(click on image for larger version)
There’s many designers who are as mysterious to me today as when I first started working on the book. Charleen Peterson is one of them. Here’s everything I know about her:
- She was recruited from Chouinard Art Institute.
- She worked at UPA from 1954-1956. She may have worked there longer, but I haven’t been able to confirm beyond 1956.
- She was married to story artist Charlie Frazier.
- Her only UPA credit that I’ve found is that she was the designer of MEET THE INVENTOR: ROBERT FULTON, a short that aired on the CBS TV series THE BOING BOING SHOW (1956). The piece was directed by Aurelius Battaglia, and it’s made in a simple but effective cut-out style.
It’s funny because during the course of research, I asked a number of UPA veterans about her, and the response was always, “Oh yes, of course I remember Charleen!” But nobody could ever remember what she actually did at the studio. Then I found a photo of her, which is below, and it became obvious why she was so fondly remembered by the other artists. If ROBERT FULTON is any indicator, she was a pretty good designer too. I have no idea whether she continued working in animation after UPA or whether she’s still alive, but perhaps somebody out there knows?
Frame grabs from MEET THE INVENTOR: ROBERT FULTON
Mid-1950s photo of Charleen Peterson
Wow, what a looker.
Comment by J_Swick — June 29, 2006 @ 8:20 am
Welp… I guess that explains it!
Comment by Marc Crisafulli — June 29, 2006 @ 11:26 pm
How is it that you FIND all of these old cartoons that people haven’t seen in decades?
Comment by melissa — June 30, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
She was HOT! Not just her looks.
Comment by drstrange-q — July 1, 2006 @ 6:08 am
hey amid. thanks for the comment. this book looks great! don’t know why i never knew about it. must add to my collection.
Comment by tirui — July 5, 2006 @ 11:23 am
This is the best blog in the world! Woohee!!
Comment by Daniel Poeira — July 8, 2006 @ 6:12 pm
HA! Oh man, Amid! That last paragraph is CLASSIC!! I’m going to repeat this story for the rest of time! Too funny!
Comment by Scott OB — July 11, 2006 @ 4:50 pm
Charleen lives in Pennsylvania and she desigened lots of thing including the huge life size stuffed toy bears..Married another Chouinard student..after Charlie..Bill …forget his last name…more later lovely person.
Comment by cassandra einstein — November 21, 2006 @ 3:46 pm
I am not sure my comment went through. Charleen lives in Pennsylvania. After a brief marriage to Charlie Frazier during which they worked as an animation design and directing team in France, she married Bill Kinser, also a Chouinard alumni. She had two Children, did some art directing and magazine work,wrote a couple of books on soft sculpture and other crafts, then started her own business, Charleen Kinser Designs. Working out of home with a small staff she made a line of very upscale and original toys for many years. A lot of people collect her work. You can see some of it on her web, Charleen Kinser Designs.
Comment by maggie julian wisdom — October 11, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
Hi there. Charleen Petersen (e, not o) is my mom. She was a looker. I’m going to ask her about that photo. I think she was posing for some job (not a modeling job, but maybe her friend’s sewing?). How funny to read people’s posts about one’s own mom! Mom still lives in Central PA. She ran Charleen Kinser Designs from 1977-2001 or so. I was her first employee, and wrote all the tags and catalog copy. Bill Kinser, my dad, taught all over the US in state universities, ending up at SUNY Buffalo.[He taught the book designer Chip Kidd, among others, and half of the professor character in Chip’s book The Cheese Monkeys is based on my dad.] Dad died in 1999 of a heart attack. Mom did not do any more animation, but she found her calling in soft sculpture, I think. Her book Outdoor Art For Kids is amazing. I still love it. And Soft Sculpture is another really good teaching book. If anyone would like to write to her, I’d be very happy to give you her address. My email address is maggietext AT comcast DOT net. I live in Petaluma, CA. I am so happy that this book is out. I’m visiting Mom later in March and will bring her a copy if I can get it fast enough!
Comment by Maggie Kinser Hohle — March 7, 2008 @ 5:58 pm