The Daily Cartoonist

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Mort Walker talks about IMCA, OSU CRL merger

Alan Gardner31 mins

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Dave Astor has interviewed Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker about the announcement yesterday that his International Museum of Cartoon Art collection will be merged with Ohio State University’s Cartoon Research Library. Dave also provides a good history of Mort’s efforts to establish the museum and discloses that the Research Library isn’t paying for the collection, only the costs of moving and storing the collection.

But Walker, in an interview today with E&P, also finds the merger bittersweet. “I was devastated that the deal with the Empire State Building fell through,” recalled the King Features Syndicate cartoonist. “We spent a lot of time and money on design and staff, and we were ready to go.”

Regarding the Cartoon Research Library,

“It’s a wonderful place,” he told E&P. “And the merger makes it the largest cartoon-art collection in the world.”

3 thoughts on “Mort Walker talks about IMCA, OSU CRL merger”

  2. I was disapointed to hear the news as I was looking forward to going to the museum when Mort located it in New York. I had been to the museum a number times when it was located in Rye N.Y. I had been to the Boca Raton Museum as well. I wish him good luck.

  3. I actually think this is sad news, being the end of his dream and all. Not to mention that he’s getting zero dollars out of it after having put so much time and effort and money into it.

    Then again, it became a huge monkey on his back, and at least that is gone now. And he’ll have the legacy of his name being attached to the collection, which is as it should be.

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