Murray Ball facts for kids

Murray Hone Ball (born 26 January 1939 – died 12 March 2017) was a famous New Zealand cartoonist. He was best known for creating popular comic strips like Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero and the much-loved Footrot Flats series. In 2002, he received an award called the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his amazing work as a cartoonist.

Life and Work

Murray Ball was born in Feilding, New Zealand, in 1939. His father, Nelson Ball, was a famous All Black rugby player. Murray grew up in New Zealand, then lived in Australia and South Africa for a few years. He even played for the Junior All Blacks rugby team in 1959.

As a young man, Murray worked for newspapers in New Zealand. Later, he became a freelance cartoonist, meaning he worked for himself. He moved to Scotland and started working for publishers there.

Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero

One of his early successes was a character named Stanley. This cartoon appeared in a well-known English humour magazine called Punch. Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero was about a caveman who wore glasses and faced funny challenges in the Stone Age. It became the longest-running comic strip in Punch's history. Many other countries also published Stanley cartoons. Even after Murray moved back to New Zealand, he kept drawing for Punch magazine.

Murray's cartoons often shared his ideas about society and fairness. He believed in helping people and was against unfair treatment, like apartheid in South Africa.

In 2002, Murray Ball was given the New Zealand Order of Merit award. This award recognized his important contributions as a cartoonist.

Many people shared kind words about Murray Ball after he passed away:

• The President of the Australian Cartoonists Association, Jules Faber, said Murray was a "great influence" on many Australian cartoonists.
• His friend and fellow cartoonist, Tom Scott, described Murray as "funny and goofy and generous, and incredibly serious about inequality."
• Even Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, called Murray's work "sheer brilliance."

Footrot Flats

After 1975, Murray Ball created several comics in New Zealand. But in 1976, he launched his most famous comic strip, Footrot Flats. It first appeared in a newspaper in Wellington, New Zealand. This new comic quickly became so popular that Murray stopped drawing his other strips, including Stanley.

Characters and Stories

Footrot Flats tells the adventures of a working sheepdog, usually called "Dog." His owner is a farmer named Wal Footrot. The comic also features many other funny human and animal characters. Murray Ball showed Dog's thoughts in special thought bubbles, but Dog always remained a realistic dog, not like a human. Dog also had secret identities, like "The Grey Ghost" and "The Iron Paw."

Footrot Flats became very popular around the world. It was published in newspapers in many countries and in over 40 books. The comic strip even inspired a stage musical, a theme park, and New Zealand's first full-length animated movie, Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale (1986).

Unique Features

Footrot Flats had some special features. It had a huge world with many different characters and places. The characters also slowly grew older throughout the comic's twenty-year run. The comic sometimes included themes about protecting the environment.

Murray Ball once said that he wanted his cartoons to make a difference. He believed that a cartoon's main idea was its heart. He said that a cartoonist's job is to turn an idea into a drawing that will have an impact on people.

Death

Murray Ball lived with his wife, Pam, on a farm in Gisborne, New Zealand. He passed away on 12 March 2017. He is remembered by his wife and children.

Interests

Murray Ball and Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Snoopy and Peanuts, admired each other's work. In one Footrot Flats comic, Dog is shown laughing at a Snoopy cartoon. Charles M. Schulz even wrote the introduction for the only Footrot Flats book published in the United States.

See also

• New Zealand literature
• Footrot Flats, comic strip written by Murray Ball
• Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale, 1986, animated film