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UPDATED 9/2006
INTERVIEW.. With Artist
Maggie Parr
In August 2006, I had the pleasure to conduct an interview with Maggie Parr,
the artist responsible for the wonderful new artwork in the books released by BackPack Toys with Teddy in his newest
incarnation. Please check out her website at maggieparr.com She has graciously agreed
to do a follow-up interview with fan questions, so if you have any contact me and they
may be included in a future installment.
Teddy Ruxpin Online: How did you first become affiliated
with AlchemyII and what were your first impressions of Teddy & the gang, and drawing them?
Maggie Parr:
I first started working with Alchemy II in 1994. I'd been a show
designer at Walt Disney Imagineering for four years, and was leaving
to start my own freelance business. Peggy Van Pelt from Imagineering
got me an interview with Mary Becker at Alchemy. Mary and I hit it
off right away, and she asked me to do some test character sketches.
I studied the model sheets and started drawing -- and Teddy popped
right out of my pencil! He was very easy to capture on paper. Mary
was happy with my work, and hired me on a freelance basis. They
wanted to revise all their books to reflect consistent model sheets.
Over the years, many artists had worked on the characters, and Teddy
changed in size and shape (even in outfit). So I spent several months
drawing pieces of Teddy, Grubby, etc. and matching them to existing
background artwork. At that time, I wasn't doing much full page work,
just spot illustrations.
TRO: In our email coorespondance, you mentioned
starts & stops in Teddy's recent history. Tell us more about that;
Maggie Parr:
I'm not sure of the exact dates, but sometime around 1995, Alchemy
closed the Chatsworth offices and put the work on hold. Then a year
or two later, they arranged a deal with Yes! Entertainment
Corporation to bring the Teddy products back, and Mary called me to
work with Yes! on the characters. I created many book and packaging
illustrations, some of them based on previous layouts, some new. I
even re-did 'The Airship' based on the first version. But Yes! had
some financial and marketing problems, and couldn't bring the project
to fruition. We produced a lot of great art, but in the end it didn't
reach the market. Mary and the rest of the Alchemy team all went
their own ways, and I didn't hear about Teddy again for a few more
years. In 2003, Ken Forsse called me and said Mary Becker had given him my
name, and asked if I would be interested in illustrating some new
Teddy books. Of course I was! And I was excited to finally meet
Teddy's creator. This time, I got to illustrate entire layouts for
five books. Again, some were near-duplicates of the originals, some
were new, and some were just character corrections. I had a lot of
fun, and really enjoyed working with Ken. He has an endless supply of
creative ideas and energy.
TRO: Tell us a little more
about yourself and some of the other projects you have worked on.
Maggie Parr:
Thanks for asking! I've been a professional artist and designer since
1990. I put in four good years as a show designer at Walt Disney
Imagineering, where I designed the Gag Factory and Five&Dime at
Toontown, and worked on Beastlie Kingdomme in Animal Kingdom. In 1994
I started a freelance business, and have been designing and
illustrating ever since. In addition to brainstorming many themed
environments and storyboarding video games, I've created murals,
portraits, toys, gifts, ornaments, ads, etc. etc. for all kinds of
clients, ranging from smaller companies to the big dogs like Disney
and MCA Universal. I worked on the Carouseussel in Universal Studios
Florida, and painted murals in place in Tokyo Disney Seas. Right now
I'm painting classical-style oil portraits of the Disney characters
for the Resorts. My website (www.maggieparr.com) says it all.
Oh, and I live in Los Angeles. I grew up in Gambier, Ohio, where my
parents taught Art and Drama at Kenyon College; but I came out here
to Pomona College on a full scholarship, and never went back. I love
the weather (and swimming outdoors) -- even though I sit inside
drawing all day, I still prefer sunshine year-round!
TRO: Who's your favorite character to work on
and why?
Maggie Parr:
I like drawing Grubby the best, because of the simple, round shapes
that make up his head and body. I get into a rhythm of drawing
sweeping circles, from the large body segments to the tiny oval
freckles. With six legs, he can stand in so many different positions.
I also enjoy coloring Grubby -- I like the vibrant yellow-orange
base, with maroon freckles and pink tongue. There's an overall logic
to his structure that's very satisfying to render.
Editor's Note: Very interesting to note Jeff Wilson
said the same thing for pretty much the same reasons in his interview My man Grubby
is pretty popular.
TRO: With the forthcoming releases
of both the toy and the DVD series, are you aware of any new Teddy products or projects currently being discussed?
Maggie Parr:
I know there are several things in the works that can't be discussed
yet -- Teddy fans will just have to be patient. Fortunately, it's
always worth the wait!
TRO: Thank You for taking time to do this interview Maggie,
Fans I'm sure will feel very good knowing Teddy's future in artwork is in such capable hands.
Related Info
Maggie Parr's official website
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