Best known as a comics and animation artist, Scott Shaw’s resume is impressive. A key figure in pop culture over the past five decades, his credits include comics from the Flintstones, The Simpsons and Sonic: The Hedgehog amongst many others. He co-created Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew with another comics legend, Roy Thomas. Shaw is also an animation legend, with a slew of credits producing / directing / storyboarding a long list of classics that includes everything from Scooby Doo and Camp Candy, to The Fantastic Four and Muppet Babies. Then there’s the hundreds of commercials for Post Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereal, as well as it’s packaging that he created, and the numerous toys that he designed. Shaw is also one of the founders of San Diego Comic Con, way back in 1970. All that and we’re just scratching the surface.
One aspect of his career that is less well known, is his forays into music art projects, working on releases by the likes of novelty artist Dickie Goodman, The Monkees and The Ramones. Recent work includes the cover of the San Diego themed compilation album, Staring at the Sun XIII and The Spice Pistols Spice Train album.
A former resident of San Diego, Shaw attended Crawford High School. “I was born in New York City,” Shaw recalled. “We moved to San Diego when I was two or three, which was about 1950.” Comic books were an inspiration from the very beginning. “They were my text books. I learned to read before kindergarten. I asked my mom years later – why were you getting us so many comics if you were told they’d turn us into juvenile delinquents? She said, “all I know is I thought that you really needed them. Like I drove her crazy!”
What music does Shaw listen to? “I like musicians with a sense of humor,” he said. “I originally liked Jan and Dean more than the Beach Boys. I like any novelty song like “Purple People Eater,” and stuff like that. The first record that I owned was when KCBQ dropped balloons over San Diego and one landed in our backyard and it said “if you come down to KCBQ we’ll give you one of our Top 40’s songs. My favorite song at the time was “Stranded in the Jungle.” That was by the Cadets.”
Current favorites include Todd Rundgren. “A couple of years ago I did a comic book adaptation of his song “Onomatopoeia” (from the 1978 album, Hermit of Mink Hollow),” Shaw said. I contacted Todd’s manager, and they gave me the rights to print it as a book, but I didn’t have the money.Still, the song is the perfect example of why I like Todd – it’s a whole song about sound effects.”
Shaw’s move into music-related artwork came via his friend, Bill Liebowitz, the late owner of Los Angeles comics shop, Golden Apple. “He had a connection to Rhino Records, and he suggested that they should hire me. Dickie Goodman’s 1983 Greatest Hits album was the first thing.”
One thing led to another at Rhino Records. “Once I did one, they wanted me to do more,” Shaw said. Next up was the Teenage Tragedy compilation “then they started hiring me to do the catalogs, which I did almost all of them for a long time. And promo stuff. I mean, Rhino Records were really great to work with.” Notably, Shaw did the best known version of the label mascot, Rocky Rhino.“Bill Stout did the original,” Shaw said. “But he looked more like an underground character, and they wanted something a little more for the average person. So, I kind of redesigned it as a cartoon character and now he shows up everywhere.” He also worked on Kid Rhino, the mascot for Rhino Records children’s music imprint. “After they introduced the “kid” I re-designed him to look a little hipper,” Shaw said.
One fan favorite is Shaw’s recasting of the Ramones in a Dr. Suess manner for the comic book insert included with the Weird Tales of The Ramones box set. “Hugh Brown and I came up with a separate pitch for a whole book of Ramones lyrics drawn by me in a Dr. Seuss style. But the people at Rhino were always worried that Random House would come after us. That’s what led to the comic.”
Does Shaw have to like a band to do their art? “I’ve been lucky enough to get things that I like,” Shaw said. “You know, (with) the Dicky Goodman thing I was trying to imitate the stuff that Jack Davis used to do. With the Staring at the Sun cover, I leaned into the zoo of course, cause Balboa Park is like home.” Eagle eyed viewers of the cover art can find a rare Shaw cameo appearance. “In the background of the cover I’m a groundskeeper picking up trash. I worked at the Zoo when I was in college doing groundskeeping.” As for the Spice Pistols cover? “The fun thing was finding elements of San Diego and put them together, so it isn’t chaos,” he said good naturedly.
Of all his work, what is he proudest of? “It’s hard to say, but frankly, in animation, it’s those cereal commercials,” Shaw remarked. “Only because – yes, it’s for something terrible, but the Flintstones were finally funny and looked good again. I had lots of stuff going on in the background so kids could watch them 800 times on Saturday mornings. I also love the early Captain Carrots that I did, and the Ramones book worked out well. I worked with Bobby London on that storyboard.”
How does Shaw feel about his legacy at this point? “I’m glad people remember it, but kinda glad was never famous for it, because people will drive you crazy. I think it really worked well for me. I’ve had, like everyone, highs and dips, but I got to do it and I’m still doing it.”
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