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Home > Artists > Dick Bickenbach

Dick Bickenbach

Born: August 9, 1907 | Died: June 28, 1994

Dick Bickenbach

Biography

One of Hanna-Barbera’s key animators, early in his career Richard Bickenbach worked for Warner Bros., animating numerous “Looney Tunes” shorts from 1939 to 1947. He joined MGM in 1947 where he animated nearly eighty Tom and Jerry shorts over the next decade. He was one of Hanna-Barbera’s first employees and continued there for the next twenty years as an animator and layout artist. Bickenbach was responsible for drafting many of the studio’s early model sheets and character designs; his influence on the style of Hanna-Barbera’s early cartoons cannot be overstated.

Illustrations by Dick Bickenbach

“The Flintstones” publicity drawingWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/the-flintstones-publicity-drawing
Snagglepuss model sheetWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/snagglepuss-model-sheet
George Jetson model sheetWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/george-jetson-model-sheet
Model sheet of Touché TurtleWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/model-sheet-of-touche-turtle
Concept drawing for “The Jetsons” television seriesWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/concept-drawing-for-the-jetsons
Model sheet of characters from “The Flintstones” television seriesWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/model-sheet-of-characters-from-the-flintstones
Model sheet of Jonny Quest’s dog, BanditWarner Bros.https://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/model-sheet-of-jonny-quests-dog-bandit

Additional Resources

  • “Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning,” by Jesse Kowalski

Bibliography

Barbera, Joseph. My Life in 'Toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century. Atlanta, GA: Turner Publishing, Inc., 1994. 

Beck, Jerry. The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art and Mementos from your Favorite Cartoon Classics. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions, 2007. 

Hanna, William and Tom Ito. A Cast of Friends. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1986. 

Kowalski, Jesse. Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning. Stockbridge, MA: Norman Rockwell Museum, 2016. 

Takamoto, Iwao and Michael Mallory. My Life with a Thousand Characters. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2009.

Genres
  • Advertising
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  • Product Illustration
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Global Perspectives
  • North America
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RELATED ARTISTS
  • Ed Benedict Ed Benedict
  • Jerry Eisenberg Jerry Eisenberg
  • Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera
  • Willie Ito Willie Ito
  • Jack Kirby Jack Kirby
  • Bob Singer Bob Singer
  • Iwao Takamoto Iwao Takamoto
  • Alex Toth Alex Toth
  • Doug Wildey Doug Wildey
Related Time Periods
  • The Decade 1930-1940 The Decade 1930-1940
  • The Decade 1940-1950 The Decade 1940-1950
  • The Decade 1950-1960 The Decade 1950-1960
  • The Decade 1960-1970 The Decade 1960-1970
  • The Decade 1970-1980 The Decade 1970-1980
  • The Decade 1980-1990 The Decade 1980-1990

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- Norman Rockwell

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