Polish cartoonist dies at 88

Outstanding Polish cartoonist, illustrator and graphic designer Bohdan Butenko died on Monday at the age of 88.

Bohdan Butenko drawing one of his signature characters, Gapiszon, pictured here in 2011.

Olaf [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Butenko was best known for his comic and children's books.

Among his most recognizable works are comic series featuring his signature characters, Kwapiszon, Gapiszon, Gucio the hippo and Cezar the dog.

Born in 1931, he started drawing illustrations for numerous Polish and foreign books in 1956.

His cartoons were published in children's magazines such as Miś, Płomyczek and Świerszczyk. Butenko also worked with Poland’s oldest weekly newsmagazine, Przekrój.

In 2011, he was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta.

(jh/pk)

Source: PAP