The Grinch and ‘The Simpsons’ share spotlight at Dayton Art Institute

It’s hard not to smile when you’re gazing at the antics of some of television’s most iconic cartoon characters: a Grinch who wants to steal Christmas and a lovable television family known for its many foibles.

The DAI exhibit is focused on 450 original hand-drawn and painted images on clear plastic sheets known as “cels” (celluloid.) They were photographed and spliced together to make the popular cartoons we see on our television screens.

Chuckles are precisely what collector Bill Heeter and his wife, Kristi Correa, had in mind when they decided to share their personal art collections with museums in the United States and around the world. Dayton is lucky to be the first venue for this combined exhibition. When you first enter the galleries you’ll meet the Grinch, his dog, Max, and the folks in Whoville. Bart and his clan will greet you as you make your way through the rest of the show.

Exhibition designer and head preparator Martin Pleiss has worked his magic once again with the Seuss galleries done in red and green and “The Simpsons” gallery walls painted yellow, lime green and pink. Fun!

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

It’s entitled “Merry Grinchmas & ‘B’ART” and will be on display at the DAI through Jan. 19. 2025. You can plop down on the Simpsons’ living room couch for photos, write on Bart’s chalkboard, play Pictionary and even make your own drawings. A new specialty gift shop is filled with Seuss and Simpson products for the holidays — from coloring books to pink donut ornaments and from stuffed animal characters to hats.

A variety of special programming and guided tours are also available. Stop by the Experiencenter exhibition so the kids can create their own artwork using the Draw Alive Interactive Art Station. Draw Alive is a participatory drawing technology where guests can watch their drawings come to life by scanning them into a virtual world.

About the Grinch

Dr. Seuss, well-known for helping young children learn to read via his catchy rhymes and made-up words, was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts. If you’re ever in Springfield, “The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum” is worth a visit.

He wrote the holiday classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in 1957. It’s the tale of a grumpy grinch determined to ruin the holiday for the residents of Whoville. Ultimately, he learns that Christmas is about more than material things and that relationships are a lot more important than presents.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Artist Chuck Jones, best known for his Looney Tunes characters, created an animated version of the Seuss book which first aired on television in December of 1966. Although it takes about 12 minutes to read the book, scenes were added to make the animated version 25 minutes long. It took an unbelievable 15,000 cels, 250 background drawings and thousands of additional drawings and designs to complete. Narrating the TV version was horror film actor Bela Lugosi.

A perennial favorite at holiday time, a musical version of the story is slated for nine performances at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati Dec. 10-15.

About ‘The Simpsons’

In 1989 animator Matt Groening gave birth to the working class cartoon family of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. The TV series, now in its 36th year, is the longest-running animated series in history. Dayton’s connection to “The Simpsons” is Nancy Cartwright who has voiced the character of Baer for decades, The Emmy Award-winning actor and Kettering native has never forgotten her hometown and this year donated $100,000 to the Rosewood Arts Center renovation.

The unauthorized Simpsons’ exhibition includes the hand-drawn art used to make two-dimensional animation. Artists used sheets of transparent plastic acetate, drawing an outline on the front side and color blocks on the backside. These cels were then placed over a background and photographed in sequence, one image at a time. When played back at a speed of 24 frames per second, they create the illusion of movement. It took tens of thousands of cels to make a single Simpsons’ episode.

The TV show’s production used original cel animation during seasons 1–13 (1989–2002). In season 14 (2003), the show’s creators introduced a digital animation system which eliminated the need for cels and the hand painted process. The cels you’ll see at the DAI come from the first 13 seasons.

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Phil Hinrichs of Dayton, who became a fan when the show first premiered, believes it succeeded because it appealed to a wide audience.

“It had a great combination of slapstick that appeals to certain people and adult mature humor and ideas that appeal to others,” he said. “It had the ability to touch a lot of bases which is probably why it’s still going.”

Hinrichs got a kick out of seeing the DAI show last week.

