Walt Ditzen Explained
Walter Louis "Walt" Ditzen (August 8, 1913 – March 4, 1973) was an American cartoonist. Ditzen drew the "Fan Fare" cartoon strip.[1] [2] Fan Fare was launched in 1947 (syndicated by the John F. Dille Co.) running until 1961, when it changed title to Fun Fare, running until 1973.
Ditzen helped and advised Charles Schulz on the early samples of Charlie Brown.[3]
Notes and References
- Susie Steckner, The Mesa Historical Museum Cactus League: Spring Training 2012- Page 45 "Spring training programs for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Pilots featured the art of nationally syndicated cartoonist Walt Ditzen, who moved to the Phoenix area in the 1950s. The popular “Fan Fare” strip showcased ..."
- Monitor - Volume 36, Issues 1-8 1963- Page 25 "An important person in Webb Corporation's safety promotion is the nationally syndicated cartoonist, Walt Ditzen, who draws the famous "Fan Fare" strip. On-the-side safety talks are a regular feature of Webb Corporation's."
- Schulz, Charles M. My Life with Charlie Brown (University Press of Mississippi, 2010), p. 32: "In all the articles that have been written about Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the other things we have been doing, none of the writers has ever mentioned that the one cartoonist who helped most was Walt Ditzen. When he was working for one of the syndicates in Chicago, I dropped in with a batch of samples and he went far out of his way that day and later to give me advice and help that I badly needed. I have always regretted that Walt never got any credit for this where people could hear about it."
