Troy Walker
Encyclopedia
Troy Walker is an American
cartoonist
, toy inventor, creative producer
, and founder of TWP Cartoon Studios. Walker is best known for creating off beat cartoon characters. He got his first commercial break with the wacky children's novelty fad, Hairy Pops finger puppets, used for promotion by the Supercuts
chain of hair salons. The Hairy Pops, were a late 1990s ad fad, and were the vehicle which helped to brand Walker as a behind the scenes creative producer. Walker is the first African American independent advertising producer in history to create, develop, and sell, a novelty to Supercuts, which became the companies first nationally distributed ad fad. His work is often recognized for its signature child-like style.
), The Defenders of the Hood, Harryl & Darryl (involved with youth motivation and neighborhood care), and Money Man (brand mascot of California Check Cashing Stores Inc.).
, Walker's family moved to nearby Pleasanton
in the middle 1970s during the era's migration of upper middle-class African Americans to suburbia.
In 1990, Walker began working in the marketing department at TCI Television in Englewood, Colorado
. This work proved unfulfilling, and Walker continued to focus on creative projects throughout his 20s. He wrote songs for submission to Quincy Jones
' Qwest Records
. Including a jingle he created to promote Lady Lee brand products of Lucky Stores
.
While living in San Diego, Walker had a chance meeting with Don Marshall of the early 1970s 20th Century Fox
TV series Land of the Giants
. Marshall, helped Walker whose car stopped on the side of La Jolla Shores Boulevard. The chance meeting turned out to be a new friendship between Walker and Marshall. Walker thought it was ironic, that he grew up watching the show as a kid, and learned some inspiring details about Marshall and his innovative imagination.
One of Walker's first notable projects was the launch of the Womplewinks Tree Puppies. In the character story, the Womplewinks were spawned from the seedpod of the Liquid Amber Tree. These characters were Walker's first foray into the street-novelty market, and marked the establishment of some of Walker's distinct artistic characteristics, including the plastic "googly eyes" look. This look inspired Walker's next project, Bob Spongee.
The comic strip "Bob Spongee, The Unemployed Sponge” featured the titular character as a sponge with eyes, legs, and arms. Bob Spongee lived on Apple Street with his wife Linda, and their daughter Bubbles. During the early 1990s, Walker packaged a homemade Bob Spongee doll with comic strips and sold them throughout Northern California. A decade later, this character would be involved in a high profile lawsuit with one of the world's biggest television studios.
In 1994, Walker partnered with his zany real life next door neighbor Harley Spaulding, to create a parody of MTV
's popular cartoon Beavis and Butt-Head
. Based in a fictional city called Hoodsville, Walker's characters were named Mavis and Mutt-Head and took a hip-hop spin on the life of MTV's characters. After Walker appeared on a Fox affiliate morning TV show, his agent received a cease-and-desist letter from MTV, and the network threatened to file a trademark infringement lawsuit if Walker continued with his cartoon parody. Walker who had recently met with a producer of the Arsenio Hall Show at Paramount Studios, was a potential guest of the show when his agent received the letter. This act spurred Walker to change his character names to Harryl & Darryl. This proved to be a turning point in Walker's career, as he developed the cartoons into costume characters, and gained a huge Bay Area fan base, of celebrity status.
In 1995, the neighborly good guys Harryl & Darryl, became the mascots of the grassroots inner-city youth outreach program called Funky Walk America. The duo was featured on a number of program-related items, including the popular Funky Walkers sneaker stickers distributed to youth as a pledge to be safe and keep neighborhoods litter-free. Harryl & Darryl became so popular throughout the Bay Area, security guards were often used to escort Walker and his characters to city events, as kids would often get overly excited about the characters. An incident at an East Oakland event sponsored by the Golden State Warriors and Target Department Stores, resulted in the characters getting jumped, and Walker refusing future un-guarded events. Eventually, all special appearances were cancelled. Since the program's inception, more than 150,000 Funky Walkers have been distributed. Mother's Cookies
was an early corporate sponsor of the program, bringing the program's message and Harryl & Darryl to more than 750 city buses. Harryl & Darryl appeared on television to promote the program, and the characters were used by Head Start in a 55-school tour in 1997. The characters have also appeared at outreach events alongside Danny Glover
, Mark Curry, and hip-hop artists. "The Be Good To Your Hood" bus billboards involved with the program featured 13 multi-cultural children from 13 cities throughout California.
