Iwao Takamoto creator of Scooby Doo passes
Well I'm a little late with this but it does deserve mention.
Iwao Takamoto who created such memorable and noteworthy characters as Scooby-Doo, Astro from the Jetsons and Muttley the mixed breed pooch whose name became a household standard among many dog owners who happened to have mixed breed canines, has passed at the age of 81 from natural causes.
Takamoto worked on such classics for Disney as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, and directed 1973's Charlotte's Web. His stint at Hanna-Barbera included; The Jetsons, Josie and the Pussycats, The Great Grape Ape Show, The Harlem Globetrotters and Secret Squirrel.
Born in Los Angeles,his parents had emigrated from Japan in search of a better life and wound up having their dreams shattered when Iwao had graduated from High School at the beginning of WW2. He and his family were sent to the Manzanar internment camp in the California desert where Iwao learned the art of illustration from fellow internees.
Even though he had no formal art training, he was hired by Disney studios as an apprentice. He will be remembered fondly by all lovers of early 60's animation and classic cartoon history.
r.i.p. iwao
as a strange little kid that i was...
for whatever reason, i memorized 2 names from the credits of all the cartoons i watched. and i watched a lot of cartoons.
i chose 2 strange japanese names that i was able to catch as they raced by the screen at the end of different shows.
the names:
iwao takamoto
shuki levy
how weird it is to me that somehow 1 of them actually turned out to be a big enough name to merit this recognition all these years later.
you have to be trusted by the people that you lie to
-pink floyd