Art Clokey, Creator of "Gumby", Dies

Gumby Creator Art Clokey Dies

Monday, January 11, 2010By: Thomas J. Mclean
Art Clokey, who turned a small clay figurine named Gumby into a worldwide sensation, died Friday at his home in Los Osos, Calif., at the age of 88.
Clokey and his first wife, Ruth, created Gumby and his orange horse pal Pokey in the 1950s shortly after Clokey had finished film school at USC. The idea began with an abstract claymation short called Gumbasia — a sort of parody of Disney’s Fantasia —that movie producer Sam Engel encouraged Clokey to develop by adding figures.

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Voice Actor McKennon Dies

From Animation World Magazine:
Voice Actor McKennon Dies
Tuesday, July 14, 2009By: Thomas J. Mclean
Dallas McKennon, a prolific voice actor for more than 50 years in animated films and TV shows, died Tuesday morning at the age of 89.
McKennon was best known as the voice of Gumby, as well as Archie in the Filmation animated TV series and Buzz Buzzard in the Woody Woodpecker cartoons.
He also did voices and sang for many Disney projects, including Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
His voice also can be heard at Disney’s theme parks on such attractions as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, as Ben Franklin in Epcot’s American Adventure and as Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree.
McKennon died at his home in Oregon.