Jay Ward

Jay Ward (September 20, 1920 - October 12, 1989) was a creator and producer of animated television cartoons.

Jay Ward was born in San Francisco, California. Ward's company, Jay Ward Productions, produced television animated series such as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Tom Slick[?], George of the Jungle[?], Super Chicken[?], and Hoppity Hooper[?]. Jay Ward Productions also designed the trademark characters for Cap'n Crunch, Quisp, and Quake breakfast cereals and made commercials for those products.

In a running joke tribute to Jay Ward, many of his cartoon characters had the middle initial "J.", standing for "Jay". The creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, gave his cartoon character Homer Simpson the middle name "Jay" as a tribute to Jay Ward cartoons.

Jay Ward died in Hollywood, California, of kidney cancer.