We were lucky to catch up with Guy Gilchrist recently and have shared our conversation below.
Guy, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My mother Louise was pretty much a single mother because although she was married my father was not in my life or hers. We lived in a very small town in Connecticut. Winsted is in the shadow of the Berkshires. She worked at a diner every day and to keep me occupied and to keep her from getting fired, she would put the newspaper in front of me, open to the comics section, paper and pencils, and say “Guy, draw this!” as she pointed the comics section. She was a very good artist and showed me the basics of using ovals and other shapes and then adding details to drawing characters like Bugs Bunny, Peanuts, and the other characters I would see. I was 2 or 3 years old. We were very poor and so we didn’t have much more that paper and pencils, the newspaper, and 19 cent Golden Books my mother could by on her salary. When I drew cartoons, which I was doing all day, it made her happy, it made me happy, and anybody that I gave a drawing to smiled. That was the beginning of everything for me. Making people happy with my art and my stories is the thing that makes me the happiest. Taking a blank piece of paper, which basically is nothing, and then spending a little time on it and turning it into something that makes you smile is my life’s work. In addition to drawing the funnies each day, an absolute highlight would be when my mother would take me across the street to the little appliance store where they had televisions in the display windows showing the Woody Woodpecker show at 4:00. We did not have a television at home and so my daily date with Woody Woodpecker and his creator Walter Lantz was very important to me! Walter would begin each show chatting with us from his studio in Hollywood. He would sometimes draw his famous characters and encourage us to join in the fun before presenting the finished animated cartoons of Woody, Chilly Willy, and the Gang. My mother told me much later that one of the first full sentences I ever said as a baby was that I wanted to go to work for Walter Lantz. The television show that flickered in glorious black and white in front of me taught me that those drawings that I did on a piece of paper could be shared with many, many people if I just stuck to it!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
It sounds like you are looking for my bio…having had my first job doing a coloring book for Disney at 15, and now having just turned 68…instead of writing my memoir for you here, I am going to give you the short updated bio that we use from our website. That gives you some of the highlights of the last 52 of my professional years.
“Guy Gilchrist is a Connecticut-born cartoonist, illustrator, writer, and musician. Known as “Jim Henson’s Cartoonist”, Gilchrist was chosen to create “Jim Henson’s Muppets” newspaper comic strip from 1981 to 1986. He was instrumental in other Henson projects such as Muppet Babies, Fraggle Rock, and more.
Gilchrist has also worked for Disney, Warner Brothers, and MGM Studios. He has headed publishing and/or licensing for TMNT, Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, Tiny Toons, Pink Panther, Minnie Mouse, Ariel, and more.
Not to be forgotten are the hundreds of books that his studio has had a creative hand in. He personally wrote and illustrated an additional 60+ children’s books which have been recognized by organizations such as the National Cartoonists Society, International Reading Council of the United Nations, and Publisher’s Weekly Magazine. Look for these digitally restored classics on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books.
Guy’s most recent project is MLB’s Travelling Spaceship Show, a brand new television show on the MLB Network. Guy worked alongside director/producer Michael Furno designing and creating the alien character, Jax, a puppet that stars with Bob Costas and Sarah Tiana as they travel the universe and throughout time bringing together generations of baseball fans.
This year will see the publishing of Guy’s memoir, Jim Henson, The Muppets & Me, detailing Guy’s relationship with Jim Henson and how it changed his life and career forever. It will be available on all platforms in 2025, alongside the celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Muppets.
Look for Guy at comic cons across the country, where you can find him spreading Muppet magic and joy.”
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
We all know that the only way you get good at anything is by practicing. Most people quit when they are still mediocre at something! When I was 10 years old, I piled a bunch of my very best drawings into a big envelope and mailed it to Walter Lantz in Hollywood. When he wrote my back…which totally of course, blew my mind. Besides telling me I had a whole lot of talent for a 10 year old boy, he gave me this advice, “practice all the time, as much as you can. Try really hard and never, ever quit.” With these practices, I believe that you will become successful. That’s what Walter told me to do and that’s exactly what I did. It seems to have worked out pretty well for me. Sounds real simple. The idea behind success really is. It’s the excuses that you make for not following those simple steps that are complicated. Like Jim Henson always said…”simple is good.”
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
It might be shocking to some of you, but when you reach the age of 55+ which is pretty far in my rear view at the moment, it gets harder and harder to be invited to the dance. The producers, directors, and industry professionals that are putting out the products in the family entertainment business are constantly asking you for advice or an autograph, but rarely to ask you to work with them on a new job. Entertainment is a young persons game, and it always has been. So I constantly promote myself and let the folks out there that are doing the stuff that I am available, that I am easy to work with, and I am not shy at all about asking for a job! This, kids, is the way you stay employed and it has worked! We have a wonderful collaboration with MLB network happening at the moment. I created a puppet, Jax, for the MLB network Traveling Spaceship Show, I am constantly touring, writing, and have just as many projects on my drawing board as I had in my 40’s. Challenge accepted, challenge met! So…all you industry big-wigs that are reading this…call me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://guyspops.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guyfgilchrist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guygilchristmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GuyGilchristMusic
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