Jim Simon (artist) facts for kids

Jim Simon, a talented artist and animator.

James A. Simon, known as Jim Simon, is an American artist and animator. He is famous for creating animations for popular children's shows like Sesame Street. He did this through his own company, Wantu Studios.

Early Life and Education

Jim Simon was born in 1950. He grew up in New York City. He attended the High School of Art and Design. He graduated from this special school in 1963.

While in high school, Jim showed great talent. He won an award for being excellent in animation. He also earned two scholarships from the Junior Epstein Memorial Foundation. These scholarships helped him continue his art studies. He also received a scholarship to the School of Visual Arts (SVA). At SVA, he first thought about making live-action TV shows. However, he soon decided to focus on animation instead.

Starting a Career in Animation

After finishing college, Jim Simon began his professional journey. He started working at Paramount Pictures' animation studio. He was an animation background artist there. This means he drew the scenes behind the characters.

The studio closed just four months after he joined. But his short time there was very important. It allowed him to join the animators' union. This union helps protect the rights of animators. A colleague from Paramount then helped Jim get a new job. He became an assistant animator for the 1960s Spider-Man animated series.

After about a year and a half, Jim decided to work for himself. He wanted to be a freelance artist. He felt very excited about his own ideas. He realized he could not fully express them while working for someone else.

Wantu Animation Inc. and Famous Shows

Around 1972, Jim Simon started his own company. He named it Wantu Animation Inc. It was first located in New York City. Later, it moved to Los Angeles.

Wantu Animation Inc. worked with many important clients. Jim created animations for several educational TV shows. These included the PBS children's series The Electric Company. His first short film for this show was "Hey Diddle Diddle." It won an award in 1975 at a big animation festival.

He also made animations for Vegetable Soup. This was another children's educational series. Of course, he also created animations for the very popular Sesame Street. His work helped teach many children. Jim also worked with the Black Psychiatrists of America and the New York Public Library.

Later Life and New Art

Jim Simon has a family. By 1977, he and his wife, René Simon, had four sons. Their names are Jimmy, Kelly, Sean, and Mark. Jim and René knew each other since high school. They got married while he was in college.

In the later part of his career, Jim faced some challenges. These experiences led him to take a break from drawing. For about 10 years, he did not create art. However, he later found a new passion. He started oil painting. He even had an art show at the St. Clair gallery. This gallery was in El Cajon, California, near San Diego. Jim was living there at the time.

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  Jim Simon, a talented artist and animator.