In 1997, Walker developed the Troy Walker Wacky Wear line of clothing that was eventually marketed and sold through Nordstrom's department stores.
, leading to an initial order of 18,000 in the first 30 days and a second order of 50,000 for the next month. The Hairy Pops were once on a list of the craziest fads.
Royalties from the Hairy Pops venture helped fund Walker's new Bay Area-based production studio called TWP Cartoon Studios. One of TWP Cartoon Studios' first clients was a non-profit group that focused on free and low-cost health insurance
for uninsured children and families. The organization hired Walker's studio to create a mascot with the eventual outcome being Skipper The California Dog For Healthy Families. Skipper is the only known spokescharacter for uninsured children and was invited to Washington, D.C. during the Bill Clinton
administration to escort Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala
during a major children's health conference. An animated video entitled "Skipper Goes To Washington" was premiered at the event.
To date thousands of un-insured kids have received a Skipperdog plush toy for their enrollment in state funded health insurance. The plush toy is a symbol of health and wellness for America's healthy families.
journalist Bruce Gertsman syndicated an article exposing a legal battle between Troy Walker and Nickelodeon
Studios regarding the true origins of the popular SpongeBob SquarePants
character. The lawsuit argues that the design and concept was lifted from Walker's Bob Spongee character, which he produced and published, almost a decade before SpongeBob became an animated international icon. The lawsuit drew international attention, and Viacom
, Nickelodeon's parent company, have publicly stated that they believe the claim is baseless.
New Nation, once the largest black owned tabloid magazine in the United Kingdom released a striking front page story of Troy's SpongeBob war on April 21, 2008. According to editors at the London based publisher, the edition sold out quickly and was one of the top selling issues in the companies publishing history. According to Walker, the majority of mainstream US media did not cover the matter as closely as the UK, the US media often referred to him in the headlines as; "Man Sues for SpongeBob creation". Walker, and close friends were shocked by the discredit of his professional cartoonist title. He has quietly remained in the shadows of many creative works, that he has created and licensed for use by organizations.
On January 4, 2008, a settlement conference was conducted between Troy Walker and Viacom, Paramount Studios and Nickelodeon Studios at the Northern District Federal Courts in San Francisco. No settlement was reached and the parties were ordered to return to court for another settlement conference set for May. A jury trial was set for June 2008. However, the matter was dropped after summary judgement in Viacoms favor, and Walker does not discuss the case in the media.
Walker's point of view contends that Bob Spongee and SpongeBob are both cartoon depictions of a kitchen sponge with apparent similarities in characters, titles, and stories. In opposition to this, Viacom claims that Bob Spongee and SpongeBob are different characters.
One of Walker's similarity claims involves the title of Bob Spongee/SpongeBob stories. In 1992, Bob Spongee mail order advertisements were published in the Oakland Tribune under the slogan "Sponge for Hire." In 2004, Paramount Studios released a SpongeBob video with the same "Sponge for Hire" title. As part of the court hearing, the first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants entitled "Help Wanted" (airdate May 1, 1999) was entered as part of the evidence in Walker vs. Viacom.
During the early litigation of Walker vs. Viacom, Walker found himself in a personal and financial slump. Walker credits his spiritual faith for getting him through this rough time. The drain from the Bob Spongee matter took a toll on him. According to Walker, who turned down all prior settlement offers prior to summary judgment in Viacom's favor, he was prepared to take the case to Supreme Court but decided against it for personal reasons.
in 2006 to pitch a new animated property for girls. While this project never came to fruition, he continues to design characters for use in brand advertising, and currently in production of a live action animated DVD, titled Funkywalkers Warehouse. In 2007, he developed the Money Man character for California Check Cashing Stores, one of the largest check cashing and payday advance companies in California. In 2010, the company acquired locations in North Hollywood, and other regions within Los Angeles. The wildly successful Money Man brand character appeared in a series of .30 second animated TV spots which Walker originally provided the voice over for several of the characters. In 2010, California Check Cashing Stores was acquired by Check Smart Inc., the largest check cashing company in the United States. The Money Man mascot has recently been retired, as has all the companies mascots.
