Patrick McDonnell


Patrick McDonnell is a cartoonist, author and playwright. He is the creator of the daily comic strip Mutts, syndicated since 1994.
McDonnell's picture book, The Gift of Nothing, was adapted as a musical for the Kennedy Center stage, as was his picture book about the childhood of Jane Goodall, Me... Jane, which won a Caldecott Honor in 2012. Prior to creating Mutts, McDonnell was a freelance illustrator, drawing the Russell Baker Observer column for The New York Times Sunday Magazine from 1978 to 1993. He also created Bad Baby, a monthly comic strip for Parents Magazine, which ran for ten years. During that time he also was a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Forbes, Time, and many other national magazines. His work has been animated for television commercials, most notably a PSA for the NY Philharmonic. He is co-author of Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman, published in 1986 by Abrams.

Early life

McDonnell was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, from an Irish father and an Italian-descendent mother. After graduating from Edison High School in 1974, McDonnell attended the School of Visual Arts on scholarship, graduating in 1978.

Career

McDonnell began a career as a magazine illustrator and would frequently include a dog in the background of his illustrations.
Moving to Hoboken, New Jersey, he met a group of underground cartoonists such as Peter Bagge and Kazimieras G. Prapuolenis, and had some of his earliest drawings appearing in The Village Voice, and as "Jerseyana" in New Jersey Monthly magazine.
Mutts became syndicated, distributed by King Features Syndicate, starting in 1994. It won the Harvey Award for Best Comic Strip in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz called Mutts "one of the best comic strips of all time." A book of McDonnell's life and work, Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell, was published in 2003 by Abrams Books.
McDonnell is involved with many animal and environmental charities. His characters have been enlisted by the United States Marines, the American Library Association, and by the Humane Society of the United States. The Mutts characters appear on the New Jersey Animal Friendly license plates, which fund state pet population programs. The 2007-2008 Mazdaspeed Team featured Mutts-themed vehicles promoting pet adoption and the work of the Humane Society of the United States.
In 2009 McDonnell collaborated with author Eckhart Tolle to create Guardians of Being, a philosophical book about nature and the present moment. In 2011, McDonnell's children's book Me... Jane was published. It is a story about naturalist Jane Goodall growing up and her awakening curiosity about the lives of animals around her. A sequence of Mutts strips led to Goodall's interest in working with McDonnell on the book. Me... Jane won a Caldecott Honor in 2012. The Mutts comic strip is currently appearing in more than 700 newspapers across 20 countries.

Personal life

McDonnell has been a vegetarian for over 20 years, and vegan since 2012. McDonnell is a member of the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, and The Charles M. Schulz Museum.
McDonnell and his wife Karen reside in New Jersey, with their dog Amelie, and their cat, Willie Lebowsky. Their Jack Russell Terrier, Earl, who was the inspiration and constant muse for the Mutts character of the same name, died in November 2007 after living with McDonnell for over 18 years.

Awards

Collections