“If you are paying attention to what’s going on in the world, you appreciate what is being said about our society. You always felt you were in on the jokes. Matt Groening was keenly observant and had the ability to tell complex stories in a short amount of time.”

Hinricks said the new exhibit brought back a lot of happy memories and has inspired him to start watching the show again.

“They are great stories of human interaction and the absurdity of life,” he said. “The show tackled so many issues. For example, Mr. Burns represented the greediness in corporate life. We could see environmental issues in the tire fires and the three-eyed fish near the nuclear plant.”

Meet the collector

Colorado Springs resident Bill Heeter’s passion for collecting began in college with neon beer signs.

“A lot of people collect them and I had about 200,” he said. “It was in its heyday when they were all American-made and had interesting designs. That mode of manufacturing has gone to China or been replaced with LED signs.”

His next obsession was pinball machines, specifically the electromechanical versions produced with 1970′s technology – with flippers and wheels on top that showed the scores.

“I had about 20 of those at the time. Because of space I have about 40 neons and 10 pinball machines left.”

Then came his fascination with animation.

“It’s about having that reminder of an episode, or character or gag,” he explained. “I love facial expressions, I grew up with Looney Tunes and Chuck Jones was all about facial expressions. I bought my first cel in 1980. It’s called the ‘group scene’ and was a scene with Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Roadrunner and Coyote and Elmer Fudd. I had just gotten out of college and had a chance to buy this one cel. My hand was shaking when I wrote the check because I barely had the $100 that it cost me.”

He remembered reading “How the Grinch Stole Christmas " as a young child and at age 11 in 1966 watched the television adaptation. “In the book, the Grinch is only black and white and when he puts on Santa’s outfit he’s red. In the cartoon, he’s green with yellow eyes and at the end when he sees the light, his eyes turn blue.”

Heeter met animator Chuck Jones several times.

“I had connected with him and he opened his own gallery and I bought a few pieces,” he said. “There was an annual collectors’ event in 1966 and I was invited. That’s when I bought my first Grinch cels: the Grinch in the Santa suit with the whip over his head and one of Max the dog looking back at the Grinch with the whip snapping over the top of his head.”

Heeter compares the animation process to putting together a puzzle. The artists don’t repaint the entire character every time but combine the cels. “One cel could be the body, another his arm and a third his eyes or his mouth.”

As a collector, he’s looking for the perfect image from a particular part of the cartoon. He’s not interested if a character is looking sideways.

“I want the full figure of the Grinch with his eyes open and looking at you — smiling or snarling. I like the idea of being the only one in the world that owns that particular little piece of the character or the cartoon.”

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

When it came to buying “Simpsons” art, Heeter’s big break came while working for a company in Appleton, Wisc., that licensed cartoon characters for gift wrap and birthday party supplies. “We were relatively unknown and were able to snag it and because I got that license I started watching the show and began to like it,” he said. “At that time, the cels were much less expensive.”

These days, he said, a “Simpsons” cel can range in cost from $750-$7,500. The average price for a Grinch cel is around $5,000; they can bring as much as $20,000. “The difference is that the $20,000 cel will have the original background that goes with it,” Heeter explained. “There are many fewer of those.” He said because Grinch animators used more cels per second, the Grinch characters flowed more smoothly.

Heeter, who has everything framed according to his specifications, is delighted with the way the folks at the Dayton museum have showcased his prized collection.

“It’s humbling and exhilarating,” he said. “We want other people to get the same thrills and feelings we get when we see this art. What Kristi and I love most is listening to grandparents and their kids and their kids. I hope people leave smiling.”

HOW TO GO

What: “Merry Merry Grinchmas: Art of Dr. Seuss’ Holiday Classic” and “(B)ART! America’s Funniest Animated Family”

Where: Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton

When: Through Jan. 19; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; noon-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission: General admission is $15 adults; $10 seniors (60+), active military and groups (10 or more); $5 students (18+ w/ID) and youth (ages 7–17); and free for children (ages 6 and younger). Admission is free for museum members.

More info: Visit daytonartinstitute.org or call 937-223-4278

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