| Birth Name: | Paul Coker Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 5 March 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. |
| Death Date: | July 23, 2022 (aged 93) |
| Death Place: | Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Comic artist, Illustrator |
| Signature: | Paulcokerjr.png |
Paul Coker Jr. (March 5, 1929 – July 23, 2022)[1] [2] [3] was an American illustrator. He worked in many media, including Mad, character design for Rankin-Bass TV specials, greeting cards, and advertising.
Coker was born in Lawrence, Kansas, the son of Bernice (Rutherford) and Paul Coker.[4] One of his first professional works was in 1946 when he designed Chesty Lion, the mascot for Lawrence High School. His first appearance in Mad was in 1961; he went on to illustrate over 375 articles for the magazine. Beginning in 1967, Coker was a production designer on more than a dozen Rankin/Bass specials and shorts, including Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph's Shiny New Year and The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town. In 1968, he illustrated the Mad paperback "MAD for Better or Verse"; written by Frank Jacobs, it was the first of eight all-new paperbacks drawn by Coker. In 2002, the magazine also published a collection of "Horrifying Cliches", the long-running feature that featured Coker art. Coker collaborated with writer Don Edwing on two comic strips: "Lancelot" and "Horace and Buggy".