Patrick McDonnell (born March 17, 1956) is a cartoonist, author, and playwright. He is the creator of the daily

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

'' Mutts'', which follows the adventures of a dog and a cat, that has been syndicated since 1994. Prior to creating ''Mutts'', he was a prolific magazine illustrator, and would frequently include a dog in the backgrounds of his drawings. "McDonnell, a 1974 Edison High School, graduate started his career as a magazine illustrator. He always drew a little dog somewhere in the background..." McDonnell's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

, ''The Gift of Nothing'', was adapted as a musical for the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

stage, as was his picture book about the childhood of Jane Goodall, ''Me . . . Jane'', which won a Caldecott Honor in 2012. His work has been animated for television commercials, most notably a

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

for the NY Philharmonic. He is a co-author of ''

Krazy Kat ''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an US, American newspaper comic strip, created by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Journal-America ...

: The Comic Art of George Herriman'', published in 1986 by

Abrams Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mar ...

. McDonnell is involved with many animal and environmental charities. His characters have been used by the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

, the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, and by the Humane Society of the United States. The ''Mutts'' characters appear on the New Jersey Animal Friendly license plates, which fund state pet population programs. He won the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for Best Comic Strip eight times, and has been given four National Cartoonists Society Awards.

Early life

Patrick Luigi McDonnell was born in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Charles M. Schulz, George Herriman, and E. C. Segar. McDonnell was raised in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

and, after graduating from Edison High School in 1974, he attended the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

in New York on scholarship, McDonnell was born in Elizabeth and grew up in Edison.... After graduating from New York's School of Visual Arts in the early 1980s, McDonnell moved to Hoboken, where there was a community of underground cartoonists." graduating in 1978.

Career

At SVA, McDonnell met a group of underground cartoonists, such as Peter Bagge and Kazimieras G. Prapuolenis (Kaz). Moving to

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

, shortly after graduating, McDonnell had some of his earliest professional drawings published in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', and as "Jerseyana" in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...

'' magazine. His first high-profile ongoing freelance work was providing illustrations for the Russell Baker ''Observer'' column for '' The New York Times Sunday Magazine'' from 1978 to 1993. His work on the ''Observer'' column got McDonnell interested in the idea of eventually doing a comic strip. McDonnell created a monthly comic strip, ''Bad Baby'', for '' Parents Magazine'', which ran for ten years. The ''Bad Baby'' strips were collected and published by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

in 1988. ''Bad Baby'' was adapted into an animated TV movie in 1997. During that time he also was a regular contributor to ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'', ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', and many other national magazines. McDonnell's illustrations for magazines, books, and greeting cards earned him two National Cartoonists Society Awards in 1991. '' Mutts'' became syndicated, distributed by King Features Syndicate, starting in 1994. It won the

for Best Comic Strip in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003. ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

'' creator Charles M. Schulz said of ''Mutts'', "To me, MUTTS is exactly what a comic strip should be." A book of McDonnell's life and work, ''Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell'', was published in 2003 by

. In 2005, McDonnell curated an exhibition — ''"Top Dogs: Comic Canines Before and After Snoopy"'' — at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

. In 2006, the ''Mutts'' characters were featured in the

' Toys for Tots holiday poster, and in 2007 were part of the

's "Read!" poster. The 2007-2008 Mazdaspeed Team featured ''Mutts''-themed vehicles promoting pet adoption and the work of the Humane Society of the United States. He also created a set of "humane postage stamps" for the Humane Society. In 2009 McDonnell collaborated with author

Eckhart Tolle Eckhart Tolle ( ; ; born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, 16 February 1948) is a German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author. His books include ''The Power of Now, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment'' (1997), ''A New Earth, A New ...

to create '' Guardians of Being'', a philosophical book about nature and the present moment. In 2011, McDonnell's children's book ''Me... Jane'' was published. It is a story about naturalist Jane Goodall growing up and her awakening curiosity about the lives of animals around her. A sequence of ''Mutts'' strips led to Goodall's interest in working with McDonnell on the book. ''Me... Jane'' won a Caldecott Honor in 2012. In 2010, the ''Mutts'' comic strip was appearing in more than 700 newspapers across 20 countries.

Personal life

McDonnell has been a vegetarian since around 1990 and a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

since 2005. McDonnell is a member of the board of directors of the Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, and The Charles M. Schulz Museum. McDonnell and his wife Karen O'Connell — whom he met in the late 1970s while both members of the punk band Steel Tips — reside in Princeton,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, with their dog Amelie, and their cat, Willie Lebowsky. Their Jack Russell Terrier, Earl, who was the inspiration and constant muse for the ''Mutts'' character of the same name, died in November 2007 after living with McDonnell for over 18 years.

