Debuted in 2000 through Creator's Syndicate, Flo & Friends is the co-creation of illustrator Jenny Campbell and writer John Gibel. The comic, centred on a small group of active, happy people of the older generation and appears in dailies and colour Sundays. The main character, Flo, has a job as a popular radio personality, receiving call-ins and doling out hilarious advice. Her fellow characters include wrinkly senior friends, her granddaughter Treggie and Cleo, a cat who is certain she is a fellow human.
The idea for a strip about the aging population germinated in the mind of John several years before the comic came to life. His pre-cartoon work experience included a stint at a major animation studio with clients of the likes of Disney and the ABC Television Network. He later opened his own animation and marketing business. He became a supporter of seniors who wanted employment and "created innovative job opportunities" for those who were interested. *(1)
John's inspiration for a comic strip was close to home: his father and grandfather and several older friends. "They were still young at heart, wanting to remain productive," John noted on the Creator's website. "Most of the ones who can smile and find humour in the aging process all have great stories to tell. Their common denominator is that they know how to laugh with others, and they know how to laugh at themselves." *(1)
Jenny Campbell was enlisted to bring Flo & Friends to life with her pen. She brought skills of writing, illustration and cartooning from her work at the Pasadena Star-News, The Orange County Register and independent book illustration. (She graduated with a BA in Journalism from Arizona State University in 1979.) Jenny's work has appeared in the Weekly Reader, Highlights for Children Magazine and in a number of children's books. Drawing children was her focus until she began work on Flo & Friends, where older people with lots of sparkle and personality are the predominant challenge. Her art in the comic strip is uncluttered and clear, with easy distinctions in the age groups appearing in the panels. Not a simple feat, by any means.
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