The Deep Archives, an animation gallery back east, is currently selling some of Ed Benedict’s commercial artwork. Benedict is, of course, the character designer of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, The Flintstones, and so many other early Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but these drawings are for TV commercials that he designed at Paul Fennell’s studio Cartoon Films in the late-1940s and early-1950s. I think some of it might also be from Cascade, where Ed designed TV commercials for Tex Avery in the mid-1950s. It’s perhaps not the most prime examples of his work, but nevertheless it’s rare Benedict art.

I spoke to the 93-year-old Benedict yesterday, and despite some physical ailments, he is still sharp as a tack. He was really happy when I told him that Fantagraphics is doing a book about one of his favorite illustrators, Russell Patterson, and he also told me that the Deep Archives recently got more of his work, so keep an eye out on their website for additional Benedict art. I’ll be writing about Ed much more in the future, but you can also check out my extensive interview that I did with him in the print edition of ANIMATION BLAST #8.

Ed Benedict commercial designs