Seattle, WA., June 1, 2017:  Cartooning history was made May 27 when Ann Telnaes won the 2017 Reuben Award to become the first female to receive both the Reuben Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartoons.  To commemorate this, Cartoonist Group Licensing is pleased to announce the release of a new pattern based on a Telnaes cartoon:  “Cheering.”
Telnaes received the Reuben Award at the 2017 convention of the National Cartoonist Society, held in Portland, Oregon.  The Reuben Award is the highest award given by cartoonists to cartoonists.  Telnaes received the Award for her animated and still editorial cartoons created for the Washington Post during 2016.  This was the 71st annual NCS convention.  Telnaes won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2001.
“Cheering” incorporates a cartoon created by Telnaes in 2000 and submitted as part of her winning Pulitzer entry.  By using it in “Cheering,” Gillian Smith Murrell, VP Brand Licensing at the Cartoonist Group, explains that “the enduring quality of Telnaes’ art, as well as the timeless nature of the subject matter she so cleverly addresses are celebrated in this new design,” Telnaes adds that “the cartoon is especially relevant now because Trump is starting to dismantle that wall of separation between church and state.”
Telnaes, a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, began her career in animation at various studios in Los Angeles, London, New York, and Taipei.  She transitioned to become a show designer for Walt Disney Imagineering.  She shifted to editorial cartooning when she was inspired to engage in social commentary during Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court confirmation hearings.  She is a fierce advocate for freedom of speech and her editorial cartoons frequently address this plus all other civil liberties, women’s rights and the Supreme Court.  Her drawing style is notable for its graceful lines and spot color.
Cartoonist Group Licensing is the licensing agent for Ann Telnaes and three other Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists, Joel Pett, Signe Wilkinson and Matt Wuerker, plus two multi-award-winning comic strips, “Frank and Ernest” and “Speed Bump.”  Cartoonist Group Licensing recently launched several collections per brand.  Each collection includes pattern and merchandise inspirations that suggest how the cartoon images may be taken out the cartoon box and adapted to diverse merchandise.  Additionally, thousands of images and custom art are available for each brand.
Ann Telanes’ still and animated cartoons may be seen online at the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ann-telnaes/).  Current and past print cartoons may be searched at The Cartoonist Group
(http://cartoonistgroup.com/properties/template_search.php?id=62) and Telnaes’ own site offers links to cartoons and more:  http://www.anntelnaes.com.
See the “Cheering” pattern here: http://cartoonistgrouplicensing.com/brands/collection.php?name=ann-telnaes&collection=7&page=2

About Cartoonist Group Licensing

Cartoonist Group Licensing is a division of Cartoonist Group. With a group of award-winning cartoonists and an extensive and diverse archive of cartoons, Cartoonist Group Licensing builds strategic licensing programs with innovative licensees for the development of successful new products and services. Visit http://www.cartoonistgrouplicensing.com for more information.
 
Contact: 
Gillian Smith Murrell,
Cartoonist Group,
(704) 779 – 5265
gmurrell@cartoonistgroup.com
 
Art available upon request