About Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson has been drawing ZIGGY since 1987. It seems to come very naturally to Tom, whose father created the cartoon in 1971. After studying graphic design at Miami University and fine art and illustration at Boston University, Tom graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Before devoting his full attention to cartooning and fulfilling his childhood dream of drawing ZIGGY, Tom worked for Amtoy, a New York City toy company, as Director of New Project Development. He went on to develop the internationally syndicated children's comic strip, UG!

Tom pursues his ongoing passion for creative development as president of Ziggy and Friends, Inc., where he is in charge of both creating the comic for syndication and the licensed products program. In addition, for more than 12 years, Tom has lent his talents as a conceptual creative consultant — a "Trained-Brain" — for Richard Saunders International. This is a world-renowned creative think tank that has been named the nation's #1 innovation consulting service for developing new brands and products for Fortune 500 companies. Tom has worked on branding programs for companies including American Express, Johnson & Johnson, The Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, Circuit City, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Hallmark, AT&T and Walt Disney, among others.

Tom has started a new company called Character Matters, specializing in developing world class characters for branding and licensing.

Tom Wilson on Ziggy

Over the years Ziggy has sold tens of millions of greeting cards. People have trusted him to be the messenger for their most intimate and important thoughts and feelings. He has played Cyrano during courtships, been invited to thousands of weddings, graduations and birthdays, crossed the miles bringing hugs and smiles, and spoken words of comfort to friends in time of need and loss. I think that Ziggy is first, a wonderful communicator and second, a great symbol for personal projection and reflection. I've always felt that Ziggy speaks to us and for us in a very special and intimate way. I think this is the reason people have grown to care about him in the over-quarter century he has been in print. Many cartoon characters are very funny, but very few have come to occupy such and important place in so many hearts and lives. I value this immensely.

In spite of his small stature, readers have told me that Ziggy has helped them see the larger picture of problems they are dealing with in their lives. Ziggy and I have grown from our many years together. Like Ziggy, I have trouble looking too far ahead. (Maybe it's the size of our noses.) I see Ziggy evolving and changing with the times, as he always, while remaining the same lovable character he's always been. He's taken us through smiley faces, disco, bad hair days and cyberspace. And Ziggy will take us into the new millennium with equal finesse.

About the senior Tom Wilson

Ziggy’s founder and creator, the senior Tom Wilson, is no longer involved in the day-to-day Ziggy operation, but his heart and soul will always be a part of the loveable little character. During his career, Mr. Wilson, who was born August 1, 1931, demonstrated his vision in anticipating future trends in the marketplace. For more than 35 years, he served as a creative head at American Greetings where he was responsible for the development of many breakthrough card lines.

A veteran of the licensing business, Mr. Wilson headed up the creative team that developed such character licensing blockbusters as Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears. Mr. Wilson is known as being a talented painter, whose works have appeared in exhibitions throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Society of Illustrations annual show in New York. He also made his mark in animation, with the Emmy Award winning special, "Ziggy's Gift," re-released in 2005.

But perhaps most memorable of all, Mr. Wilson gave us Ziggy.

Mr. Wilson on Ziggy

I wanted Ziggy to be the little guy in the big world much like I felt as a kid. in fact, I've often said that growing up is a Ziggy experience, and one that I wouldn't care to repeat...so I made him clumsy and unsure, yet wide-eyed, and full of wonder.

I wanted Ziggy to appeal to everyone, regardless of gender or generation, so I was careful to avoid specifics regarding age, occupation, background, etc... I wanted him to be loved, so I designed him in somewhat rounded teddy bear proportions to make hime more huggable. I wanted readers not just to laugh at Ziggy, I wanted them to know him, to empathize with him, and of course, to enjoy him. To help achieve this, I tried in many of the daily panels to establish eye contact between Ziggy and the reader. my objective was to create an emotional rapport between Ziggy and his audience.

I felt that if I wanted Ziggy's readers to be aware of his presence and to feel they were a part of his life, I should make Ziggy aware of their presence. For this reason, the cast of characters in many of the panels is two, the reader, and Ziggy, with Ziggy directly sharing one of life's daily mishaps or an exaggeration of something we have all experienced.

When Ziggy communicates, he connects with people. Ziggy speaks to us and for us in sharing our feelings. Whatever we want to express — humor, friendship, love or good wishes — Ziggy says it in a way people respond to and remember.