Bob Thaves facts for kids

Robert Thaves (born October 5, 1924 – died August 1, 2006) was a famous cartoonist. He created the popular comic strip called Frank and Ernest, which first appeared in 1972.

Becoming a Cartoonist: Robert Thaves' Early Life

Robert Lee Thaves was born on October 5, 1924, in a town called Burt, Iowa. His father, John, owned and ran local newspapers there. Robert was only 13 years old when his father passed away.

From a young age, Robert wanted to become a cartoonist. He did not go to a special art school. Instead, he learned by carefully studying and drawing other cartoonists' work. He became so good that he could tell who drew a comic strip just by looking at it, without seeing the artist's name!

Robert went to the University of Minnesota. There, he earned two degrees in psychology. While at college, his cartoons were printed in the university's humor magazine, Ski-U-Mah, and its newspaper, The Minnesota Daily.

During World War II, Thaves served in Europe with the Army's 89th Infantry Division. In 1954, he married his wife, Katie. Three years later, they moved to Manhattan Beach, California. He started a Ph.D. program at the University of Southern California. However, he left before finishing because his business career became very successful.

Robert Thaves' Cartooning Career

Even while in college, Robert Thaves had his first cartoons published in magazines. He always loved cartooning. He created the Frank and Ernest comic strip while also working as an industrial psychologist. He would sometimes sell his comics to popular magazines like the Saturday Evening Post, True, and Cosmopolitan.

The Frank and Ernest comic strip started appearing in magazines in the 1960s. It became available across the country on November 6, 1972. United Media, the company that shared the strip, said that over 1,300 newspapers carried Frank and Ernest. They estimated that 25 million people read it! It was special because it was the first single-panel comic strip to use a "panel" format. It was also the first to use block letters for its characters' speech.

Robert Thaves also drew another comic strip called King Baloo. This strip was short-lived and ran during the 1980s. He created it with Scott Stantis. King Baloo looked just like Frank and Ernest but featured a king as its main character.

In 1997, Robert's son, Tom, began working with him on Frank and Ernest. Robert had planned for Tom to take over the comic strip before he passed away.

The Famous Ginger Rogers Quote

In 1982, Robert Thaves wrote a famous line in a Frank and Ernest comic strip about the dancer Fred Astaire. The line said: "Sure he was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards… and in high heels."

The official Ginger Rogers website gives credit to Thaves for this quote. Sometimes, people mistakenly think Faith Whittlesey said it. The quote was also made popular by Ann Richards in her 1988 Democratic National Convention speech. She said: "But if you give us a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." Richards said she heard the line from TV journalist Linda Ellerbee, who heard it from someone on an airplane.

Awards for Frank and Ernest

Robert Thaves won several awards for his Frank and Ernest comic strip. These include the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award in 1983, 1984, and 1986. He also won the H.L. Mencken Award for the best cartoon in 1985. In 1990, he was chosen as "Punster of the Year" because of his clever use of puns in his comics.

Robert Thaves' Passing

Robert Thaves passed away on August 1, 2006, in Torrance, California. He was 81 years old. His death was caused by respiratory failure, which means his lungs stopped working properly.

Tributes from Other Cartoonists

After Robert Thaves died in 2006, several other comic strips honored him. Candorville paid tribute on August 14. Arlo & Janis did so on August 29. And Prickly City, a strip by Scott Stantis (who worked with Thaves on King Baloo), honored him on September 10.

See also

• Frank and Ernest