Found this Obit by Seth on iJournalista! for canadian doodler Jim Simpkins yesterday, sadly Died Sunday February 1, 2004…
“Simpkins was part of a small group of cartoonists who helped define the young pop-culture of Canada in the early 1950s. Peter Whalley, Doug Wright, Len Norris and Jimmy Frise — these names are fading, as their work grows dusty on the shelves of neglected second-hand humour sections. Canada’s homegrown media was small at the time, and our popular culture was still fresh and relatively undefined.” more>>>
….reading it this evening I did some research on Jasper and his creator. I found a good chunk of info on the The Canadian Cartoonists Club web site here where they have set up a section dedicated to him.
“I thought a had created a new cartoon character. Now I know I was trapped by a bear!” once said Simpkins. Either when the Trans Canada pipeline was being built over his pathway, or when he stumbled upon a Bomarc missile silo deep in Northern Ontario, Jasper never hesitated to enter any controversial debate in order to fight for his own survival. As the Quintessential Canadian, Jasper the Bear has been adopted by Boys Scouts Canada and well exploited by Jasper National Park, Alberta to promote fire prevention and nature conservation.” more>>>
Happy Trails Jim.