Q: I run the World Carrot Museum, online at www.carrotmuseum.com, and am researching the role of carrot during World War II. I have found that Hank Porter, on behalf of Disney, created several "carroty" characters for use in the British publicity campaign to eat more vegetables. Can you throw any light on these original cartoon characters via any archives/books you have?
John, Skipton, U.K.
John, Skipton, U.K.
A [Dave Smith]: According to David Lesjak's book Toons at War, "Disney artists helped the British government promote food products by designing a family of carrots for England's Food Minister. The January 11, 1942 issue of The New York Times magazine announced, 'England has a goodly store of carrots. But carrots are not the staple items of the average English diet. The problem… is to sell carrots to [the English public].' The Disney-designed carrots included Carroty George, Dr. Carrot, and Clara Carrot. The vegetable characters were reproduced on a poster and recipe booklet, and the carrot images were used extensively in a newspaper ad campaign."
[Marcio Disney]
