Bud Luckey - Television Commercials

Television Commercials

As an advertising agency Art Director and Producer from 1961 to 1969 at the Guild, Bascom & Bonfigli (Advertising)Agency (which agency merged with Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, now Saatchi & Saatchi, in 1967), Bud Luckey worked on TV commercials for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (Tony the Tiger), Froot Loops (Toucan Sam), and Rice Krispies (Snap, Crackle and Pop) as well as Interstate Bakeries' Dolly Madison products featuring Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts characters. He created the "Bosco Dumbunnies" characters for the Best Foods Chocolate Flavor Milk Amplifier product Bosco Chocolate Syrup – the commercial spots were animated by renowned animators Fred Wolf and Jimmy Murakami. He won a Clio Award in 1966 for the General Mills commercial Betty Crocker – "Magic Faucet."

Luckey also worked with animator Alex Anderson, who created the characters of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle, and Dudley Do-Right, as well as the more obscure Crusader Rabbit. Anderson was the Vice President of Television at the Guild-Bascom-Bonfigli Agency at that time.

The Guild-Bascom-Bonfigli Agency, despite its San Francisco location, was also well known for its work on political campaigns. The agency's Creative Director, Maxwell "Bud" Arnold, was considered a foremost expert in the budding field of television advertising for politics and Arnold's expertise brought many key political figures to the agency's roster. In that regard Luckey also did work on the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey who were clients of that agency during his tenure.

Charles M Schulz's Peanuts characters, such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy were used by the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample agency for its client Interstate Bakeries's products sold under the Dolly Madison brand name. Bud Luckey was placed in charge as the Senior Art Director/Producer for all advertising containing Schulz characters. As a result Luckey often visited Schulz to review material as well as famed animator Bill Melendez who's studio produced the animation containing the Schultz characters. Luckey's relationship with Schultz and Melendez was such that after Luckey left the agency in 1969 to form his own animation company, Dancer Fitzgerald Sample contracted him for several years to continue working on the Dolly Madison campaigns featuring Schultz' characters.

Whilst working at the Guild Bascom & Bonfigli / Dancer Fitzgerald Sample agency, Luckey first collaborated with copywriter Don Hadley. The two became lifelong friends until Hadley's death in 2007. After leaving the agency, Hadley and Luckey co-created numerous short films for the Sesame Street television series. Hadley also worked with Luckey at PIXAR in the early 2000s prior to his death. Their collaborative work at PIXAR had not been publicized by the studio as of April 2012.

Puppeteer Jim Henson worked with Luckey on commercials during the mid-1960s. They remained close friends until Henson's death in 1990. That friendship later resulted in Luckey's work on Sesame Street and his illustration work featuring Henson's Muppet characters in the 1970s and 80s.