Currently, Walker has revisited some of his older creations with the publishing of Dr. Womplewink Fun Books. The educational activity books, distributed to pediatrician offices, are published on a bi-monthly basis and feature activities for children to entertain themselves while in a medical environment. Walker's hilarious catchphrase; "Waitingroom-itis", is embossed on the Dr.Womplewink Fun books. The books are marketed as the cure for the make-believe ailment.
Walker has two young sons whom he credits his sons as the inspiration to continue to aspire for greater artistic endeavors. A devout Born Again Christian and Humanitarian, Walker has made a significant mark outside of a traditional Hollywood career, for an artist of his caliber and talent.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, toy inventor, creative producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and founder of TWP Cartoon Studios. Walker is best known for creating off beat cartoon characters. He got his first commercial break with the wacky children's novelty fad, Hairy Pops finger puppets, used for promotion by the Supercuts
Supercuts
Supercuts is a hair salon franchise with over 2,000 locations across the United States. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1975, by Geoffrey M. Rappaport and Frank E. Emmett. The company's first location, which is still in existence, is in Albany, California. Its headquarters...
chain of hair salons. The Hairy Pops, were a late 1990s ad fad, and were the vehicle which helped to brand Walker as a behind the scenes creative producer. Walker is the first African American independent advertising producer in history to create, develop, and sell, a novelty to Supercuts, which became the companies first nationally distributed ad fad. His work is often recognized for its signature child-like style.
Philosophy
Walker himself states that he creates characters and novelties with personal value rather than just entertainment value. Some of Walker's successful creations include Skipper The Dog (involved with family health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
), The Defenders of the Hood, Harryl & Darryl (involved with youth motivation and neighborhood care), and Money Man (brand mascot of California Check Cashing Stores Inc.).
Childhood
Born in Hayward, CaliforniaHayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, Walker's family moved to nearby Pleasanton
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
in the middle 1970s during the era's migration of upper middle-class African Americans to suburbia.
Education & Early Projects
Walker dropped out of high school but eventually graduated high school in 1986. During his high school years, Walker remained shy and chose to act as a class clown, creating comedy skits and plays, including a play that was performed at Solano Christian Academy. After graduation, Walker dabbled in acting some more, including work as an extra in Beverly Hills Cop 3, and appearing as a stand-up comic at comedy clubs .In 1990, Walker began working in the marketing department at TCI Television in Englewood, Colorado
Englewood, Colorado
The city of Englewood is a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. As of 2007, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,532. Englewood is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. Englewood is located in the South Platte River Valley east of the...
. This work proved unfulfilling, and Walker continued to focus on creative projects throughout his 20s. He wrote songs for submission to Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
' Qwest Records
Qwest Records
Qwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned byWarner Music Group. although Quincy was still under contract with A&M records through 1981. George Benson's 1980 Give Me the Night LP was the first release on Qwest,...
. Including a jingle he created to promote Lady Lee brand products of Lucky Stores
Lucky Stores
Lucky Stores is an American supermarket chain founded in Alameda County, California in 1935. Lucky is currently operated by SuperValu in Southern California and Nevada and by Save Mart in Northern California and Nevada.In 1998, Lucky's parent company, American Stores, was taken over by Albertsons,...
.
While living in San Diego, Walker had a chance meeting with Don Marshall of the early 1970s 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
TV series Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants was an hour-long American science fiction television program lasting two seasons beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. Land of the Giants was the fourth of Allen's science fiction TV series. The show was...
. Marshall, helped Walker whose car stopped on the side of La Jolla Shores Boulevard. The chance meeting turned out to be a new friendship between Walker and Marshall. Walker thought it was ironic, that he grew up watching the show as a kid, and learned some inspiring details about Marshall and his innovative imagination.
