Looking at today’s MazeToons you probably wondered, “What’s with the two-headed cow?”
This week I am helping celebrate the 100th birthday of one of my all time favorite newspaper features- Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
Robert Ripley was a big influence on my work, though it isn’t reflected in my style at all. His influence was in showcasing the extraordinary feats of humanity and making me strive to want to create large scale mazes.
He also influenced me by establishing that newspaper “comics” need not be traditional strips, they could be trivia, puzzles, and games too.
I am a lifelong fan of Ripley, the man, the feature and the museums.
I had long wanted to be a part of the Ripley’s experience and in 1999 that dream came true when one of my mazes was accepted into the museum collection. It is still in the archives somewhere!
In my travels I’ve been to Ripley’s museums worldwide. One of my fondest childhood memories was visiting the Ripley’s museum at Niagara Falls for the first time. As a kid I had dozens and dozens of the Ripley’s books.
The work of Robert Ripley and the artists and writers who have continued his legacy are an inspiration and I am delighted to celebrate that legacy this week in MazeToons as we approach the 100th anniversary of the strip.
