The art of Mel Crawford from Rootie Kazootie Baseball Star Vintage Illustrated Book from 1954

A look at the artwork of Illustrator Mel Crawford from the 1954 book Rootie Kazootie Baseball Star

When I'm out looking for vintage illustrated books to add to my collection there are certain artists whose artwork I love! And one of them is Mel Crawford.

Here is an issue I found of a book he did for Golden Books from 1954 for the character Rootie Kazootie. Rootie Kazootie was a 1950s children's television show The Rootie Kazootie Club and featured human actors along with hand puppets.

(Related website category: Illustration)

Mel Crawford was a Canadian-American children's book illustrator and comics artist. He drew horror and fantasy comics for Western Publishing but is best known for adapting various child-oriented media into beautiful children's books.

Mel Crawford worked as an artist for various different film and TV companies and made books starring some of the most popular fictional characters of the 20th century, from Disney and Hanna-Barbera to Jim Henson Productions.

Mel Crawford worked as an animator at Disney in the 1950s but felt that illustrating children's books and record covers suited him better.

I really just love his style of artwork.

And of course the classic version of the back cover for Golden Books during this time period.

Check out the illustrated books for sale in my store here

Read Next: Sherlock Hemlock & Great Twiddlebug Mystery Retro Book Illustration Artwork Sesame Street from 1972

Like this book? Pin it!

What sold today: Person wanted book shipped "handle with care", cracked me up!

I look at some of the vintage and retro items I sold online in this video.

In the video, I go through my collection of vintage items to grab some of the vintage/retro things that I need to pack up and ship to people.

Some of the items in the video.

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock book the Haunted Houseful

Vintage Peanuts comic picture maker

Vintage Playskool farm set cow toys

Vintage illustrated book Little Boy Blues Horn

Vintage Sweet Valley High Book Secrets

Vintage Illustrated Frame Tray Puzzle

Vintage illustrated book Disney's Goofy's Gags

Vintage Holly Hobbie Doll

Penny Brite fashion doll

Vintage illustrated rooster print

Vintage book cartoon drawing for beginners

See more about the items in the video at the top of this post!

Check out my store for more!

Want to see the 100's of vintage pop-culture things I've collected?

Visit my store

Tom Ray's Pop-Culture Roadshow Store

Thanks

This cost me $300? Thrifting Day Trip - Tom Ray's Day Vlog

My weekend adventure looking for vintage and pop-culture stuff to collect.

On the weekends I go to estate sales to find vintage and retro things to sell online. 

Sometimes I end up traveling to other towns to do this. 

This time I spend over $200 bucks on a haul before even leaving town. Then I travel an hour and a half away and find some of the coolest vintage toys, illustrated books and games for my collection. 

I also tell some stories about a guy that got upset that I took all the illustrated children's books.

(Related post: No good estate sales today. So.. Improvising - Tom Ray's Day)

From the video

Started out at a sale in a house out in the suburbs.

I did not expect to clean out a whole closet full of books.

Still needed to travel to the place we were actually planning to go to in the first place that was in a town we couldn't remember the name of an hour and a half away. 

An hour and a half later...

The place only opens like one weekend a month. It used to be a restaurant and bar and has a huge skylight.

I was surrounded by even more vintage toys and illustrated books!

Then drove back home to take a look at all the stuff that I picked up. Watch the video and see me get really excited about spending $300 bucks!

See the whole day in the video at the top of this post!

Check out my store!

Want to see the 100's of vintage pop-culture things I've collected?

Visit my store

Tom Ray's Pop-Culture Roadshow Store

No good estate sales today. So.. Improvising - Tom Ray's Day 210702

Tag along while I look for vintage items for my online retro resale business. Estate sales, vintage stores, and releasing music.

On the weekends I go to estate sales to find vintage and retro things to sell online. Sometimes I end up traveling to other towns to do this but there weren't any that looked good. So went to a few in town that were kind of a bust. So I improvised. See what I got!

Later I go to the studio.

Also my band Lorenzo's Music was getting ready to release a new single so I stop out at my studio.

Check out the song "Variation witch" here 

(RELATED: Reselling vlog: Thought this would go for more? - Tom Ray's Day)

About this Vlog

This is a video of my daily life since I decided to sell collectibles and pop-culture items I collect on eBay to help support my art career instead of taking on freelance work.

More vintage pop-culture items available in my eBay Store https://ebay.to/2vMYStC

Music in this video by my band Lorenzo's Music, listen on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2JJF39Q

Sherlock Hemlock & Great Twiddlebug Mystery Retro Book Illustration Artwork Sesame Street from 1972

Possibly one of my favorite sets of book illustrations and the artist's name isn't even listed, all just to keep up with the gag of the story! Just says it was told by the muppet Betty Lou from the story.

Raggedy Ann's secret vintage book illustration

On June 17, 1915, shortly after submitting his patent application for the doll's design, Johnny Gruelle who created the doll applied for a registered trademark for the Raggedy Ann name, which he created by combining words from two of James Whitcomb Riley poems, "The Raggedy Man" and "Little Orphant Annie".

Vintage Book Illustrations Anatole by Paul Galdone from 1970

This artwork is for the illustrated children's book "Anatole and the Toy Shop" from 1970.

Paul Galdone although he was also a painter and sculptor he is best known as a writer and illustrator of children's books. During his early career, Galdone worked in the art department at Doubleday where he designed a successful book jacket. 

The experience led him to believe that he could make a living as a freelance illustrator. He left behind the working world of New York City when he and his wife moved to rural Rockland County, New York. Many of Galdone's works are adaptations of fairy tales and folktales.

Children's author Eve Titus created the characters of Basil of Baker Street and Anatole. 

Basil, a mouse private detective in the Victorian age, was the subject of Walt Disney's The Great Mouse Detective. An animated adaptation was also made based on Anatole, a heroic and resourceful French mouse.

Look at more of my collection of vintage illustrated children's book artwork in my eBay store - Tom Ray's eBay Store!

The Story of Western Publishing - Tom Ray's Pop-Culture Roadshow March 26, 2020

Check out all the fun stuff I have at my eBay store https://ebay.to/2vMYStC

Okay! This is another one of my pop culture roadshow things where I look at some of the toys and collectibles that I have and try to learn a little something about them.

This one actually connects to a lot of the previous ones that I've done with a common element. What I noticed was, I have a lot of books I have a lot of puzzles I have a lot of games and one thing keeps popping up on them and it's this Whitman publishing company Racine, Wisconsin.

Items in this show

Big Little Books, Barney Baxter & Jack Armstrong 

Walt Disney Flip-it Book

Whitman Huey Dewey & Louie round puzzle

Donkey Party Game

1970 Betty Crocker Recipe Card Box

Dell Comics Daffy Duck

Krazy Ikes

Check out all the vintage retro things I have at my eBay store https://ebay.to/2vMYStC