Zippy creator passes away

Joseph "Jim" Dick '56, who created the first drawing of The University of Akron mascot Zippy while he was a UA student, died recently. Dick's family shared the news in a Facebook post on May 19.

Dick's drawing of Mr. Zip, as Zippy was known at the time, was created for a contest in 1953 that UA administrators launched for a kangaroo mascot design, deciding on a kangaroo with boxing gloves and a zipper. Dick's rendition with a zippered pouch was one of three final selections, and students ultimately voted for his drawing.

Mr. Zip evolved over time with the realization that a kangaroo with a pouch is a female.

According to an interview of Dick that producer and director Alex Guyton did for a documentary about Zippy, Dick was active on campus as a student. He worked at The Buchtelite, where he created a cartoon strip and wrote articles about campus news. He also served as editor of the UA yearbook.

To see a video tribute, check out a video on Zippy's Instagram page.

Guyton's interview also noted that Dick inherited artistic abilities from his mother, and that Dick began his journey into cartooning at the young age of six. After high school, Dick enlisted in the United States Army, serving from 1948-1950. He was stationed in Japan and utilized his cartooning skills to contribute to his troops' newspaper.

Dick was born in Akron and lived in Northeast Ohio, but did not meet the Zippy mascot until 70 years after Dick made his drawing. Click here to see a recording of the moment Zippy walked up to Dick's house to meet for the first time, starting at around the 9 minute, 30 second mark.

The original drawing of Mr. Zip was featured in an exhibit of Dick's work held in 2023 at Summit ArtSpace.

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