Awards

* Helen Hayes Award for ''The Gift of Nothing'' musical (at The Kennedy Center) – Best Adaptation 2015 *

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, film director, director, film producer, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the te ...

Humanitarian Award, 2011, given at the

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

* PETA Humanitarian Award 2001 * National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year 1999 * National Cartoonists Society's Award for Comic Strip of the Year 1999 * National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award (nominee) 1997 and 1998 * Germany's Max & Moritz Prize for Best International Comic Strip 1998 * Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette 1997 *

for Best Comic Strip (for '' Mutts'') 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 * Ark Trust Genesis Award 1997, 1999 * National Cartoonists Society Award for Greeting Cards 1991 * National Cartoonists Society Award for Magazine and Book Illustration 1991

Bibliography

''Mutts''

Collections

* ''MUTTS'' (1996) * ''Cats & Dogs'' (1997) * ''More Shtuff'' (1998) *''Mutts Little Big Book'' (1998) *''MUTTS Sundays'' (1999) — large format, in color * ''Yesh!'' (1999) * ''Our MUTTS ''(2000) * ''A Little Look-See ''(2001) *''Sunday Mornings: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2001) — large format, in color * ''What Now (''2002) * ''I Want To Be The Kitty! ''(2003) *''Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell'' (2003) * ''Dog-Eared ''(2004) *''Sunday Afternoons: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2004) — large format, in color *''Sunday Evenings: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2005) — large format, in color * ''Who Let The Cat Out? ''(2005) * ''Everyday MUTTS: A Comic Strip Treasury'' (2006) (Sundays in color) * ''Animal Friendly: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2007) (Sundays in color) *''The Best of Mutts'' (2007) — retrospective * ''Call of The Wild: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2008) (Sundays in color) *''Mutts: Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. '' (2008) — collection of over 100 ''Shelter Stories'' comics accompanied by photos and vignettes of adopted pets * ''Stop and Smell the Roses: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2009) (Sundays in color) * ''Earl & Mooch: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2010) (Sundays in color) * ''Our Little Kat King: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2011) (Sundays in color) * ''Bonk!: A MUTTS Treasury ''(2012) (Sundays in color) * ''Cat Crazy: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2013) (Sundays in color) * ''Living the Dream: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2014) (Sundays in color) * ''Playtime: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2015) (Sundays in color) * ''Year of Yesh: A MUTTS Treasury'' (2016) (Sundays in color) * ''#LoveMutts Treasury'' (2017) (Sundays in color) * ''You Have Those Wild Eyes Again, Mooch: A New Mutts Treasury'' (2018) (Sundays in color) * ''The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of MUTTS and the Art of Patrick McDonnell'' (Harry N. Abrams, 2019) * ''Hot Dogs, Hot Cats: A Mutts Treasury'' (2020) (Sundays in color) * ''MUTTS Moments'' (2021) * ''Walking Home'' (2022) * ''Treats'' (2024)

''Mutts'' children's books

*''The Gift of Nothing'' (2005) — ''New York Times'' bestseller *''Just Like Heaven: A Mutts Children's Book'' (2006) *''Hug Time'' (2007) — ''New York Times'' bestseller *''Wag!'' (2009)

Other children's books

*''Art'' (2006) *''South'' (2008) *'' Me . . . Jane'' (2011) * ''The Monsters' Monster'' (2012) * ''A Perfectly Messed-Up Story'' (2014) * (written by Mac Barnett) ''The Skunk'' (Roaring Brook Press, 2015) * ''Thank You and Good Night'' (2015) * ''Tek: The Modern Cave Boy'' (2016) * ''The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC's the Hard Way'' (2017)

Other

* ''Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman'' (1986) (with Karen O'Connell and Georgia Riley de Havenon). New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. . *''Bad Baby'' (1988). New York: Ballantine (a Fawcett Columbine book) — collection of ''Bad Baby'' strips from ''Parent Magazine''; foreword by Elizabeth Crow *'' Guardians of Being'' (2009) (Words by

) * (with poet Daniel Ladinsky) ''Darling I Love You: Poems from the Hearts of Our Glorious Mutts and All Our Animal Friends'' (2017) * The Super Hero’s Journey (2023)

References

External links

Official ''Mutts'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Patrick 1956 births Living people American comic strip cartoonists American comics writers American comics artists American humorists American children's writers American children's book illustrators People from Edison, New Jersey Artists from Elizabeth, New Jersey Artists from Hoboken, New Jersey Reuben Award winners School of Visual Arts alumni Edison High School (New Jersey) alumni Caldecott Honor winners Writers who illustrated their own writing

Early life

Career

Personal life

Awards

Bibliography

''Mutts''

Collections

''Mutts'' children's books

Other children's books

Other

Further reading

References

External links