Jot

Nate Pacheco has posted two episodes of the 60s animation Jot to his blog. I'll remount the first here, for you to enjoy: head over to Nate's place for the second when you want more. There were thirty episodes in total, and I'm hoping the remainder appear online soon too as it's striking stuff, deserving of preservation and a reputation with modern animators.

A little background.

The show was created for the Southern Baptist's Radio and Television commission, with most episodes produced by the Texan animation house, Keitz and Herndon - so that explains the strong religious overtones.

That Keitz and Herndon were staffed with some very talented self taught animators explains the bold, vividly graphic style.

That Jot's hands and feet often disappear when he's bouncing about be explained by the very tight budget - the less there was to draw, ink and paint the better.

The story and image details in Jot were set upon very firmly. Like Sesame Street or Teletubbies since, the show was very deliberately designed in terms of connecting with a child's psychology; what's more, some very specific spiritual symbolism was worked into the colour palette. Mainly, though, it's the show's preponderance of graphic thinking and simple, bold storytelling that inspires the most.

Enjoy.