Who is the author of the famous cartoon "Never give up!" with a frog and a heron?

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Request for Question Clarification by crabcakes-ga on 19 May 2005 00:45 PDT

Hello achillea, 

I'm not sure the original artist can ever be identified. Here's what I found:

Which came first, the cartoon or the Photo-graphic? Stork, heron,
pelican, crane or bird?

The heron and frog cartoon may have been a spin-off of this cartoon by
Sal Sepulveda Jr.
Scroll down to 'Bobby Beaver says, "Never Give Up" "
http://home.earthlink.net/~scouters/sal.html#anchor673067

It appears that there are numerous versions of this cartoon:

"This cartoon of the frog and the stork with its caption, ?Never give
up?, reminds me of a soldier who was once forced to take shelter from
his enemies in a ruined building."
This site, as do many, refers to the cartoon, but does not display it.
http://www.sdfc.org.nz/Messages/msg030928.html

"A cartoon posted on the walls of the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center
depicts a large pelican preparing to devour a frog. The frog, despite
his small size and impending demise, has his hands in a vice grip
around the pelican's neck to keep from becoming swallowed. The
inscription on the cartoon is "Never Give Up.""
http://static.highbeam.com/o/ostomyquarterly/may011997/nevergiveupswimmingcoachathleteandostomypatientfre/

"?We have a cartoon posted on our refrigerator at home,? Mark?s father
says. ?It shows a stork with a frog?s head in its mouth, ready to
swallow him whole. However, the frog has managed to slip his hands
around the stork?s throat and is holding on for dear life. The caption
below the cartoon says, ?Don?t EVER give up!? "
http://www.mormonchic.com/mommy/chldrn_wh_stry.asp

"Or perhaps you have seen that cartoon that some people have in the
office spaces at work with a bird trying to swallow a frog. The frog's
head is in the bird's mouth and he looks doomed except that he has his
hands wrapped around the frog's throat choking him, and the caption
says, "Never give up." "
http://www.kenoshafpc.org/worship/sermons/0704/0725.htm

"For years, there was a cartoon on his humble office wall that
depicted a crane eating a frog, but the frog was choking the crane,
refusing to be devoured. The caption: ?Never Give Up!?"
http://www.insidenorthside.com/oct_nov04/art19.htm

"Drawn by "Waldo" back around 1982. This was his reply to a Tee shirt
I had showing a mouse flipping off a swooping eagle called "The last
act of defiance". As Waldo mused " At least in this one no one gets
eaten"."
http://www.rushjunkie.furtopia.org/

Painting commissioned from Tony Harmer
http://www.logobrand.com/art_gallery.shtml

Graphic Mac Design is the name under this illustration.
http://www.marshbunny.com/mbunny/wildlife/ngu.html

Graphic-Mac Designs seems to have an affiliation with MarshBunny and Cafe Press
http://www.graphic-mac.com/photographics/index.html

Graphic-Mac Desgins
http://www.graphic-mac.com/
Owner of Graphic-mac Designs
http://www.graphic-mac.com/about.html#resume

Cafe Press sells items with a nicer illustration
http://www.cafepress.com/shop/t-shirts/browse/Ntt-frog+t+shirts_Ne-1160_N-20568695+1279_Ntk-All_nr-1

Another cartoon version, no artist name
http://www.crazy-jokes.com/pictures/cartoons_16.shtml

Other images
http://www.kicknfx.com/images/frog_bird.jpg

http://www.toocooldesigns.nl/menus/images/Never-give-up-Frog.jpg

http://www.pa.uky.edu/~shlosman/anim/nevergiveup.jpg

http://www.salagram.net/never-give-up.gif

http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/10682.jpg

http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/giveup.jpg

If this is acceptable, I'll be glad to post it as the answer!

Regards, Crabcakes

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Clarification of Question by achillea-ga on 19 May 2005 05:31 PDT

Hello crabcakes, thanks for your info. 
I am talking about exactly the same picture as you can see in one of
your links:  "Drawn by "Waldo" back around 1982. This was his reply to
a Tee shirt
I had showing a mouse flipping off a swooping eagle called "The last
act of defiance". As Waldo mused " At least in this one no one gets
eaten"."
http://www.rushjunkie.furtopia.org/
Who is Waldo, is he a cartoonist? The reason I am asking I met a
person who sent me this picture with his signature on it, he claims
that he is the author of this drawing but I swear I have seen this
cartoon many times before I met this person. I little reaserch on the
net gave a lot of similar or even the same cartoon posted or referred
to on many websites, but there is no sign of an author of the
original. I will bring up my price to $20, if you can find out when
was it first published, how long ago?
Thanks,
Achillea

The artist who origionally drew it was a forth grade student named
James Dean. It was for a poster contest in 1992 at Sea Park Elementary
School in Satelite Beach Florida. I the correct drawing there should
is a signiture on the bottom right corner which cant be made out on
the low res images found online. Please get in contact with me if any
other knowledge is known, I would like to know where my original is.
Thanks.