Sid Couchey
Encyclopedia
Sid Couchey is an American
comic book
artist best known for his illustration work on the Harvey Comics
characters Richie Rich, Little Lotta
and Little Dot
. His style is known for big, friendly faces and a sharp sense of visual humor.
. He counts Milton Caniff
's Steve Canyon
, Alex Raymond
's Flash Gordon
and Howard Pyle
among his influences.
After enrolling in the Landon School of Illustration and Cartooning, a correspondence course out of Cleveland, he continued to practice his craft on the back of his school papers. When he was 14, he wrote to Walt Disney, and "asked when I should come... I've sharpened my pencils... I'm ready." However, Disney told Couchey that they weren't quite ready for him.
Couchey graduated from the Art Career School and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (which became The School of Visual Arts), both located in New York City. For his first job after art school, Couchey assisted John Lehti on the comic strips Tommy of the Big Top and Tales from the Great Book. In his home, Sid displays an original piece from the Great Book strip, in which he appears as the census taker and scribe for the Pharaoh.
In the early 1950s, Couchey worked on backgrounds for the Lassie
, Big Town
and Howdy Doody
TV tie-in books. His first complete work was published in Hoot Gibson
#6 and several Couchey-illustrated stories appear in Heroic Comics, published by Famous Funnies
. His stories were printed in Issues #62, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 78, 80 and 82.
In the mid-1950s, Couchey answered an advertisement in The New York Times
and thus briefly became an assistant for Joe Shuster
, the co-creator of Superman
. After several planning sessions in Couchey's Ninth Avenue apartment, Shuster came up with "another alien baby" named Golly Galloo. Although "Galloo never flew," Couchey still has many of Shuster's original tracing-paper sketches for this character.
At Harvey, Couchey’s artwork began appearing in the Little Dot, Little Lotta and Richie Rich titles throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with reprints appearing for many years. Couchey did not create these famous Harvey characters — but he did have the opportunity to change attitudes or events. According to Couchey, "One time, they had Little Lotta facing a mean bulldog and the script called for her to bash or kick him — and I didn't think that was in keeping with her character, so I changed that to have her subdue it in a somewhat less brutal way like tossing him in a thicket, or something."
magazine. In the spring of 1994, Couchey received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kansas City Comics Convention. The other honorees included John Byrne, George Pérez
, and Lee Falk
, who bore a striking resemblance to Couchey. Couchey and Falk played on this, and dressed alike during the convention for their fans.
Couchey has kept busy with local artwork, especially with many cartoons devoted to Champ
, the Monster of Lake Champlain. A second cousin to Scotland's "Nessie", Champy has been sighted for centuries in the Port Henry region of Lake Champlain, even by Samuel de Champlain
himself (who described the creature as a 20 feet (6.1 m)-long serpent with the head of a horse).
In addition to his work with Champy, Couchey also contributed artwork to alcohol-awareness programs for the State of Vermont. In the mid-1980s, Dr. John K. Worden and his University of Vermont
team invited Sid and Vermonter Jim Starbuck to create a “spokestoon” to deter alcohol abuse—thus, the noble character of Rascal Raccoon emerged. Around that time, Jim Heltz of Green Mountain Video worked with Couchey to create the “Drinking Dog/Cool Cat” series as part of an alcohol-awareness program for the State of Vermont. These characters were featured in various posters and animated TV spots to present an anti-alcohol message to children.
--creator of the Land of Makebelieve
amusement park—to join him in the production of a comic book honoring the memory of Tom Tyler
, a B-movie hero and matinee idol who was born in Port Henry, New York. Tom Tyler Tales and its sequel, Tom Tyler Tales, Too--written and produced by Castine—are still in print and are available at Hometown Cable and other outlets.
Author Morris Glenn is currently working with Couchey on a history-oriented book titled “A Walk Around Whallon’s Bay”.
The Heritage Society of Willsboro, New York, has invited Couchey to use part of their newly renovated facility as a permanent home for the display of his paintings and drawings. The Opening Reception was held on Friday, June 6, 2008 in Willsboro.
baseball organization, Couchey (a notorious Cleveland Indians
fan) got his chance to throw out the first pitch at an Expos-Indians game. Cal Castine promoted the event and covered every action-packed moment of Couchey’s pitch. Couchey also made his own baseball cards, featuring a "bobblehead" Sid.
In honor of this landmark event, Couchey was inducted into the First Ball Pitchers' Hall of Fame with a Proclamation from Judge Lewis. Currently, Couchey (head of the selection committee) and Dave Dravecky
are the only two honorees in this Hall of Fame. The hallowed Hall is located in Jim’s Pretty Good Bookstore in Whallonsburg, New York, which is also the meeting place for the (in)famous Do-Nothing Club.
