Cartoonist Construction Helmet

Welcome to what is perhaps the most unique item in our auctions. This is a white plastic construction helmet that once belonged to Josie and Dan DeCarlo. In 1995, the National Cartoonists Society had a gathering of its members in Boca Raton, Florida, where they had a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a cartoon art museum. That day, they gave the cartoonists these helmets, many of whom went around to friends and drew on each other’s head protectors. This helmet is LOADED with drawings, some a bit smudged, some with scratches in them, because this was a functional helmet on the construction site that day after all! Donated from the DeCarlo estate.

Included on the helmet are drawings from:

• Dan DeCarlo himself, with TWO drawings on the front - one of Archie, and one of Betty enjoying the Florida beaches in a bikini.

• The late George Wildman who drew Popeye comic books.

• Jim Borgman, Pulitzer winning editorial cartoonist (thus the Bill Clinton drawing for the time), and also draws the comic strip Zits.

• Signature only by the late Jeff MacNelly, a Pulitzer winning political cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Shoe.

• The late Jerry Robinson, co-creator of Robin and the Joker, drew a Batman.

• Mort Walker drew his famous Beetle Bailey.

• Bill Hinds drew his Tank McNamara character.

• Bill Janocha, assistant on Beetle Bailey.

• Famed sports cartoonist, the late Bill Gallo.

• The late Frank Springer who drew many comic books back in the day. Signature only.

• and two more folks who we can’t identify.

Dan DeCarlo, who passed away in 2001, is well-known for his wonderful work with Archie Comics particularly with is deft handling of the characters Betty and Veronica. Dan’s career with drawing cute girls in comics went back to the 1940s working for Stan Lee drawing the comic book Jeanie, Millie the Model, and the My Friend Irma comic strip, and later pin-up girl gag cartoons for Humorama. Dan began working on Archie Comics in the late 1950s, and has been credited with modernizing the Archie gang to be in step with their time. As a part of Archie Comics, Dan created Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats, named after his own wife Josie.

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