When Sandy Boyle thinks about her father, artist James Simpkins, she said the first thing that comes to mind is an image of him with a pencil in hand feverishly doodling whatever came to mind.
“Whether he was at the table or watching television he was always drawing,” Boyle said. “And if he didn’t have paper he would draw on whatever else he could find.”
Back in the 1940s, Simpkins was working as one of the original animators for the National Film Board. He spent hours sketching charming animal characters that were used in educational films, which were played in classrooms across the country.
Looking to take his cartoons to a new level, the Winnipeg artist approached Maclean’s Magazine in 1948 and pitched the idea of a monthly doodle for the publication. The editors agreed, but asked Simpkins if he would be willing to develop a distinctively Canadian animal character. After a few rough drafts, they settled on a friendly looking black bear named Jasper.
Jasper not only became a regular feature in Maclean’s , appearing in hundreds of single-panel gag cartoons, but he was also featured on a handful of the magazine’s covers. His cartoons are also still published in the Fitzhugh nearly every week.
In 1962, the bear was officially adopted by Jasper National Park, where statues of the loveable bear can still be found around almost every corner in town. The original Jasper the Bear statue waits at the top of the Skytram greeting thousands of visitors every year.
“When me and my brother and sisters were growing up we never really realized how well known Jasper was,” Boyle said. “But once I realized how iconic he was my main concern was that he would just fade away after all these years.”
Simpkins died at the age of 93 in 2004, however, the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame made sure the artist’s work would continue to live on. Just this past May, Simpkins was inducted into the hall of fame.
“My father had great regard for some of the people who have been inducted in the past so I know he would just be delighted to be included in that group,” Boyle said. “I don’t think he ever quite knew how big of a deal he was, but he was very proud of being the creator of Jasper.”
Fellow cartoonist and long time admirer Gregory Gallant—known as Seth in the cartoon realm, presented Simpkins’ award.
“I think it is safe to say that Jasper the Bear was Canada’s most recognizable cartoon character of the 20th century,” Gallant said in his speech at the award ceremony. “He was a character with a lot of quiet charm about him much like his creator James Simpkins.”
Gallant went on to say that Simpkins was a part of a small group of cartoonists who helped define the young pop-culture of Canada.
“The clichéd images of Canada that we roll our eyes at today were just then taking concrete shape during the decades of the 1930s to the 60s,” Gallant said in his speech. “It was in Simpkins’ generation that all those Mounties, beavers, lumberjacks and gap-toothed hockey players were being converted from folksy images into funny streamlined archetypes, with the help of the modern gag-cartoon.”
Just why Jasper the Bear became so iconic, Boyle said she can’t be too sure. However, she believes a big part of why the bear remains relevant today is due to everything the town of Jasper does to keep him alive.
“I think he’s just lovable, but there’s always that concern that he will fade away,” Boyle said. “I’m delighted to know that the town does so much to keep him around.”
These days, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce acts as the bear’s adoptive family, said Boyle. Over the years the chamber has made sure a moving, dancing and hugging mascot version of the bear has been on hand for just about every event in town.
“Jasper the Bear has such a place in everyone’s heart and for us it’s important to keep Jim Simpkins’ vision for Jasper alive,” said general manager of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, Patti Pavlov.
Jasper the Bear is 68 years old, and now that Simpkins has snagged a spot in the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame, Pavlov said she believes the bear will live on for another 68 years.
“It’s unbelievable how many generations will come and take photos with him. People bring their kids to see him and they remember when they were kids seeing him,” Pavlov said.
“There’s just a little piece of Jasper inside all of us.”
Kayla Byrne
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