The New York Times has reported that Janice Burgess, the legendary African American cartoon creator had passed away at the age of 72. Burgess reportedly passed away in a Manhattan hospice center on March 2nd. Her longtime friend, fellow writer and producer Fracaswell Hyman announced the news himself.
Janice is known for creating the renowned children’s cartoon ‘The Backyardigans’. She also worked on shows such as ‘Little Bill’, ‘Gullah Gullah Island’, and many more works for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Who was Janice Burgess?
Janice was born in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburg, she went on to graduate with an art history degree from Massachusetts’ Brandeis University in 1973. Though she majored in the arts, it was said that Burgess didn’t feel very at ease with the culture and scene of the art world. Due to this, she started to pursue work in other creative fields.
This led her to the beginning of her career in the Television industry. Burgess first started working at the WQED TV station that was located in her hometown of Pittsburg. At the TV station, she worked the crafts services. After working in this position for some time she was able to rise in rank to working in the “Children’s Television Workshop”.
While working in this position she helped with shows like 3-2-1 Contact, a scientific-educational show that aired on PBS in the 80’s. As well as a show titled Ghostwriter. The premise of the show was that a group of teenagers investigating crimes get help from a ghost who communicates with them through writing.
Burgess and Friends
When Burgess joined the Nickelodeon Animation Network she was appointed Executive of Production. Janice’s friend and on-and-off co-worker, writer Fracaswell Hyman in his post talks about how they had quickly become friends and reminisced on her bold personality. He recalls her “acid-tongued wit, flowing Hermes scarves and omnipresent cigarettes”.
Fracaswell also states that Janice Burgess had not only become close to him but also with another producer Maria Perez-Brown. All three had met while working on the shows ‘Gullah Gullah Island’ and ‘Tania’.
Fracaswell went on to express how extraordinary she was at her job. He described her position as Executive of Production as “the person the network sends to the set to make sure the money is not going to waste”.
Moreover, Hyman spoke about her accolades. Such as working not just for Nickelodeon, but also helping with shows on Apple TV, Disney, and the Sesame Workshop.
‘The Backyardigans’
Janice Burgess, children’s carton creator, has a very colorful history with the Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Over the years she has found herself working on prominent projects. Many of the projects she worked on were also centered around children of color, especially black kids.
‘The Backyardigans’ is an animated children’s show that follows the adventures and mishaps of five animal friends. The five friends use their imagination to enjoy their time together. The show also uses many songs and genres as well as comedic relief to establish a child-friendly tone.
Janice had created the pilot in 1998, however, ‘The Backyardigans’ started very differently. The show was originally called ‘Me and My Friends’ and featured full-body puppets instead of animations. Nonetheless, the first version of the show never took off.
However, she was advised to rework her pilot and that is how ‘The Backyadigans’ had come to be.
The show features a unique spotted pink creature named Uniqua, a moose named Tyrone, a penguin named Pablo, a hippo named Tasha, and Austin the kangaroo.
All the main characters of the show have a vast array of different personality quirks and strong suits. Through this, they help each other navigate whatever their imaginations throw at them in that episode.
Though her most notable work may be her very own creation, Janice Burgess has worked on many other famous animations.
Her Other Accolades
Though she hasn’t solely created any other shows like how she did with ‘The Backyardigans’, Janice Burgess has made a name for women, especially black women in animation. Janice had worked on some of the most popular shows in the 90’s and early 20’s.
Shows such as Bill Cosby’s very own ‘Little Bill’. Burgess was put on as an executive producer for the show. The show follows the story of Little Bill, a character she has described as “Little Bill Cosby”. The cartoon shows the life of a young black boy navigating life in Philidelphia surrounded by family and friends.
She also worked on the series ‘Winx Club’. the series was first created in Italy, but it had become so popular that it was revived in the US. The series follows six college girls who have specialized fairy powers used to fight evil. Janice Burgess was a co-editor for the Nickelodeon revival of the show.
Moreover, Janice also worked on ‘Bubble Guppies’. Ashow that also features comedy and music, educating children while it does. The show features mermaids of different shades as they explore the water.
The success of the shows Janice Burgess has worked on speaks for her work. In 2008, she was awarded an Emmy for her show ‘The Backyardigans’. The show had won the Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Emmy. Furthermore, at some point in her career, she was made vice president of Nick Jr.
The children’s animation world sadly has lost one of its gems. A quote from Burgess about her inspiration is “I wanted to bring some of that fantastical nature to young children, but to do it in a way that is safe, hopefully not scary, and not ‘imitatable’ except in your head.”
Written By AriAnna Rathers
Sources:
Daily Mail: Janice Burgess – creator of Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans – has passed away at 72
Deadline: Janice Burgess Dies: Nickelodeon Executive Who Oversaw ‘Blues Clues’ Development, Created ‘The Backyardigans’ Was 72
Variety: Janice Burgess, ‘The Backyardigans’ Creator, Dies at 72
IMDb: Janice Burgess
Featured Image by Eric Holcomb’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by Sharyn Morrow’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
