Stephen Worth says:
Today at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, we scanned and posted the very first Big Boy comic book from 1956, along with vintage TV commercial art and menus. The story of the creation of Big Boy is a fascinating one. Here’s a snip from my article…
“Years later, when Big Boy had become a familiar figure to the entire country, animator Benny Washam admitted to his fellow artists at Warner Bros that he was the cartoonist who had created the character. They laughed and teased him, saying, “Benny, you should have been heir to a hamburger fortune, but no! Your lot in life is to toil day and night making animated cartoons!” They were joking, but there’s an element of truth in it. Never underestimate the power of a doodle. That Big Boy sketch that Washam traded away for a free meal sold millions of dollars worth of hamburgers.”