George Newall, the last surviving original creator of ABC-TV’s “Schoolhouse Rock” cartoon, died Nov. 30 at a hospital near his Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., home. He was 88 years old.
According to The New York Times, Newall’s wife Lisa Maxwell Held responsible The cause of his death is cardiopulmonary arrest.
The Emmy Award-winning cartoon TV series ran from 1973–1984 with a 1990 revival. The animated show provided lessons through song to young viewers each Saturday morning covering math, civics, science, and grammar, setting a precedent for government-mandated informational programming later in the 1990s.
Newall served as an advertising executive and one of the founding creators of the series, which won four Emmy Awards.
Beyond television, the series expanded into books, recordings and live singalong specials, spawning a fandom that already anticipates its 50th anniversary next year, for which The Walt Disney Company has released an official guidebook and coloring book. A special, rerun of the books has been scheduled.
Catchy songs such as “Three Is a Magic Number” were set to accompanying colorful cartoons. “Unpack Your Adjectives,” “Combination Junction,” “I’m Just a Bill” And “Oppose!”
David McCall, president of the McCaffrey & McCall advertising agency, seeded the creation of the show with a complaint to Newell that “his young sons could not multiply, but they could sing along” to stars such as Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. .
McCall asked Newall, who in turn sought help from Ben Tucker and Bob Dorough, if he could somehow set a time-table for the song. “Three Is a Magic Number” followed approximately two weeks later.
“I asked Ben, and he said, ‘Yeah, my mate, Bob Dorough – he can put anything to music!'” Mr. Newall recalled. The New York Times Magazine In 2018.
Mr. Newall is survived by his wife, artist and singer Lisa (Chapman) Maxwell; a stepson, Voloskar Lake; and his sisters, Jessie Newall Bissie, Cathy Newall Hogan, and Anne Newall Kimmel.