Best letter to a fan, ever, by John Kricfalusi

Handwritten letter by Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi to then-14-year-old aspiring cartoonist Amir Avni is revealed as ne plus ultra of fan correspondence. What a cool guy. Read: "Your pal, John K" (via Ehrich Blackhound)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: Art and Design

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

MooseDesign

Oh this is tits… And Wil Wheaton is thrown into the mix for good measure in the IAMA dishing out praise.

What an absolute gem to find this and the subsequent IAMA has basically evaporated my morning. Thanks!
undergroundbastard

Yeah, the IAMA vaporized my late night.

Including this interview he did with Mike Judge back in ’95.
ronton

Very cool. Something personal, thoughtful and instructive like this can inspire a kid for a lifetime.
Anonymous

that was indeed awesome :-)
Christovir

This is a wonderful thing.
scifijazznik

How cool! Genuinely moving and inspiring.
Xopher

The word ‘heartwarming’ doesn’t come close, and has acquired some sticky-sweet connotations that are entirely inapposite here.

Wow. What a great guy.
Anonymous

I’ll bet Mark will love this post.
TEKNA2007

How completely and totally awesome. The world needs more people like John Kricfalusi.

His letter shapes remind me of his sketched cartoon shapes. And Walt Disney’s signature.
Anonymous

That’s pretty cool of John K. to do that. It says a lot about his personal character that he would sit down and write such a letter. I’ve heard other anecdotes about him that would suggest to me that he’s genuinely a cool guy, which naturally makes it easier to enjoy his already outstanding cartoons.

Scott Adams replied to an email I sent him years ago, when I was younger and curious about cartooning. His reply, as I remember, was similarly forthcoming and positive. I also briefly spoke to Berke Breathed via email some years ago, and he was a decent guy, too. The point to mentioning that is that it’s always a bit of a shock when you talk to a famous person and they’re not a jerk. I get the impression that cartoonists, in particular, must be an affable bunch.
undergroundbastard

You should check out last night’s IAMA session with John K. I’ve never seen anyone respond to so many questions during one of these Q&A’s.

One of the best lines:

“That’s why I say get the violence off the streets and put it back into the cartoons where it belongs. Then there will be a world of love, not war.”
Anonymous

Very cool! In the past I’ve heard about artists who refuse to read manuscripts or give advice to those who are looking to them for inspiration. Mr. Kricfalusi is a good guy for helping people find their talent.