Rebecca Sugar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rebecca Sugar
Sugar at the 2019 Peabody Awards
Born	Rebecca Rea Sugar (1987-07-09) July 9, 1987 (age 37) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	School of Visual Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Animator writer producer director musician
Years active	2007−present
Known for	Steven Universe
Spouse(s)	Ian Jones-Quartey ​ (m. 2019)​

Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American artist who creates animated shows, writes stories, produces, directs, and makes music. She is most famous for creating the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe. This made her the first non-binary person to create a show for the network all by themselves. Before she shared that she was non-binary, people knew her as the first woman to do so.

Before 2013, Rebecca Sugar also worked as a writer and storyboard artist for the animated TV show Adventure Time. Her work on these two popular shows has earned her seven nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. Rebecca Sugar identifies as non-binary and uses both "she/her" and "they/them" pronouns. Her personal identity has inspired her to show how important it is for all kinds of people to be seen in art, especially in cartoons for kids.

Early Life and Education

Rebecca Sugar grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. She went to two high schools at the same time: Montgomery Blair High School and the Visual Arts Center at Albert Einstein High School. She was very talented in art, winning awards like the Ida F. Haimovicz Visual Arts Award.

While in high school, she drew comics called "The Strip" for her school newspaper. These comics even won first place in a writing and editing contest. After high school, she went to the School of Visual Arts in New York. She studied animation and earned her degree in 2009. During her time there, she made short animated films, including Johnny Noodleneck (2008) and Singles (2009). Her brother, Steven Sugar, helped her with coloring on Singles.

Rebecca and her younger brother, Steven, were raised with Jewish traditions. They still celebrate holidays like Hanukkah with their parents, even if it's over Skype.

Career Highlights

Early Creative Work

Rebecca Sugar helped create nockFORCE, a cartoon series launched on YouTube in 2007. She designed backgrounds and characters for the show.

In 2010, she published her first graphic novel, Pug Davis. It was about an astronaut dog and his friend. She also created a comic called "Don't Cry for Me, I'm Already Dead."

Television Shows

Rebecca Sugar at New York Comic Con in 2014

Rebecca Sugar first joined the team of Adventure Time as a storyboard artist. She quickly became a full storyboard artist because her work was so good. Her first episode was "It Came from the Nightosphere". The show's creators encouraged her to use her own life experiences in the character of Marceline the Vampire Queen. She felt inspired by other artists on the show to be creative and not hold back.

Rebecca Sugar started working on Steven Universe while she was still on Adventure Time. She eventually left Adventure Time in 2013 to focus on her new show. Her last episode for Adventure Time was "Simon & Marcy". She later returned to write songs for Adventure Time, like "Everything Stays" and "Time Adventure." She also wrote songs for the spin-off show, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.

Steven Universe premiered on November 4, 2013, and ended on January 21, 2019. Rebecca Sugar was the executive producer for the entire series. She also directed Steven Universe: The Movie, which came out in 2019. After the movie, she was also the executive producer for the limited series Steven Universe Future, which finished in 2020.

Important Themes and Inspirations

Rebecca Sugar believes it's very important to show different kinds of people in cartoons for kids. She wants to create content that helps all children feel seen and understood. She has said that Steven Universe helped her understand her own identity better. She hopes that seeing diverse characters in cartoons can help kids feel proud of who they are.

Some of her favorite films and shows that inspired her include Whisper of the Heart and Revolutionary Girl Utena. She also mentioned Neon Genesis Evangelion as a big influence. Steven Universe includes references to many other shows like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Other Projects

Rebecca Sugar designed the album cover for True Romance by Estelle, who voices the character Garnet on Steven Universe.

In 2018, she was featured on a song called TOOGOODTOBETRUE by the singer Gallant. In 2020, she narrated a video for an organization called Never Again Action, which talked about important social issues.

She also worked on anti-racism public service announcements (PSAs) for Cartoon Network. These PSAs featured characters from Steven Universe. In 2021, Rebecca Sugar voiced a street performer and wrote a song for an episode of the show Amphibia.

In 2023, Rebecca Sugar announced her first personal music album called Spiral Bound. She said it was challenging to write her own songs. The album was inspired by her daily journaling and helped her heal from stress and past difficulties. In 2023, it was announced that she would write a fantasy-adventure film for Sony Pictures Animation with Matt Braly. In 2024, she announced she would write a new Adventure Time movie.

Personal Life

Rebecca Sugar is married to Ian Jones-Quartey. They met when she was at the School of Visual Arts. They had been together for eight years before getting married in December 2019.

Rebecca Sugar has shared that the themes about different kinds of love and identity in Steven Universe are based on her own experiences. She created the characters called Gems in the show to express herself as a non-binary person. She uses both "she/her" and "they/them" pronouns.

Awards and Recognition

Adventure Time

Rebecca Sugar's work on Adventure Time earned her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Short-format Animation for the episodes "It Came from the Nightosphere" in 2011 and "Simon & Marcy" in 2013. She also received nominations for Annie Awards for her storyboarding.

Steven Universe

For Steven Universe, Rebecca Sugar has been nominated for many awards, including six Primetime Emmy Awards. The show won a Peabody Award in 2018 and a GLAAD Media Award in 2019 for its positive representation.

Honors

In 2012, Forbes magazine included Rebecca Sugar on its "30 Under 30 in Entertainment" list. This list highlights young, successful people in the entertainment industry. Variety also included her in their "Hollywood's New Leaders 2016" list, celebrating new filmmakers and creators.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Rebecca Sugar para niños