John Kricfalusi

John Kricfalusi
Kricfalusi holding a toy duck up to his ear
Kricfalusi in 2006
Born
Michael John Kricfalusi

(1955-09-09) September 9, 1955 (age 69)
Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada
Other names
  • Raymond Spüm
  • John K.
  • Raymond S.
Occupation(s)Animator, illustrator, voice actor, blogger
Years active1979–2020 (animator)
2006–present (blogger)
Known for
AwardsInkpot Award (2009)
Websitejohnkstuff.blogspot.com

Michael John Kricfalusi (/ˌkrɪsfəˈluːsi/ krihs-fuh-LOO-see; born September 9, 1955),[1] known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, and former animator and voice actor. He is the creator of the animated television series The Ren & Stimpy Show, which was highly influential on televised animation during the 1990s. From 1989 to 1992, he was heavily involved with the first two seasons of the show in virtually every aspect of its production, including providing the voice of Ren Höek and other characters. In 2009, he won the Inkpot Award.

Born in Quebec, Kricfalusi spent his early childhood in Germany and Belgium before returning to Canada at age seven. He acquired his skills largely by copying cartoons from newspapers and comic books as a child, and by studying cartoons and their production systems from the 1940s and 1950s. His main influence is Bob Clampett. After moving to Los Angeles in 1978, he collaborated with Ralph Bakshi and worked for Filmation, Hanna-Barbera, and DIC Entertainment on various shows. In 1989, Kricfalusi co-founded the animation studio Spümcø, with which he remained until its dissolution in 2005.

Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi from Ren & Stimpy due to creative differences and his failure to meet production deadlines; the show continued for three additional seasons without his involvement. Following this, he directed and produced animated television commercials and music videos for entertainers such as Björk and Tenacious D. In the late 1990s, he created the first cartoons made exclusively for the Internet: The Goddamn George Liquor Program and Weekend Pussy Hunt. He returned to television with The Ripping Friends and the adult animation spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". Since 2006, Kricfalusi has maintained a personal blog dedicated to cartoons and animation. There, he popularized the term "CalArts style", a pejorative which was later used by others to criticize a widespread 2010s cartoon aesthetic.[2][3]

In 2018, Kricfalusi was accused by two former Spümcø artists of grooming and sexually abusing them in the late 1990s, when they were teenagers.[4] Kricfalusi released an apology for his behavior, blaming his mental health and "poor impulse control".[5] He has since declared his withdrawal from the professional animation industry.[6]

  1. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 186–187. ISBN 1-55783-671-X. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  2. ^ "CalArts Vs. Newgrounds: Cartoon Twitter's 'Style Rivalry,' Explained". June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Outrage over Cartoon Network's Thundercats reboot resorted to a strange, old insult: 'CalArts style'". Polygon. May 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "The Disturbing Secret Behind An Iconic Cartoon: Underage Sexual Abuse".
  5. ^ Feldman, Kate (May 14, 2018). "'Ren & Stimpy' creator John Kricfalusi apologizes to women who accused him of sexual misconduct". New York Daily News. New York City: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Ron Cicero, Kimo Easterwood (Directors) (2020). Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story (Documentary).