‘Rocky and Bullwinkle’ Creator, Alexander Anderson Jr. Has Died
Alexander Anderson Jr., creator of the classic cartoon ‘Rocky and Bullwinkle,’ has passed away at age 90, The Washington Post reports.
Rocket “Rocky” J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose first landed on network TV in 1959. They lived in the town of Frostbite Falls and found themselves embroiled in all manner of absurd plots involving espionage and devious villains.
The show contained outrageous puns and veiled Cold War commentary that sailed over the heads of the children who were its primary audience.
The Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons also featured another of Mr. Anderson’s popular creations, Dudley Do-Right, a strutting Canadian Mountie in constant pursuit of his nemesis, the mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash.
Mr. Anderson was not part of the production of the original series, which ran on ABC from 1959 to 1961 and NBC from 1961 to 1964.
As the years passed, his role in developing the characters was largely forgotten. He received nothing when a lucrative video deal was struck for the burgeoning Bullwinkle franchise.
“I’m thrilled that something I did has become so popular,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1991. “But I’m sorry that I don’t get any credit for it.”
According to Anderson’s son, Terry, his father died from complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the Carmel, California, nursing home where he had been living.
Alexander Anderson Jr. is survived by his wife, two sons, three step-children, fourteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
