John Ryan (cartoonist)

British animator and cartoonist (1921–2009)

John Ryan

Born| (1921-03-04)4 March 1921
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died| 22 July 2009(2009-07-22) (aged 88)
Rye, East Sussex, England
Nationality| British
Area(s)| Animator
Cartoonist

Notable works

| Captain Pugwash

Harris Tweed

Mary, Mungo and Midge

Sir Prancelot

John Gerald Christopher Ryan (4 March 1921 – 22 July 2009)[1] was a British animator and cartoonist. He was best known for his character Captain Pugwash.

## Biography

[edit]

Ryan was born on 4 March 1921 in Edinburgh, the son of diplomat Sir Andrew Ryan. As a young child he had a fascination with pirates, every night looking out at his window wishing for some to appear. After serving as an officer in Burma during the Second World War, Ryan studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic, where he met his future wife Priscilla.[2]

A John Ryan panel from the 1959 Eagle Annual No. 8: Harris Tweed in Man Eater!

After meeting Marcus Morris at his wedding, Ryan first created Captain Pugwash as a comic strip for The Eagle in 1950, although the strip was dropped after three months as it was felt to be aimed at younger readers than the target audience. Unperturbed, Ryan created Harris Tweed, Special Agent for Eagle, which ran until 1962. However, in 1957, after seven years, his first Pugwash picture book was published, which then led to a long-running The Radio Times strip and a television series made using cutout animation.

He also created Lettice Leefe for Girl magazine, which ran from 1951 to 1965, crossing over with Harris Tweed,[3] and through his animation studio, John Ryan Studios, he created Mary Mungo & Midge in 1969, which featured his daughter Isabel providing the voice of the titular character, and The Adventures of Sir Prancelot in 1972. In 1981, Ryan presented The Ark Stories for Yorkshire Television, the series being produced by Anne Wood. Each episode saw Ryan present and illustrate a story about Noah's Ark, either prior to or during the Great Flood, each starring a crocodile named Crockle.

Ryan made most of his livelihood visiting schools across the UK giving talks on Captain Pugwash,[4] however following claims in the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian of double entendres in the names of characters in the series,[5] they no longer asked him to visit.[6][7] This urban legend led to the Pugwash books going out of print.[8] Subsequently he successfully sued the two papers.[5]

Ryan, a Catholic (his brother was the theologican Columba Ryan), provided illustrations and cartoons for Catholic newspapers, including the Catholic Herald, and several collections of these cartoons were published as books, and featured the recurring character of Cardinal Grotti.[9] Towards the end of his life, he was resident in Rye, East Sussex.[10] Ryan died in hospital on 22 July 2009 in Rye, East Sussex. He is survived by his wife Priscilla and his three children.[11] Isabel now runs his archive, organising exhibitions and talks.[12]

## Family

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His brother was Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher Columba Ryan. His father was diplomat Andrew Ryan.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b John Ryan obituary, Daily Telegraph
2. ^ "Isabel Ryan at London Animation Club part 2". YouTube. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
3. ^ "Lettice Leefe for Eagle". Archived from the original on 5 October 2017.
4. ^ "Pugwash Colour TV Series". Captain Pugwash Exhibition. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
5. ^ a b David Mikkelson (11 September 1999). "'Captain Pugwash' Double Meanings". Snopes. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
6. ^ Lewis, Richard (2002). The Encyclopaedia of Cult Children's TV.
7. ^ Simpson, Paul, ed. (2002). The Rough Guide to Cult TV: The Good, The Bad and The Strangely Compelling. Rough Guides. London, UK: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-009-1.
8. ^ Davies, Ben (24 July 2009). "Pugwash author's legacy". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
9. ^ News For Old Amplefordians Archived 5 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine Ampleforth College Newsletter Retrieved 21 June 2005
10. ^ 2004 Rye Festival of Music and the Arts. Retrieved 21 June 2005
11. ^ Pugwash creator Ryan dies aged 88
12. ^ "Captain Pugwash & Friends at The Atkinson". YouTube. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

## External links

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* Jedis Children's TV Captain Pugwash page, contains a 1974 interview with Ryan on the animation of Captain Pugwash

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Netherlands

Artists|

* RKD Artists