Jay Ward

J Troplong Ward was the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle and several other television shows in the mid twentieth century.  He was well known for his big personality and silly sense of humor.  Everything he created he would stamp as “J-rated” meaning that it had his approval.  Ward’s first venture into the world of television animation was with his friend Alex Anderson.  Together they formed the idea of Crusader Rabbit and a handful of other characters that they brought to NBC.  After a short, but successful run Crusader Rabbit was taken off the air and Ward lost legal rights to the character and show.  In 1959 Rocky and his Friends became one of the most beloved cartoons on television. 

Ward was a shameless publicity hound when it came to getting exposure for his work.  At the end of the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, the narrator would say things like take the knobs off your television so that you can be sure to tune in next week, etc.  (After countless households of children did just that, the narrator retracted the statement the next week! (p. 55))  Ward also bough an island and named it Moosylvania and tried to get it statehood in the US.  (p. 66) Ward even set up a government for Moosylvania; There was a “strict two party system.  One party will start at nine and the other at eleven-thirty.”  (p.63) Although these stunts seem silly, they brought a lot of exposure to Ward’s cartoons than to any other cartoons of the time.