Cartoonists and comic-book artists love to add in-jokes to their work, and Couchey is no exception. He included local references in dozens of books. The residents of northern New York State would be surprised to find the names of nearby towns in the pages of a Harvey book. In one Little Lotta story, Couchey drew a strip around an athletic contest between the towns of Keeseville and Willsboro. Years later, Couchey met a basketball coach from Keeseville, who had been wondering "how the heck [our town] ever got in that comic and why they had to lose to Willsboro!" This story, entitled "Not Qualified", appears in Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts #8.
In the April 1960 (Vol. 1, No. 55) issue of Little Dot, Sid Couchey appears in a Little Lotta strip entitled "Problem Child", along with his then-fiancée Ruth Horne. According to his wife, Couchey proposed to her with that story. They were married on November 14, 1959. Sid and Ruth Couchey live in Essex, New York
and have two children—Brian and Laura—and many grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist best known for his illustration work on the Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
characters Richie Rich, Little Lotta
Little Lotta
Little Lotta is a fictional character published by Harvey Comics from 1953 to 1972, and then sporadically until 1993. A contemporary of Little Audrey, Little Dot and Wendy the Good Little Witch, she was one of Harvey's best-known female characters during the 1960s and featured in many of the...
and Little Dot
Little Dot
Little Dot was a comic book character published by Harvey Comics between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. A little girl obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects, she first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in Sad Sack and by 1953 was given her own series,...
. His style is known for big, friendly faces and a sharp sense of visual humor.
Childhood and early career
Couchey was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He counts Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
's Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
, Alex Raymond
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie "Alex" Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
's Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
and Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
among his influences.
After enrolling in the Landon School of Illustration and Cartooning, a correspondence course out of Cleveland, he continued to practice his craft on the back of his school papers. When he was 14, he wrote to Walt Disney, and "asked when I should come... I've sharpened my pencils... I'm ready." However, Disney told Couchey that they weren't quite ready for him.
Couchey graduated from the Art Career School and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (which became The School of Visual Arts), both located in New York City. For his first job after art school, Couchey assisted John Lehti on the comic strips Tommy of the Big Top and Tales from the Great Book. In his home, Sid displays an original piece from the Great Book strip, in which he appears as the census taker and scribe for the Pharaoh.
In the early 1950s, Couchey worked on backgrounds for the Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
, Big Town
Big Town
Big Town is a popular long-running radio drama series which was later adapted to both film and television and a comic book published by DC Comics.-Radio:...
and Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows...
TV tie-in books. His first complete work was published in Hoot Gibson
Hoot Gibson
Hoot Gibson was an American rodeo champion and a pioneer cowboy film actor, director and producer.-Early life and career:...
#6 and several Couchey-illustrated stories appear in Heroic Comics, published by Famous Funnies
Famous Funnies
Famous Funnies is an American publication of the 1930s that represents what popular culture historians consider the first true American comic book, following seminal precursors.-Immediate precursors:...
. His stories were printed in Issues #62, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 78, 80 and 82.
In the mid-1950s, Couchey answered an advertisement in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and thus briefly became an assistant for Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
, the co-creator of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. After several planning sessions in Couchey's Ninth Avenue apartment, Shuster came up with "another alien baby" named Golly Galloo. Although "Galloo never flew," Couchey still has many of Shuster's original tracing-paper sketches for this character.
Harvey Comics (late 1950s – 1980s)
Sid Couchey's "big break" came when Harvey Comics advertised for cartoonists. A few of Couchey's fellow art school graduates, who had started an art studio of their own, told him about the advertisements. According to Couchey...At Harvey, Couchey’s artwork began appearing in the Little Dot, Little Lotta and Richie Rich titles throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with reprints appearing for many years. Couchey did not create these famous Harvey characters — but he did have the opportunity to change attitudes or events. According to Couchey, "One time, they had Little Lotta facing a mean bulldog and the script called for her to bash or kick him — and I didn't think that was in keeping with her character, so I changed that to have her subdue it in a somewhat less brutal way like tossing him in a thicket, or something."
Later career (1983 - present)
In the early 1980s, Couchey provided spot illustrations for Good Old DaysGood old days
Good Old Days is a cliché in popular culture.In American particularly through sound recordings of the country music genre, it has certain established traits:*Nostalgia*Christianity*Conformity*Conservatism*Camping*Sport hunting*Sport fishing----...
magazine. In the spring of 1994, Couchey received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kansas City Comics Convention. The other honorees included John Byrne, George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
, and Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
, who bore a striking resemblance to Couchey. Couchey and Falk played on this, and dressed alike during the convention for their fans.
Couchey has kept busy with local artwork, especially with many cartoons devoted to Champ
Champ
Champ may refer to:*an abbreviation for champion, a winner of a competition*Champ Car, class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing**Champ Car World Series, international open-wheel championship...
