Key, Ted

Ted Key (1912-2008) was an American cartoonist and writer who is best known for creating the character "Hazel".

Ted Key was born on August 25, 1912 in Fresno, California as Theodore Keyser. His father, a Latvian immigrant, changed the family name (originally Katseff) to Key during World War I. After graduating from the University of California- Berkeley in 1933, where he was art editor of the student newspaper and associate editor of the college magazine, Key moved to New York City and worked as a freelance cartoonist and wrote for the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency. While in New York, Key joined the Cartoonists Guild of America in an effort to increase the amount of money received for his work. During World War II, Key served in a public relations capacity with the United States Army Signal Corps.

Key developed the Hazel character, a maid and related characters Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, cats: Two Ton and Mostly; and dogs: Smiley and Schnoozel. The idea was picked up by the Saturday Evening Post in 1943 and cartoons featuring her Hazel began appearing in the magazine. The Saturday Evening Post retained exclusive rights to the character while it was published in the magazine. Hazel replaced the panel Little Lulu and became a regular monthly feature until the Saturday Evening Post ceased publication in 1969. However, Hazel was picked up by the King Features Syndicate and they began publishing the cartoon six days a week. Key adapted the Hazel character for other mediums. Hazel was used in promotional material and Key wrote a movie and musical treatments. Hazel was also successfully adapted into a non-animated television series, starring Shirley Booth. The show, produced by Screen Gems, aired initially on NBC for four seasons starting in 1961. The show as brought to a conclusion on CBS in 1966.

Key also published gag cartoons in other magazines including Collier’s and This Week . In addition to drawing cartoons, Key illustrated motivational materials published by Economics Press designed for children and businesses under the titles Positive Attitude and A Sales Bullet. Also a writer, Key authored the children's book Phyllis and wrote screenplays, several of which were produced as Walt Disney movies. These films, The Million Dollar Duck (1971), Gus (1976), The Cat from Outer Space (1978), all featured animals as leading characters. Key is also credited with also wrote the story for Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), which was produced in the United Kingdom. Key is also credited with creating the characters Peabody and Sherman.

The National Cartoonists Society named Hazel the Best Newspaper Panel cartoon in 1977. Key was also active with the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and was a speaker at the 1957 Canadian National Exposition.

For much of his career, Ted Key worked out of his home outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Key retired in 1993 and died on May 3, 2008.

From the guide to the Ted Key Papers, 1937-2008, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)