson of the Walt Disney character Elmer Elephant riding a giraffe accompanied by a group of pelicans. The sketch likely depicts a scene from a 1936 Disney film in which Elmer attempts to extinguish a fire. The sketch is annotated with a group of numbers near its bottom., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218531, Luna Image ID - 122589

: Happy Wanderer dog model sheet; A model sheet featuring four hand-drawn pencil sketches by Charlie Thorson of poses for a cartoon dog character, possibly named the Happy Wanderer. The character was possibly designed for and used by Warner Brothers. The model sheet is mounted on a 10 1/4" x 13" board., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218518, Luna Image ID - 122587

: Keeko book cover; The cover of a book titled Keeko, which was written and illustrated by Charlie (Charles) Thorson. The cover illustrates a young "Indian" boy named Keeko asleep on a log surrounded by animals. The book was published by Wilcox & Follett Co. in Chicago, Illinois in 1947., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218509, Luna Image ID - 122596

: Lion, tiger, and cubs sketches

: Mamma model sheet

: Popeye's nephew sketch; A coloured pencil sketch by Charlie Thorson of a nephew of the popular Fleischer Studios character Popeye. Thorson designed Popeye's nephews, Pip-Eye, Pup-Eye, Poop-Eye, and Peep-Eye while employed with Fleischer ca. 1942., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218527, Luna Image ID - 122593

: Punkinhead sketch on card

: Regent tiger sketch; A pencil sketch coloured with coloured pencils by Charlie Thorson of a tiger holding a Regent Oil sign and dressed in the company uniform in front of a gas pump and a car. This drawing is slightly smudged and is 9" x 9". It is located in a scrapbook with other original coloured sketches. Thorson worked on similar advertisements following his return to Canada in the 1950s., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218514, Luna Image ID - 122600

: Sniffles model sheet; A model sheet for the Warner Brothers mouse character Sniffles, originally created by Chuck Jones, featuring eight pencil sketches by Charlie Thorson that are coloured with coloured pencil and depict Sniffles in eight different positions. The model sheet is labeled "M.M. No. 20" and is 12" x 10 1/2"., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218522, Luna Image ID - 122588

: Tough baby chick drawings; Five coloured pencil sketches by Charlie Thorson of a baby chick with a tough attitude that have been mounted on to a 3" x 3" board. The drawings may have been done while Thorson worked for Warner Brothers., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218547, Luna Image ID - 122598

: Tough bunny sketch; A 9" x 11" coloured pencil sketch by Charlie Thorson of a tough-looking bunny with lowered ears and a band-aid on his head. This drawing likely dates from the 1930s when Thorson's "cute" style was employed at Walt Disney and Harman/Ising., Luna Collection ID - 70::UMANITOBALCM::NA, Luna Object ID - 218551, Luna Image ID - 122599

Libraries

digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca

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Charlie Thorson fonds