Art Clokey

Arthur "Art" Clokey (October 12, 1921 – January 8, 2010), born Arthur C. Farrington, was a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation. He is best known for his animated television character Gumby.

Quotes

 * There's none of this wisecracking and cynicism that you see in … some of the other cartoons. He's supposed to be a role model for kids. He cares about other people.
 * Quoted by Michelle Locke (Associated Press), "Gumby comes back to TV", The Dispatch (Lexington), 14 November 1995, p. 6B


 * The essence of Gumby is that he makes children feel safe. He's their greatest pal.
 * Quoted by Mike Antonucci (Knight Ridder), "Gumby's creator formed a spirit in clay", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 January 1998, p. 6E


 * Clay is embedded in our subconscious. It has been there for at least 50,000 years.
 * Quoted by Mike Antonucci (Knight Ridder), "Gumby's creator formed a spirit in clay", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 January 1998, p. 6E


 * I didn’t allow merchandising for seven years after it was on the air because I was very idealistic, and I didn’t want parents to think we were trying to exploit their children.
 * Interview by Patrick S. Pemberton, "Once and Future Gumby", The Tribune (San Luis Obispo), 13 February 2002, p. A1


 * It’s so satisfying, and when you see it on screen, you feel like God because you’re bringing life to clay.
 * Quoted in obituary by Patrick S. Pemberton, The Tribune (SanLuisObispo.com), 9 January 2010

Quotes about Art Clokey

 * Clokey says he underwent "a marvelous, life-changing experience" by taking LSD in supervised doses in the late 1960s. "It opened my awareness to what life is all about," he says. [...] — There's a master's thesis for someone who wants to hunt for the psychedelic influence in the shows.
 * Mike Antonucci (Knight Ridder), "Gumby's creator formed a spirit in clay", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 January 1998, p. 6E


 * There are two kinds of genius, the imitable and the inimitable. "Gumby" is a work of the second sort, the thing so completely, singularly itself, so far off down its own road, so unpredictable and odd, bizarrely constituted and eccentrically executed that there's nowhere for anyone to take it, no variations to play on the theme. He is original and inarguable, and though he has gone in and out of fashion, been parodied and abused [...] whatever insults have been done him are only further testament to his iconic power.
 * Robert Lloyd, "Even now, Gumby has that special dimension", Los Angeles Times (Home Edition), 9 July 2006