Jim Benton
Benton (born October 31, 1960) is an American illustrator and writer. He is best known for It's Happy Bunny, and has created several other properties, which include Dear Dumb Diary, Dog of Glee, Franny K. Stein, Just Jimmy, Just Plain Mean, Sweetypuss, The Misters, Meany Doodles, Vampy Doodles, Kissy Doodles, and the jOkObo project.
Jim Benton
- Name
- Jim Benton
- Born
- 31 October 1960
- Education
- Western Michigan University
- Occupation
- Illustrator, author
- Spouse
- Mary K.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Benton (born October 31, 1960) is an American illustrator and writer. He is best known for It's Happy Bunny, and has created several other properties, which include Dear Dumb Diary, Dog of Glee, Franny K. Stein, Just Jimmy, Just Plain Mean, Sweetypuss, The Misters, Meany Doodles, Vampy Doodles, Kissy Doodles, and the jOkObo project.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q4992363 · wikipedia · Jim Benton
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jim Benton • Born — 31 October 1960 • Education — Western Michigan University • Occupation — Illustrator, author • Spouse — Mary K. Hart • Children — 2 • Website — http: www.jimbenton.com/
Early life and education
Early life and education
Jim Benton was raised in Birmingham, Michigan, graduating from Seaholm High School in 1978. He studied fine arts at Western Michigan University.
Career
Career
Benton began his career in a Shirt shop where he started designing his own characters on T-shirts. At the same time, he did illustrations and artwork for magazines and newspapers. People magazine named him "one of the most visible cartoonists in America." Benton also created greeting cards and worked in the magazine and publishing industry. In 1998, his SpyDogs characters became an animated series, The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs, that aired on Fox Kids. Licensing his own creations brought them widespread attention on products, such as It's Happy Bunny, which he created in the mid-1990s but licensed in 2002. Benton lives in Birmingham, Michigan, where he operates out of his own studio. He is married with two children.
It's Happy Bunny
It's Happy Bunny
• Love Bites (2004) • Life. Get One (2005) • What's Your Sign? (2006) • The Good, The Bad, The Bunny (2006) • It's Happy Bunny Nice Enough Poster Book (2007)
Identity
Identity
Jim Benton is recorded as writer, young adult author and illustrator.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1960
Jim Benton born.
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Jim Benton is held.
Awards
• 2004: Gryphon Award honor book, Center for Children's Books, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Lunch Walks Among Us) • 2005: LIMA International Licensing Award, Best Art Brand License (It's Happy Bunny) • 2006: Eleanor Cameron Award, Golden Duck Award Committee (The Fran That Time Forgot) • 2006: LIMA International Licensing Award, Best Character Brand License – Soft Goods (It's Happy Bunny) • 2007: LIMA International Licensing Award, Best Character Brand License – Hard Goods (It's Happy Bunny) • 2007: Austin ADDY Awards (with Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Texas Alliance) • Silver award, Public Service Campaign • Bronze award, Public Service postcard • 2009: Nomination National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award, Book Illustration: Cherise The Niece • 2011: National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award, Greeting Cards: It's Happy Bunny • 2014: National Parenting Publications Awards GOLD MEDAL: The End (Almost) • 2015: Eisner Award Nominee: Dog Butts and Love. And Stuff Like That. And Cats.
Literature
Literature
Literature
The End (Almost) by Jim Benton (review), Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 2014
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dalka-Prysby, Sandra. It's Happy Benton!. Signature. February–March 2007.
- 2.Campbell, Janis. Jim Benton, artful writer. Detroit Free Press. October 2010.
- 3.Reed, Susan. Success Brings Cartoonist Jim Benton a Pile of Funny Money. People. 1989-05-08.
- 4.Holmes, Elizabeth. How Licensing Helped an Artist Pull a Rabbit Out of His Hat. Wall Street Journal. 2007-06-19.
- 5.Gryphon Award - Center for Children's Books
- 6.It's Happy Bunny wins public service awards. License! Global Weekly E-news. 2007-03-27.
- 7.This Year's Nominees. National Cartoonists Society Website.
- 8.2011 Reuben Award Winners. National Cartoonists Society Website.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q4992363: Jim BentonWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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