1970's Rare Vintage B KLIBAN CAT Kitty Cartoon Stuffed Pillow "KISS" Size 13"

Description

1970's Rare Vintage B KLIBAN CAT Kitty Cartoon Stuffed Pillow "KISS" with red heart Size 13" Black and white tabby.
13" x 10.5"
Signed material / pattern. Adorable all-over cat pattern on back.
In excellent condition, no fading, from a clean, smoke-free Santa Barbara, California estate.
Two discolorations on rear of pillow See photos for exact condition and detail.
About the Artist:
Born in
Norwalk, Connecticut
, Bernard Kliban studied at the
Pratt Institute
and
Cooper Union
but "flunked out".
He
spent time painting and traveling in Europe before moving to California, where he lived in the
North Beach
section of
San Francisco. He did freelance advertising illustration, drawing ads, logos and annual reports.
In 1962, Kliban
became a
Playboy
cartoonist, contributing
cartoons
until his death.
Michelle Urry
,
Playboy
’s cartoon editor, visiting his
studio, reviewed his drawings, mostly cats. She thought they should be compiled into a book, introduced him to an
agent, who found a publisher, resulting in the 1975 book
Cat
. This led to several other books of cartoons ending with
Advanced Cartooning
in 1993. Since
Cat
, his cartoons have adorned many products including
stickers
,
calendars
,
mugs
, and
t-shirts
.