Creative career
Walker returned to Northern California and continued with his creative projects. The Project W.A.D. (War Against Drugs) Squad featured a group of fruits and vegetables that encouraged kids to steer clear of drugs. At the age of 18, Walker drove to Los Angeles to present the story for Actors Against Drugs. While the project did not successfully take off, similar character designs would be used years later for a Fresh Produce client of TWP Cartoon Studios.One of Walker's first notable projects was the launch of the Womplewinks Tree Puppies. In the character story, the Womplewinks were spawned from the seedpod of the Liquid Amber Tree. These characters were Walker's first foray into the street-novelty market, and marked the establishment of some of Walker's distinct artistic characteristics, including the plastic "googly eyes" look. This look inspired Walker's next project, Bob Spongee.
The comic strip "Bob Spongee, The Unemployed Sponge” featured the titular character as a sponge with eyes, legs, and arms. Bob Spongee lived on Apple Street with his wife Linda, and their daughter Bubbles. During the early 1990s, Walker packaged a homemade Bob Spongee doll with comic strips and sold them throughout Northern California. A decade later, this character would be involved in a high profile lawsuit with one of the world's biggest television studios.
In 1994, Walker partnered with his zany real life next door neighbor Harley Spaulding, to create a parody of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's popular cartoon Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
. Based in a fictional city called Hoodsville, Walker's characters were named Mavis and Mutt-Head and took a hip-hop spin on the life of MTV's characters. After Walker appeared on a Fox affiliate morning TV show, his agent received a cease-and-desist letter from MTV, and the network threatened to file a trademark infringement lawsuit if Walker continued with his cartoon parody. Walker who had recently met with a producer of the Arsenio Hall Show at Paramount Studios, was a potential guest of the show when his agent received the letter. This act spurred Walker to change his character names to Harryl & Darryl. This proved to be a turning point in Walker's career, as he developed the cartoons into costume characters, and gained a huge Bay Area fan base, of celebrity status.
In 1995, the neighborly good guys Harryl & Darryl, became the mascots of the grassroots inner-city youth outreach program called Funky Walk America. The duo was featured on a number of program-related items, including the popular Funky Walkers sneaker stickers distributed to youth as a pledge to be safe and keep neighborhoods litter-free. Harryl & Darryl became so popular throughout the Bay Area, security guards were often used to escort Walker and his characters to city events, as kids would often get overly excited about the characters. An incident at an East Oakland event sponsored by the Golden State Warriors and Target Department Stores, resulted in the characters getting jumped, and Walker refusing future un-guarded events. Eventually, all special appearances were cancelled. Since the program's inception, more than 150,000 Funky Walkers have been distributed. Mother's Cookies
Mother's Cookies
Mother's Cookies is a brand that originally had a bakery based in Oakland, California, that operated from 1914 to 2008. A sister company, Archway Cookies of Battle Creek, Michigan, was founded in 1936. Both Mother's Cookies and Archway declared bankruptcy in 2008...
was an early corporate sponsor of the program, bringing the program's message and Harryl & Darryl to more than 750 city buses. Harryl & Darryl appeared on television to promote the program, and the characters were used by Head Start in a 55-school tour in 1997. The characters have also appeared at outreach events alongside Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, Mark Curry, and hip-hop artists. "The Be Good To Your Hood" bus billboards involved with the program featured 13 multi-cultural children from 13 cities throughout California.
In 1997, Walker developed the Troy Walker Wacky Wear line of clothing that was eventually marketed and sold through Nordstrom's department stores.
Commercial Break
Walker's first big commercial break came in 1998 when he created the wacky novelty finger-puppet lollipop toppers called Hairy Pops. Hairy Pops were picked up and distributed by SupercutsSupercuts
Supercuts is a hair salon franchise with over 2,000 locations across the United States. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1975, by Geoffrey M. Rappaport and Frank E. Emmett. The company's first location, which is still in existence, is in Albany, California. Its headquarters...
, leading to an initial order of 18,000 in the first 30 days and a second order of 50,000 for the next month. The Hairy Pops were once on a list of the craziest fads.
Royalties from the Hairy Pops venture helped fund Walker's new Bay Area-based production studio called TWP Cartoon Studios. One of TWP Cartoon Studios' first clients was a non-profit group that focused on free and low-cost health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
for uninsured children and families. The organization hired Walker's studio to create a mascot with the eventual outcome being Skipper The California Dog For Healthy Families. Skipper is the only known spokescharacter for uninsured children and was invited to Washington, D.C. during the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration to escort Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala served for eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and has been president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, since 2001. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest...
during a major children's health conference. An animated video entitled "Skipper Goes To Washington" was premiered at the event.
