Who is Gary Larson?
American cartoonist Gary Larson was
born on August 14, 1950 in Tacoma, Washington USA. Larson loved to draw when he was young,
but never studied art other than in required classes in primary and middle school, nor did
he ever consider being a cartoonist. His love was science, which ultimately became a
frequent topic in this cartoon panel The
Far Side. Larson later had the distinction of having the scientific community
name a biting louse and a butterfly after him.
Larson has published 22 The Far Side books including 15 collections, five anthologies and one retrospective, each of which has made it to The New York Times Best Seller List. Thirty-one million books have been sold worldwide, and have been translated into every major language. Current merchandising of The Far Side include everyday and seasonal greeting cards, mugs, calendars, t-shirts and a line of personal organizer products.
In 1994, Larson completed his first animated film, "Gary Larson's Tales From The Far Side," which aired in the US as a Halloween Special on the CBS network and was also awarded the Grand Prix at the 1995 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France. In 1997, Larson's second animated film "Gary Larson's Tales From The Far Side II" premiered in Europe at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival and in the United States at the Telluride Film Festival.
Larson attributes much of his success to the caffeine in the numerous cups of coffee he drinks daily as well as the enlightening (endarkening?) time his older brother compelled him to spend in the basement as a child. He now lives above ground in Seattle, Washington USA.
What is the e-mail address of
Gary Larson?
Unfortunately, Gary Larson does
not have an
official e-mail address. See below for Gary Larson's postal address.
What is Gary Larson's postal address?
Gary Larson
c/o Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main
St., Suite 700
Kansas City, MO. 64111
All author mail is forwarded to Gary Larson from Andrews McMeel Publishing. They cannot give out the authors addresses or phone numbers.
Where can I buy Gary Larson
books?
Please visit my Gary
Larson Books-Page.
What is "The Far Side"?
The precursor to The Far Side first appeared
in the Seattle Times in 1979 under the name, "Nature’s Way". After
Larson’s success with the San Francisco Chronicle, The Far Side was syndicated
in 1980 by Chronicle Features. Its first appearance in the Chronicle under the new name
was in 1980. The Far Side ran for fifteen years, ending with the retirement of the strip on
January 1, 1995. Larson chose to end the cartoon because he felt it
was getting repetitive.
Themes in The Far Side were often surreal, such as "How cows behave when no human watches", or "The unexpected dangers of being an insect". Often, the behavior of supposedly superior humans is compared with that of animals: surrounded by dense fences and houses, a father explains to his son that a bird song is a territorial marking common to the lower animals. Animals and other creatures were frequently presented anthropomorphically. For example, one strip shows a family of spiders driving in a car with a "Have a Nice Day" bumper sticker, featuring a "smiley face" with eight eyes.
Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons were syndicated worldwide and published in many collections. They were also reproduced extensively on greetings cards which continue to be popular. Two animated versions, "Tales from the Far Side" and "Tales from the Far Side II", were produced for television.
Did the "The Far Side" gain
awards?
Yes, several. Gary Larson was awarded the
Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award by the National Cartoonist Society in 1985
and 1988. Larson also earned the Society’s Reuben Award for 1990 and 1994.
Gary Larson has also been recognized for various individual strips by the
National Cartoonist Society in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993 and
1995.
Gary Larson even received the honor of having a newly-discovered insect species named after him. The Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse of a genus only found on owls.
Where do I find Gary Larson Cartoons on the Internet?
I recently had some links on these pages, but I had to take them away (see Gary Larson's letter).
Who owns the copyright of the Far Side Cartoons?
I would like to publish Gary Larson Cartoons.
FarWorks, Inc. owns the copyright of most of the Gary Larson Cartoons. Please contact
Andrews McMeel Publishing
an Andrews McMeel Universal company
4520 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: (816) 932-6700
Fax:
(816) 932-6749
E-Mail: farside@amuniversal.com
or
Creators Syndicate
5777 West Century Boulevard Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: (310) 337-7003
Fax: (310) 337-7625
E-mail:
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