Art Clokey
He brought clay to life, creating the bendable green icon Gumby and pioneering a tactile, surreal style of stop-motion animation.
1921–2010 (age 89)·American animator·Birthday: October 12·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Art Clokey’s path to animation was unconventional. After serving in World War II and studying under experimental filmmaker Slavko Vorkapich, he fused his spiritual interests with a playful artistic vision. His first film, 'Gumbasia,' was a dizzying short of moving clay shapes set to jazz, a clear precursor to his later work. With his wife Ruth, he softened that abstraction into a character: a simple, green clay boy named Gumby, whose flexibility became a metaphor for imagination. Debuting on television in the 1950s, Gumby and his horse Pokey became staples of children’s programming, their handmade, slightly surreal world offering a stark contrast to the cel-animated cartoons of the era. Clokey later expanded his universe with the beloved 'Davey and Goliath,' using stop-motion to deliver gentle moral lessons. His legacy is the tangible, slightly imperfect charm of claymation, a technique he helped define for generations of artists.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Art was born in 1921, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Art Was Born
The biggest hits of 1921
#1 Movie
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Art's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1921Born
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1926Started school
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1934Became a teenager
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1937Could drive
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1939Could vote
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Turned 21
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1951Turned 30
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 40
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 50
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 60
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 70
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 80
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Died at 89
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Created Gumby and Pokey, characters who became cultural icons through television and film.
- Pioneered the use of stop-motion clay animation (claymation) for mainstream children's entertainment.
- Produced and directed the influential Christian-themed claymation series 'Davey and Goliath' for the Lutheran Church.
- His early experimental short 'Gumbasia' directly inspired the development of the Gumby concept.
Did You Know?
The name 'Gumby' was inspired by his stepmother's family phrase 'gumbo,' referring to the sticky clay mud on his father's farm.
He was a student of Eastern religions and considered becoming an Episcopal priest before pursuing film.
Clokey's biological father died in a car accident when he was nine; he was later adopted by his music teacher, Joseph Clokey.
The original Gumby figurine was made from a single, continuous piece of clay.
“I think Gumby is really a spirit. He represents the basic human need to be flexible, to have a sense of humor, to be resilient.”
