Jim Jinkins

Jim Jinkins
Occupation Animator, writer, television producer, television director
Years active 1981–present
Signature

James "Jim" Jinkins (born 8 August 1953 in Henrico County, Virginia) is an American animator and creator of the animated Doug television series which was later the basis for a feature film. Jinkins also created PB&J Otter.

Background and career

Jinkins was born in Richmond, Virginia,[1] and lived there during his childhood. His experiences growing up in Richmond would serve as an inspiration for the fictional town of Bluffington, Virginia, in the series Doug.[2]

Later, Jinkins worked in advertising, creating TV commercials and promotions featuring a young boy and a dog, who would become the main characters of his major creation, Doug. Jim had developed Doug Funnie through doodles during a time of the early days of his career. Doug and his dog Porkchop first appeared in Jinkin's book Doug Got a New Pair of Shoes, which led to his creating an animated pilot titled Doug Can't Dance. He sold the Doug pilot to Nickelodeon. The pilot tested higher than any other pilot for the network at the time. Jinkins established Jumbo Pictures in 1990 to produce Doug for Nickelodeon. Doug went on to become one of Nickelodeon's most popular and successful series. Jinkins also created a TV show for Nick Jr, Allegra's Window.

Doug's success caught the eyes of Disney executives. In 1996 Jim sold Jumbo Pictures to Disney. Disney then developed Disney's Doug (originally Brand Spanking New! Doug) as part of their "One Saturday Morning" lineup.

Jinkins and his team at Jumbo Pictures have produced the PB&J Otter and 101 Dalmatians animated series and feature film Doug's 1st Movie for Disney. Jinkins has also founded an independent company, Cartoon Pizza, which produces shows such as JoJo's Circus, Stanley, HoopDogz, and Pinky Dinky Doo.

Jinkins on Doug

“ Doug is not a powerful character. He is more where I feel that kids are today. They are softspoken and bewildered. But they often make the right decisions. What we tried to get across was that you should feel good about yourself and not give in to peer pressure. The underlying foundation was that doing the right thing will pay off.[3] ”

References

  1. ↑ http://www.whatiwannaknow.com/2013/02/jim-jinkins/
  2. ↑ Griset, Rich (September 23, 2009). "Believing in Bluffington: Richmond resonated through an earlier cartoon". Style Weekly. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  3. ↑
    • Chaudoin, Kim "Jinkins turns love of doodling into career," pp. 15-16, The Torch - Lipscomb University, Spring 2005

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