About Tom Wilson
The creator of Ziggy
Time and again, Tom Wilson has demonstrated his vision in anticipating
future trends in the marketplace. For over thrity-five years, he served
as a creative head at American Greetings where he was responsible
for the development of many breakthrough card lines.
A veteran of the licensing business, Tom headed up the creative team
that developed such character licensing blockbusters as Strawberry
Shortcake and Care Bears.
Like Ziggy, Tom is shy about relating his accomplishments. he is a
talented painter, whose works have appeared in exhibitions throughout
the United States, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Society
of Illustrations annual show in New York. he also has made his mark
in animation, with the Emmy Award winning special, "Ziggy's Gift".
But perhaps most memorable of all, Tom gave us Ziggy.
Tom Wilson on Ziggy
I wanted Ziggy to be the little guy in the big world much like I
felt as a kid. in fact, I've often said that growing up is a Ziggy
experience, and one that I wouldn't care to repeat...so I made him
clumsy and unsure, yet wide-eyed, and full of wonder.
I wanted Ziggy to appeal to everyone, regardless of gender or generation,
so I was careful to avoid specifics regarding age, occupation, background,
etc...
I wanted him to be loved, so I designed him in somewhat rounded teddy
bear proportions to make hime more huggable. I wanted readers not
just to laugh at Ziggy, I wanted them to know him, to empathize with
him, and of course, to enjoy him. To help achieve this, I tried in
many of the daily panels to establish eye contact between Ziggy and
the reader. my objective was to create an emotional rapport between
Ziggy and his audience.
I felt that if I wanted Ziggy's readers to be aware of his presence
and to feel they were a part of his life, I should make Ziggy aware
of their presence. For this reason, the cast of characters in many
of the panels is two, the reader, and Ziggy, with Ziggy directly sharing
one of life's daily mishaps or an exaggeration of something we have
all experienced.
When Ziggy communicates, he connects with people. Ziggy speaks to
us and for us in sharing our feelings. Whatever we want to express--humor,
friendship, love or good wishes-- Ziggy says it in a way people respond
to and remember.
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