Robb Armstrong facts for kids

Robb Armstrong, born on March 4, 1962, is a famous African American cartoonist. He is best known for creating the popular comic strip called Jump Start. This comic strip is shown in more newspapers than any other daily strip by an African American artist.

About Robb Armstrong's Early Life

Robb Armstrong was born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 4, 1962. His mother, Dorothy, worked as a seamstress. He was the youngest of five children in his family.

Robb's School Days and Learning

Armstrong went to the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr. During his last year of high school, he spent three weeks working with cartoonist Signe Wilkinson. This was like a special internship. He then studied advertising design at Syracuse University. He earned a degree called a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Robb Armstrong's Cartoon Career

Starting Out as a Cartoonist

While in college, Robb started drawing a comic called Hector for his school newspaper, The Daily Orange. He even became the art director there. Hector was about a college student who was a bit lazy and cynical. He had a dog with human ears named Meatball and a friend named Julias.

After college, Robb realized Hector might not work for a wider audience. So, he spent four years changing Hector into what would become Jump Start. In his early days, he also worked a regular job at an advertising company in Philadelphia.

The Story of Jump Start

Jump Start is Robb Armstrong's most famous comic strip. It tells the everyday stories of the Cobb family, a middle-class Black family living in Philadelphia. The family includes Joseph "Joe" Cobb Sr., who is a police officer, and Marcy Cobb, who is a nurse. They also have four children. The family's name comes from the Cobbs Creek neighborhood in West Philadelphia.

In October 1989, a company called United Feature Syndicate chose Jump Start to be shown in many newspapers. Within six months, the comic appeared in 69 different newspapers! Since it started in 1989, Robb has created about 10,000 Jump Start comics. By 2018, the comic strip was in over 300 newspapers across North America. These included big papers like The Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and The Boston Globe.

In 2020, Robb Armstrong shared that he was working on an idea for a live-action TV show based on Jump Start.

Other Cool Projects by Robb

In October 2010, Robb Armstrong's artwork was shown in an exhibition called The Original Art of the Funny Papers. This show was at Syracuse University's XL Projects gallery. On May 19, 2012, he received a special honorary degree from Holy Family University in Pennsylvania. This means they recognized his great work and achievements.

In 2016, Robb Armstrong wrote a book called Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life. It's part self-help book and part memoir, sharing his life story and advice.

Who Inspired Robb Armstrong?

Robb Armstrong says that Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, is one of his biggest heroes and inspirations. He started drawing sketches of Charlie Brown when he was only five years old!

In 1994, for an animated TV special called You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown, Charles M. Schulz gave his Black Peanuts character, Franklin, the last name Armstrong. He did this to honor Robb Armstrong. Years later, Robb Armstrong was chosen to help write the 2024 Peanuts special, Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin. This was the first special to focus on Franklin as the main character.

Robb Armstrong's Family Life

Robb Armstrong has two children. He is married to Crystal D. Armstrong, who works as an events planner. They live in Los Angeles, California.

His great-uncle, Eugene Benson, was a baseball player. He played in the Negro league and also in the major leagues.