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William Donahey
Born October 19, 1883
Westchester, Ohio
Died 2 February 1970 (aged 86)
Chicago
Occupation cartoon artist + illustrator
Nationality American
Writing period Twentieth Century

William Donahey (19 October 1883 – 2 February 1970) was a U.S. cartoon artist and creator of the Teenie Weenies, a comic strip about two inch tall people.[1] The strip appeared in the Chicago Tribune for over 50 years.[1] He drew the Teenie Weenies characters for a total of about 2100 strips. His work appeared in places all around the world.[2][3]

Contents

[edit] Life

William Donahey drawing
William Donahey drawing
1920 postcard by Donahey
1920 postcard by Donahey
Little Tom Tucker Donahey 1921
Little Tom Tucker
Donahey 1921

Donahey spent much of his childhood alone imagining strange creatures in a small world. He later claimed this was the birth of the Teenie Weenies.[4] His parents noticing his creative work then enrolled him in the Cleveland School of Art. They had hoped that he would follow his older brother Hal Donahey into the illustration business.[2][4] Donahey graduated from college in 1903 and worked briefly in advertising.[1] He then joined the staff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where his brother Hal was the political cartoonist.[1]

While working for the Cleveland Plain Dealer he met his wife Mary Dickerson. She was a columnist and children's book author. [2] Here he specialized in children's cartoons. His wife introduced him to some of the traditional children's stories he had missed when he grew up, such as the Mother Goose rhymes, Alice in Wonderland, and Arabian Nights.[1][2] Donahey liked very much the Mother Goose rhymes and started illustrating them. Soon he was composing and writing his own poems and stories.

The editor Joseph Medill Patterson of the Chicago Tribune saw Donahey's original creations and offered him a full time job as a cartoonist for the comic section.[1][4][5] Here is where he created the Teenie Weenies.[5] The stories consisted of a large illustration and accompanying text[3][5] about the lives of many characters that lived beneath a rose bush with full size people objects like hats, jugs, and old boots.[3][4] There was even an illustrationed story that involved an old rusty tomato can.[4] The first feature appeared in black and white on June 14, 1912.[1][3][5] Color was added in 1923 when the comic feature moved to the regular Sunday comics section.[1][3][4][5]

The Teenie Weenies comic strip was syndicated in newspapers around the world.[4] The characters appeared in books, school primers and advertising.[3] Donahey franchised his work to be used on decals, dolls, clothing, handkerchiefs, and tin boxes.[4] He had a number of licensing agreements for his work with companies like Monarch Foods and Reid-Murdoch. He dedicated most of his work and energy however into the newspaper cartoon comic strips.[4]

[edit] Other

One of William Donahey's older brothers was Victor Donahey, the governor of Ohio from 1922 through 1929.[4]

William Donahey and his wife Mary Dickerson Donahey owned the Pickle Barrel House in Grand Marais, Michigan.

[edit] Works authored

  • The Pixeys - comic strip 1925.
  • Teenie Weenies - comic strip 1914-1925, 1933-1934, 1941-1970.

[edit] Illustrated works

William Donahey illustrated within the following books:[2]

  • Huldy's Whistle by Anne Archbold Miller (Reilly & Lee, Chicago, 1919).
  • Lady Teddy Comes to Town by Mary Dickerson Donahey (Small, Maynard & Company, 1919).
  • The Children's Mother Goose collected or reinterpreted by William Donahey (Reilly & Lee, Chicago, 1921).
  • The Teenie Weenie Man's Mother Goose collected or reinterpreted by William Donahey (Reilly & Lee, Chicago, 1921).
  • The Spanish McQuades - The Lost Treasure of Zavala by Mary Dickerson Donahey (Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., Garden City, NY, 1931).
  • Hi, Ho, Pinocchio by Josef Marino (Reilly & Lee, Chicago, 1940).
  • The Miss Minerva books by Emma Speed Sampson (Reilly & Lee, Chicago).
Billy and the Major (1918)
Miss Minerva's Baby (1920)
Miss Minerva on the Old Plantation (1923)
Miss Minerva Broadcasts Billy (1925)
Miss Minerva's Scallywags (1927)
Miss Minerva's Neighbors (1930)
Miss Minerva Goin' Places (1931)

[edit] References

  • Cahn, Joseph M., The Teenie Weenies Book: the Life and Art of William Donahey (Green Tiger Press, 1986). ISBN 0-8813803-5-0

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h William Donahey's Teenie Weenies. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e More information on William Donahey. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Meet the Teenie Weenies. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
  5. ^ a b c d e William Donahey the artist. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
Persondata
NAME William Donahey
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bill Donahey
SHORT DESCRIPTION Comic strip illustrator / author
DATE OF BIRTH 19 October 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH Westchester, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH 2 February 1970
PLACE OF DEATH Chicago, Illinois


[Category:1883 births]] [Category:1970 deaths]] [Category:American comics artists]]