The man who made your childhood

Anyone who has watched a children’s cartoon in the last 50 years has probably seen the work of Ron Campbell. The animator, director, storyboard artist and writer has had a hand in must-see TV shows—The Beatles; Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!; and The Flintstones, is a very abridged list—and his cartoon-based artwork is showing at Beatnik Studios on Thursday, February 16. He’ll also be making paintings on the spot.

Campbell, originally from Australia and now in Arizona, worked on children’s animation programs for “50 years and one month” of his 77 years on Earth. To combat the waiting-to-die feeling of retirement, he picked up his paintbrush and began touring the United States, meeting his multigenerational audience.

How did he get involved with the most famous rock ’n’ roll band in the world? In 1964, he got a call in the middle of the night to be the director of a new animated show, but when he was told it was The Beatles, Campbell responded, “Insects make terrible characters!”

“Stupid me, I wasn’t paying that much attention to popular music,” Campbell says now. 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 16, at Beatnik Studios, 723 S Street; www.beatlescartoonartshow.com.