“A baby’s gotta do what a baby’s gotta do!” “Yabadabadooo!” “I would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids and your dumb dog!”
Sound familiar? For those who had the privilege of growing up watching “Rugrats,” “The Flintstones” and “Scooby-Doo,” they have Ron Campbell to thank.
Ron Campbell is an Australian cartoon animator, director and producer who has worked on some of television’s most beloved cartoons.
He made his first visit to Dallas this weekend to sell some of his drawings at The Shops at Willowbend in Plano.
Campbell has also been involved with cartoons like “Ed, Edd n Eddy,” “Rocket Power, “Krazy Kat,” “Bonkers,” “The Smurfs” and “The Jetsons,” but he is most recognized for his work on the 1960s “The Beatles” television series along with the short animated feature film “Yellow Submarine.”
“I was 24-years-old when I got the phone call from King Features and I remember saying ‘Gee, I’m not sure if insects will make very good cartoon characters,’” Campbell said with a smile.
Looking back on how the animation that became the highlight of his career got started, Campbell said he never saw it coming.
While he didn’t think “The Beatles” animation would be a flop, he never anticipated for it to become as popular as it did.
“I never thought that by the time I was 73, 74 I would still be doing the same drawings of ‘The Beatles’ in my retirement,” he said.
Campbell retired in 2008 after 50 years of making cartoons. The last thing he worked on was a scene for Cartoon Network’s “Ed, Edd n Eddy.” However, it hasn’t been much of a retirement.
Although he no longer produces or directs, he continues to make his colorful, original drawings, often incorporating characters from cartoons he has worked on in
the past.
Campbell uses watercolors, dyes and a variety of inks to make his drawings and he sells his artwork through the traveling Rock Art Show, a show with art of and by rock musicians presented by local radio stations and curated by radio personality Scott Segelbaum.
“It’s definitely keeping me busy, and away from the golf course,”he said.
Campbell has been part of the Rock Art Show for the last five years.
“My earliest memories of drawing were at my great grandmother’s. She always encouraged me to keep drawing and I never stopped,” he said.
