The Crayon Era (1968-1973)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. April 2, 1968. Legend has it that the moment I was born, I peed on the doctor — and my creativity has been flowing ever since. As a kid growing up in the ’70s, I read a ton of comic strips and watched even more TV. Cartoons and characters were my world, and I was constantly drawing them. I mean constantly! I’d get out my crayons and spend hours sketching my favorite characters from memory and inventing some of my own. I loved watching the line appear from the end of my crayon and make images on the paper. I don’t have any artwork from this time period (thanks a lot, Mom and Dad!) but here were the cartoons, comics, and characters that made Little Ethan smile :)
And of course, on the literary side of things, I was again entranced by cartoons and characters. I love love loved these books!
And this is hands-down my favorite children’s book of all time. The magic and wonder of watching the line grow from the tip of Harold’s crayon felt miraculous to me as a child—and still does today. I believe it was the deepest inspiration behind my Scribbles and Ink series.
And of course, who could forget this ad? I mailed in a drawing of “Tiny” the mouse and waited eagerly to hear back, but nothing ever arrived. That didn’t deter me!
