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Chet Stover, 90, 1960s adman, co-creator of "Underdog" -- in January 2016
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Jul 31, 2016, 12:46:09 AM7/31/16
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http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2016/01/18/obituaries/933844.txt
Chester A. Stover
Ad exec, co-creator of animated superhero Underdog
Monday, January 18, 2016 2:05 AM EST
LITCHFIELD — Chester A. "Chet" Stover, a Madison Avenue advertising executive who co-created the famous animated superhero Underdog, died on Jan. 12 in Litchfield. He was 90.
With his creative partner, fellow ad executive W. Watts "Buck" Biggers, he conceived the idea of Underdog as the humble, but lovable superhero who always spoke in rhyming couplets, and with the help of his super energy vitamin pills managed clumsily to foil villains like evil mad scientist Simon Bar Sinister, and save ace reporter Sweet Polly Purebred.
Stover and Biggers worked together at the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS) ad agency during the 1950s and then branched off to form Total Television Productions (TTV) to develop cartoon programming sponsored by General Mills.
TTV produced a number of successful shows including "King Leonardo" in 1960, "Tennessee Tuxedo"— the first educational show for the young audiences of Saturday morning television, "Go, Go Gophers," "Commander McBragg" and "Underdog." They developed plot ideas together, Biggers wrote the theme music for Underdog, and Stover drew the original drawings of Underdog and wrote the scripts.
Underdog later appeared in numerous comic books, a board game, a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a movie in 2007. In season seven, episode five of the TV show "Mad Men," Stover's successful real life move from ad agency to cartoon production is mentioned by one of the show's characters to justify that character's similar plan.
Chester A. Stover Jr. was born in Scranton, Pa. in 1925. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II, serving on the submarines USS Pike and USS Mero. After the war, he graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. in 1948.
He began working at DFS in the creative department writing ad copy and developing campaigns. His successful campaigns included coming up with the slogan "Indescribably Delicious!" for Peter Paul candy bars and The Cheerios Kid for General Mills.
He moved from New York to Litchfield in 1961 where he became involved in numerous community and civic organizations. He was on the local Planning and Zoning board, a founding member of the Litchfield Land Trust, a longtime member of the Oliver Wolcott Library board of directors, and directly involved in starting and developing the affordable housing program in Litchfield.
For several years in the 1960s, he owned and operated the local weekly newspaper, The Litchfield Enquirer.
He was a member of the National Ski Patrol, volunteering at Butternut Basin Ski area for 30 years, and worked as a trail maintainer for the Appalachian Trail in Northwestern Connecticut.
Stover's wife, Peggy, died in 2013 after 66 years of marriage. He is survived by two sons, Ryon Stover in Bozeman, Mont., and Evan Stover in Jackson, Wyo.; and a granddaughter, Katie Stover Hobbs in Portland, Ore.
To send an online condolence, kindly visit www.rowefuneralhome.net.
Chester A. Stover
Ad exec, co-creator of animated superhero Underdog
Monday, January 18, 2016 2:05 AM EST
LITCHFIELD — Chester A. "Chet" Stover, a Madison Avenue advertising executive who co-created the famous animated superhero Underdog, died on Jan. 12 in Litchfield. He was 90.
With his creative partner, fellow ad executive W. Watts "Buck" Biggers, he conceived the idea of Underdog as the humble, but lovable superhero who always spoke in rhyming couplets, and with the help of his super energy vitamin pills managed clumsily to foil villains like evil mad scientist Simon Bar Sinister, and save ace reporter Sweet Polly Purebred.
Stover and Biggers worked together at the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS) ad agency during the 1950s and then branched off to form Total Television Productions (TTV) to develop cartoon programming sponsored by General Mills.
TTV produced a number of successful shows including "King Leonardo" in 1960, "Tennessee Tuxedo"— the first educational show for the young audiences of Saturday morning television, "Go, Go Gophers," "Commander McBragg" and "Underdog." They developed plot ideas together, Biggers wrote the theme music for Underdog, and Stover drew the original drawings of Underdog and wrote the scripts.
Underdog later appeared in numerous comic books, a board game, a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a movie in 2007. In season seven, episode five of the TV show "Mad Men," Stover's successful real life move from ad agency to cartoon production is mentioned by one of the show's characters to justify that character's similar plan.
Chester A. Stover Jr. was born in Scranton, Pa. in 1925. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II, serving on the submarines USS Pike and USS Mero. After the war, he graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. in 1948.
He began working at DFS in the creative department writing ad copy and developing campaigns. His successful campaigns included coming up with the slogan "Indescribably Delicious!" for Peter Paul candy bars and The Cheerios Kid for General Mills.
He moved from New York to Litchfield in 1961 where he became involved in numerous community and civic organizations. He was on the local Planning and Zoning board, a founding member of the Litchfield Land Trust, a longtime member of the Oliver Wolcott Library board of directors, and directly involved in starting and developing the affordable housing program in Litchfield.
For several years in the 1960s, he owned and operated the local weekly newspaper, The Litchfield Enquirer.
He was a member of the National Ski Patrol, volunteering at Butternut Basin Ski area for 30 years, and worked as a trail maintainer for the Appalachian Trail in Northwestern Connecticut.
Stover's wife, Peggy, died in 2013 after 66 years of marriage. He is survived by two sons, Ryon Stover in Bozeman, Mont., and Evan Stover in Jackson, Wyo.; and a granddaughter, Katie Stover Hobbs in Portland, Ore.
To send an online condolence, kindly visit www.rowefuneralhome.net.
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