Sally Cruikshank

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Sally Cruikshank (born 1949) is an American cartoonist and animator; her notable works include the Sesame Street children's television programs for Children's Television Workshop (1989–2000).[1]

A self-taught artist born in Chatham, New Jersey and educated at Smith College, Cruikshank made her first animated short, Ducky, while still an undergraduate. In the 1970s she created a series of animated short films, some featuring regular characters Anita and Quasi, highly stylized anthropomorphic ducks. (She provided the voice for Anita). Cruikshank evolved a recognizable style with surrealistic and psychedelic elements. Her work also displays the influence of Max Fleischer. Critic Jerry Beck listed her Quasi at the Quackadero in his 1980 book 50 Greatest Cartoons. Her film Face Like a Frog bears a musical score by Danny Elfman, including his song "Don't Go in the Basement."[2]

Cruikshank has contributed animation sequences to feature films, including Twilight Zone: The Movie (1982), Top Secret! (1984), Ruthless People (1986), Mannequin (1987), and Madhouse (1990). She has also worked in commercials and website design, and was the head of animation for Snazelle Films in San Francisco from 1972 to 1981. She worked on a feature film of her characters called Quasi's Cabaret, though financing problems prevented its completion.[3]

In 1986, Cruikshank won the initial Maya Deren Award for Independent Film and Video Artists given by the American Film Institute, along with Stan Brakhage and Nam June Paik.

[edit] Animated short films

  • Ducky (1971)
  • Fun on Mars (1971)
  • Chow Fun (1972)
  • Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)
  • Make Me Psychic (1978)
  • Quasi's Cabaret Trailer (1980)
  • Face Like a Frog (1987)

[edit] References

  • Dixon, Wheeler Winston, ed. Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-Century Cinema. Carbondale, IL, Southern Illinois University Press, 2001.

[edit] External links


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