Neatocoolville, who runs one of the, well, neatest and coolest Flickr sites around, recently posted this pic of “Parky” the Kangaroo, who reminds litterbugs to pick up their trash and keep their parks clean.
“Parky” actually originated in Los Angeles. Cartoonist Lloyd Hutchinson created “Parky” in 1952 — and originally suggested the name “Trashy” for his creation. (Damn it when cooler, if not pretty uncreative, minds prevail!) Hutchinson decribes the history of “Parky” in a comment on Neatocoolville’s page:
In 1952, the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation sponsored a cleanup campaign and announced a cartoon contest to select a character to represent the City of Los Angeles.My cartoon was chosen as the winner, out of 450 entries. Parky decals were soon seen on every trash can on beaches and parks throughout Los Angeles. They were also placed on every Water and Power truck, and on each city vehicle. Also, every letter which passed through the LA Terminal Annex postal facility bore the Parky imprimatur. Parky’s image was soon distributed to many other states, as well as to Canada and other foreign countries.
Parky’s name, of course, was derived from the Department of Recreation and Parks. (My original name for Parky was “Trashy”, believe it or not!) Parky was considered a public service creation, and my only compensation (besides a 3 day trip to Mammoth Lakes with my new wife) was a small honorarium for two posters depicting Parky using his familiar cleanup stick. Later, the City of Los Angeles announced a Parky song competition, which was won by a local couple. The song was recorded by Wilbur Hatch and the NBC orchestra, and sung by the prominent performer, Johnny Green.
Parky signs still exist, I remember seeing one somewhere a few years ago, but can’t remember where. Long live Parky!
