Joe Harris (illustrator)

Joseph Benjamin Harris III (January 5, 1928 – March 26, 2017) was an American illustrator and storyboard artist. He is best known for creating the Trix Rabbit, the cartoon mascot for General Mills' Trix breakfast cereal, who debuted in 1959.[1][2] He also penned the Trix rabbit's memorable commercial tagline, "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids", which is still utilized in General Mills' advertising campaign, as of 2017.[1][2][3] Additionally, in 1959 Harris, Chet Stover, and W. Watts Biggers co-founded Total Television, which produced Saturday morning cartoons.[1] Harris created some of Total Television's best known characters and series, including King Leonardo and His Short Subjects (1960–1963), Klondike Kat (1963–1965), and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966).[1] His best known character creation aside from the Trix Rabbit was Underdog, the canine star of the animated series, Underdog, from 1964 to 1967.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b c d e Noto, Anthony (2017-04-05). "Joe Harris, illustrator who created the Trix rabbit and Underdog, dies". New York Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  2. ^ a b c Slotnik, Daniel E. (2017-04-04). "Joe Harris, Illustrator Behind Underdog and Trix Rabbit, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  3. ^ Beck, Jerry (2017-01-17). "The Origin Of "The Trix Rabbit"". CartoonResearch.com. Retrieved 2017-04-30.