When Richard S. Codor, AS '69, read MAD magazine, he found something more than a laugh. He found a career.

At age 12, Codor was stunned by the idea that adults produced cartoons and ideas similar to those in his own head.

"I was cursed after I read MAD magazine," he says.

This "curse" has taken the Wilmington, Del., native from San Francisco to Israel to New York City.

The senior editorial cartoonist for Crain's New York Business Magazine, Codor also works for Tape House, an editorial company that has expanded into five additional companies, one specializing in animation. This company, Tape House Toons, also is responsible for much of the work involved with Saturday Night Live's animated sketch "TV Funhouse."

During the last two years, while working with Tape House Toons, Codor has produced animation that has appeared on an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, in which a spell cast upon Sabrina turns her into an animated character similar to Wile E. Coyote, and on the popular Disney show for "tweens," Lizzie McGuire. His contributions on Lizzie include interpreting the script and writing the animated sequences, or "bits," for the series. He also works on character design and storyboards.

Codor is currently in the proposal stages for a new prime-time television show for CBS.

As an undergraduate at UD, Codor--whose mother, Hilda, says he is from one of the "most graduated families at UD," including herself and many of his aunts and uncles-- worked for The Review, the student newspaper. He drew political cartoons about the Vietnam War, riots and student unrest.

"It constantly got me in trouble," he recalls, "but it was a lot of fun."

After receiving his bachelor's degree in graphic arts, Codor relocated to California, spending a year at the San Francisco Art Institute before moving to Israel.

As a freelancer there, Codor says, he designed graphics for children's shows, particularly a half-hour live action and animation show called A Little Star.

After Codor returned to the United States, he took a job at Curious Pictures Animation Co. in New York City. While there, his work included two seasons of A Little Curious, an HBO Family production that personified inanimate objects using animation, stop motion and puppetry to reach preschoolers.

Codor, who works on three or more major projects at any given time, including proposals and designs, says though the field is hectic, he enjoys the challenges and pace. He has produced commercials for Kraft and Wendy's using animation and live action and has provided character animation for the CD-rom of Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

"The animation industry is always pushing you to go further," he says, "and try new things."

The switch from hand-drawn to computer-animated cartoons, Codor says, caused an adjustment in the field. "Everything has changed to digital," he says.

Codor says he feels his experience with hand-drawing gives him an advantage over those who are stationed at computer terminals and only understand the concepts involved with computer animation.

"Because I draw quickly and think visually," he says, "I can get across concepts that they cannot articulate."

Codor also applies his visual talents to other areas, including illustrating books for children and adults, designing computer games and drawing cartoons and illustrations for such publications as The New York Times, the Village Voice, the American Lawyer and Marvel Publications.

He says his favorite cartoons are early Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons by Chuck Jones, along with Rocky and Bullwinkle, created by Jay Ward.

"I prefer anything that is goofy, tongue-in-cheek or irreverent," he says. "The Fleisher Brothers, who are responsible for early Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, and Richard Williams, of Pink Panther fame, are other inspirational figures."

--Imani Powell, AS 2003