RIP - Alexander Anderson, Jr., Creator of Rocky & Bullwinkle

Alexander Anderson, Jr., creator of Rocky the Squirrel, Bullwinkle the Moose, Dudley Do-Right, and others, died at an assisted-living facility in Carmel at age 90. Anderson suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Prior to creating the TV show which would be his legacy, Anderson worked on the Mighty Mouse theatrical shorts. He created his own company with fraternity brother, Jay Ward (who received the lion's share of the credit from mainstream media), when his Mighty Mouse bosses refused to consider creating cartoons specifically for TV. Anderson and Ward worked out of the garage behind the former's family home.

Ward went on to television success with several of the duo's creations, while Anderson went into a career in advertising. He later won a lawsuit against the former, as he felt his contributions had never been credited.

Alexander Anderson, Jr. is survived by his wife. Rocky & Bullwinkle became an American institution in animation, spawning such oft-quipped quotes as, "Hey, Rocky? Watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat!" 

It was, invariably, the wrong hat.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010