‘Ren & Stimpy’ Artist and Spümcø Co-founder Jim Smith Has Died, Age 70

Storyboard and Layout artist, character designer and musician Jim Smith (born James Carl Jobb) died on Friday, May 2, of a heart attack at age 70. The animation veteran was perhaps best known for co-founding indie studio Spümcø with working partner John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp and Lynne Naylor and co-developing the influential Nickelodeon series The Ren & Stimpy Show in 1991. Smith also co-created Spumco’s follow-up show The Ripping Friends with Kricfalusi (2001-2002).

The Lubbock, Texas-born Smith began his career as a layout and storyboard artist in the early 1980s, working on shows such as The Real Ghostbusters, The Get-Along Gang, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and Beany and Cecil. He was also an animator on the famous 1986 Rolling Stone music video Harlem Shuffle, directed by Ralph Bakshi and Kricfalusi and layout artist on Bjork’s 1995 music video, I Miss You, also directed by Kricfalusi.

He worked as a storyboard artist on Bakshi’s feature Cool World (1990), Warner Bros.’ Tiny Toon Adventures (1991) and Batman: The Animated Series (1992). He was also a character designer and storyboard artist on Nickelodeon’s The Ren & Stimpy Show in the 1990s. In the 2000s, his storyboard credits include Oh Yeah! Cartoons, Ice Age,  The Oblongs, Poochini, Ren and Stimpy Rocks, Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, SamuraiJack, The X’s, Tom and Jerry Tales, The Mighty B!, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and Scooby-Doo: Legend of the Phantasaur.

Smith continued to work as a storyboard artist for Warner Bros. Animation’s The Looney Tunes Show and background artist on Cartoon Network’s acclaimed Over the Garden Wall miniseries.

Smith was also an accomplished musician: He played the guitar on the Ren & Stimpy theme song, alongside Scott Huml and Chris Reccardi.

In a 2007 interview, Smith said, “At first, my inspiration was Jack Kirby, a Marvel Comics artist. But as far as animation, it was always Chuck Jones and Tex Avery. I didn’t really start gettin’ into Clampett ’til I met John… when I came to California. There was never any good prints of Clampett cartoons on TV in Texas. They always just played Chuck Jones and Friz Freling cartoons. But when I met John he showed me all these really cool cartoons. He’d freeze frame them. They were great. I got heavily into Clampett after that. I was always into Disney before….Another real real big influence on me was Frank Frazetta. He was an oil painter who painted a lot of paperback covers in the sixties. He was kind of famous for painting Conan. I think he’s the greatest painter that ever lived. I discovered him at a time when I didn’t really want to be an artist… when I was heavily into my music. But I kept on getting those paperbacks of his and gradually came back around. And I decided to draw for a living!”

His friends and colleagues shared heartfelt remembrances of Smith on social media. Writer Richard Purcel (@dickp2000) who worked with Smith on several projects wrote: “Oh man, we’ve lost another one of my artistic heroes, Jim Smith. I met Jim working my first animation gig on Tiny Toon Adventures where he had already commanded respect as one of the best in the business. He studied classic film composition, taught life drawing. He was a mentor, patient, and humble. His skills were undeniable. Rest in Peace, Jim. You made the world a much better place.”

Spumco co-founder and Ren and Stimpy co-creator Bob Camp wrote:  “Happy Trails to Jim Smith, cartoonist and musician who has gone on to the big cartoon studio in the sky. He was one of the four original Spumco big-shots who co-created The Ren and Stimpy Show and the best draftsman of all of us.”