To date thousands of un-insured kids have received a Skipperdog plush toy for their enrollment in state funded health insurance. The plush toy is a symbol of health and wellness for America's healthy families.
Controversy
In March 2007, Contra Costa TimesContra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
journalist Bruce Gertsman syndicated an article exposing a legal battle between Troy Walker and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Studios regarding the true origins of the popular SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
character. The lawsuit argues that the design and concept was lifted from Walker's Bob Spongee character, which he produced and published, almost a decade before SpongeBob became an animated international icon. The lawsuit drew international attention, and Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, Nickelodeon's parent company, have publicly stated that they believe the claim is baseless.
New Nation, once the largest black owned tabloid magazine in the United Kingdom released a striking front page story of Troy's SpongeBob war on April 21, 2008. According to editors at the London based publisher, the edition sold out quickly and was one of the top selling issues in the companies publishing history. According to Walker, the majority of mainstream US media did not cover the matter as closely as the UK, the US media often referred to him in the headlines as; "Man Sues for SpongeBob creation". Walker, and close friends were shocked by the discredit of his professional cartoonist title. He has quietly remained in the shadows of many creative works, that he has created and licensed for use by organizations.
On January 4, 2008, a settlement conference was conducted between Troy Walker and Viacom, Paramount Studios and Nickelodeon Studios at the Northern District Federal Courts in San Francisco. No settlement was reached and the parties were ordered to return to court for another settlement conference set for May. A jury trial was set for June 2008. However, the matter was dropped after summary judgement in Viacoms favor, and Walker does not discuss the case in the media.
Walker's point of view contends that Bob Spongee and SpongeBob are both cartoon depictions of a kitchen sponge with apparent similarities in characters, titles, and stories. In opposition to this, Viacom claims that Bob Spongee and SpongeBob are different characters.
One of Walker's similarity claims involves the title of Bob Spongee/SpongeBob stories. In 1992, Bob Spongee mail order advertisements were published in the Oakland Tribune under the slogan "Sponge for Hire." In 2004, Paramount Studios released a SpongeBob video with the same "Sponge for Hire" title. As part of the court hearing, the first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants entitled "Help Wanted" (airdate May 1, 1999) was entered as part of the evidence in Walker vs. Viacom.
During the early litigation of Walker vs. Viacom, Walker found himself in a personal and financial slump. Walker credits his spiritual faith for getting him through this rough time. The drain from the Bob Spongee matter took a toll on him. According to Walker, who turned down all prior settlement offers prior to summary judgment in Viacom's favor, he was prepared to take the case to Supreme Court but decided against it for personal reasons.
Recent years
Walker met with the VP of development for Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in 2006 to pitch a new animated property for girls. While this project never came to fruition, he continues to design characters for use in brand advertising, and currently in production of a live action animated DVD, titled Funkywalkers Warehouse. In 2007, he developed the Money Man character for California Check Cashing Stores, one of the largest check cashing and payday advance companies in California. In 2010, the company acquired locations in North Hollywood, and other regions within Los Angeles. The wildly successful Money Man brand character appeared in a series of .30 second animated TV spots which Walker originally provided the voice over for several of the characters. In 2010, California Check Cashing Stores was acquired by Check Smart Inc., the largest check cashing company in the United States. The Money Man mascot has recently been retired, as has all the companies mascots.
Currently, Walker has revisited some of his older creations with the publishing of Dr. Womplewink Fun Books. The educational activity books, distributed to pediatrician offices, are published on a bi-monthly basis and feature activities for children to entertain themselves while in a medical environment. Walker's hilarious catchphrase; "Waitingroom-itis", is embossed on the Dr.Womplewink Fun books. The books are marketed as the cure for the make-believe ailment.
Walker has two young sons whom he credits his sons as the inspiration to continue to aspire for greater artistic endeavors. A devout Born Again Christian and Humanitarian, Walker has made a significant mark outside of a traditional Hollywood career, for an artist of his caliber and talent.