, the Monster of Lake Champlain. A second cousin to Scotland's "Nessie", Champy has been sighted for centuries in the Port Henry region of Lake Champlain, even by Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
himself (who described the creature as a 20 feet (6.1 m)-long serpent with the head of a horse).
In addition to his work with Champy, Couchey also contributed artwork to alcohol-awareness programs for the State of Vermont. In the mid-1980s, Dr. John K. Worden and his University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
team invited Sid and Vermonter Jim Starbuck to create a “spokestoon” to deter alcohol abuse—thus, the noble character of Rascal Raccoon emerged. Around that time, Jim Heltz of Green Mountain Video worked with Couchey to create the “Drinking Dog/Cool Cat” series as part of an alcohol-awareness program for the State of Vermont. These characters were featured in various posters and animated TV spots to present an anti-alcohol message to children.
Recent work
Calvin Castine, popular writer and videographer of Hometown Cable of Champlain, New York, invited Couchey, along with famed cartoonist Arto MonacoArto Monaco
Arto Monaco was born November 15, 1913 in Elizabethtown, New York. He died November 21, 2003 in Upper Jay, New York. He was an artist, theme park designer, toy designer, and cartoonist. Arto is buried in Mountain View Cemetery located in Upper Jay. His mother was Ida Martin. He is the son of...
--creator of the Land of Makebelieve
Land of Makebelieve
Land of Makebelieve was an amusement park located in the hamlet of Upper Jay, New York. It was in operation from 1954 until 1979. The park was designed and built by Arto Monaco....
amusement park—to join him in the production of a comic book honoring the memory of Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler was an American actor in silent and sound motion pictures, best known for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the acclaimed 1941 movie serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel.-Biography:...
, a B-movie hero and matinee idol who was born in Port Henry, New York. Tom Tyler Tales and its sequel, Tom Tyler Tales, Too--written and produced by Castine—are still in print and are available at Hometown Cable and other outlets.
Author Morris Glenn is currently working with Couchey on a history-oriented book titled “A Walk Around Whallon’s Bay”.
The Heritage Society of Willsboro, New York, has invited Couchey to use part of their newly renovated facility as a permanent home for the display of his paintings and drawings. The Opening Reception was held on Friday, June 6, 2008 in Willsboro.
"Local Hero"
On June 21, 2002, thanks to the efforts of Calvin Castine, well-known radio personality Gordie Little, and the Montreal ExposMontreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
baseball organization, Couchey (a notorious Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
fan) got his chance to throw out the first pitch at an Expos-Indians game. Cal Castine promoted the event and covered every action-packed moment of Couchey’s pitch. Couchey also made his own baseball cards, featuring a "bobblehead" Sid.
In honor of this landmark event, Couchey was inducted into the First Ball Pitchers' Hall of Fame with a Proclamation from Judge Lewis. Currently, Couchey (head of the selection committee) and Dave Dravecky
Dave Dravecky
David Francis Dravecky is a Christian motivational speaker, author, and former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants...
are the only two honorees in this Hall of Fame. The hallowed Hall is located in Jim’s Pretty Good Bookstore in Whallonsburg, New York, which is also the meeting place for the (in)famous Do-Nothing Club.
Personal life
Couchey and his wife Ruth still make appearances at book signings and comic-book conventions, in addition to visiting cartoon museums and libraries. Recently, Couchey has completed a series of paintings that echo his professional training—Champy in the Style of the Old Masters, which has been on display in Plattsburgh and at the Ticonderoga Cartoon Museum, both located in New York State. In this collection, Couchey portrays the famous lake-serpent as he would have been painted by Seurat and Picasso, among others.Cartoonists and comic-book artists love to add in-jokes to their work, and Couchey is no exception. He included local references in dozens of books. The residents of northern New York State would be surprised to find the names of nearby towns in the pages of a Harvey book. In one Little Lotta story, Couchey drew a strip around an athletic contest between the towns of Keeseville and Willsboro. Years later, Couchey met a basketball coach from Keeseville, who had been wondering "how the heck [our town] ever got in that comic and why they had to lose to Willsboro!" This story, entitled "Not Qualified", appears in Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts #8.
In the April 1960 (Vol. 1, No. 55) issue of Little Dot, Sid Couchey appears in a Little Lotta strip entitled "Problem Child", along with his then-fiancée Ruth Horne. According to his wife, Couchey proposed to her with that story. They were married on November 14, 1959. Sid and Ruth Couchey live in Essex, New York
Essex, New York
Essex is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The town is named after locations in England.The Town of Essex is on the eastern edge of the county...
and have two children—Brian and Laura—and many grandchildren.