Who is the B. Kliban Cat
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Love to eat them mousies . . .
I fell in love with B. Kliban's striped cat in the mid-1970s, shortly after illustrator Bernard Kliban's first book, Cat, was published. Now, this ubiquitous, rather portly striped cat graces everything from books to shirts to sugar bowls which, by the way, are great collectible pieces.
Here's my favorite B. Kliban cat verse (picture the cat sitting on a stool, strumming a guitar, singin' a tune):
Love to eat them mousies. . .
Mousies what I love to eat.
Bite they little heads off,
nibble on they tiny feet.
The B. Kliban Cat Creator at a Glance
The B is for Bernard. Now you know.
- Bernard "Hap" Kliban (January 1, 1935 - August 12, 1990) was an influential cartoonist born in New York.
- He studied at the Pratt Institute and spent time painting and traveling in Europe before moving to California, where he lived in the North Beach section of San Francisco with his wife, Mary Kay and his daughter Kalia (Mary Kay was his first wife and a talented artist who later also became a noted cartoonist in her own right as M.K. Brown ).
- In 1962, Kliban became a Playboy cartoonist, contributing cartoons until his death. He is best-known for the book Cat, a collection of cartoons about cats drawn in Kliban's distinctive style. The cat cartoons were discovered by a Playboy editor and the 1975 book Cat was born. This led to several other books of cartoons ending with Advanced Cartooning in 1993. Since Cat, his cartoons have adorned many products including stickers, calendars, mugs, and t-shirts.
- Bernard "Hap" Kliban died at the young age of 55, two weeks after undergoing heart surgery at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He is survived by his wife, Judith Kamman Kliban (who later married actor Bill Bixby shortly before Bixby's death in 1993), as well as two daughters from other marriages, Kalia and Sarah Kliban.
Quick Poll: What do you think of the B. Kliban Cat?
"Cat"
The Anniversary Edition of B. Kliban's first cat cartoons book.
"Love is an important and operative word in this little volume. Not one of Kliban's cartoons is made at the expense of cats. Instead, each opens a door to the essential nature of our furry friends, and the non-judgmental affection that they display to those in their circle of trust. A snarl turns into a lick, a meow into a purr and then all is well. Kliban is the only artist I know who has managed to really capture the feline Mona Lisa smile. You know, the one that cats use to melt their owners. Cats forgive with a grace from which us humans could learn a great deal. And Kliban captures it all. Many of the cartoons are not really cartoons, but innocent studies of the artists own cats, drawn with genuine affection."
(From a reader's review of this book at the link below on amazon.com)
The 2012 B. Kliban CatCalendar
Add this one to your Kliban Calendar Cats collection!
Click here to see the inside pictures
This is a must-have for any serious B Kliban collector, and a favorite of cat lovers everywhere. Enjoy 12 months of B Kliban cat art, in crisp color. Printed with soy-based ink.
B Kliban 2012 Mini Wall Calendar
Perfect for small spaces. Take it to work and enjoy cats in your cube.
Click here to see the inside pictures
The only thing this smaller format Kliban cat calendar (7 x 7 inches unopened) skimps on is size. Contains 12 B Kliban cat picture pages, one for each month of 2012.
B Kliban 2012 Desk Calendar
Tear off pages, perfect for your desk or in the kitchen.
Click here to see samples of the inside pages - in color
Ah, a leap year's-worth of B Kliban cats. Saturday and Sunday share a page, the rest of the days each get their own page and adorable B Kliban cat art. These cats will put a smile on your face every morning of the new year!
B Kliban Cats Planner for 2012
An engagement calendar for the cat lover.
Click here to see an inside page spread
This softcover engagement calendar has a two-page spread for each week with plenty of room to record all of your important engagements. Daily planners don't get more fun than this one, especially for B Kliban cat lovers and collectors.
B Kliban Cat Postcard Calendar for 2012
Let the colorful cats of Kliban help you plan your week.
Click here to see an inside page
Plan each week with the help of this B Kliban postcard calendar. 26 detatchable postcards for you to stamp and mail to your cat-loving friends all your long. Learn more about the artist, B. "Hap" Kliban, in the enclosed essay. What a wonderful gift that keeps on giving all year long!
Looking for B Kliban Cat Cards?
So am I! They're rare.
Kliban Cat Mugs
Who needs coffee when you have these feline mugs on your mugs!
B. Kliban Cat Rubber Stamps
Kliban cat stamps and other craft items from eBay
B. Kliban Cats on Clothes
All I want for Christmas is a Kliban Cat T-Shirt!
More B. Kliban Cat Collectibles on eBay
As items with his image become more scarce, it seems that the fat striped cat is more popular than ever.
B. Kliban's Other Cartoons
It wasn't always about cats. (These books aren't for kids.)
Shout Out for the B. Kliban Cat!
What do you think of B. Kliban and his cats? Like this page? Leave us a comment, then bookmark us so you can visit again.
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WildWilliams
Feb 16, 2012 @ 6:01 am | delete
- Cats make for great cartooning, not everybody likes them but it's easy to make anyone laugh at their antics.
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Ericastanciu
Jan 1, 2012 @ 10:46 pm | delete
- I love this lens! Sooo cute. My cat Mischief rocks. I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at my lens. It's about a new, self-published novel. If not I completely understand. Have a great 2012.
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MareeT
Dec 3, 2011 @ 1:30 am | delete
- Love these cats and especially my favorite the MomCat. Great lens!
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cmadden
Dec 2, 2011 @ 11:33 pm | delete
- Mousies! Mousies! Mousies! Love the mousies poem! Kliban cats rule! Bookmarking, squidliking, and FB liking. Thank you for the lens!
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Frankster
Sep 3, 2011 @ 7:41 pm | delete
- I love the Kilban cat. Cute. Cute. Another excellent lens. Bear hugs, Frankster
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CCGAL Jul 29, 2011 @ 7:30 pm | delete
- This is another case of my recognizing the art without knowing who the artist was. This was quite a learning experience for me, and an enjoyable one at that. Nice work!
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jptanabe
Jul 29, 2011 @ 9:35 am | delete
- Love the Kliban cats - great collection here! Think I want a calendar of Kliban cats for 2012, and a mug of course!
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phoenix-arizona-friends
Jul 18, 2011 @ 11:39 pm | delete
- Cool lens.
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TapIn2U Jul 12, 2011 @ 10:52 pm | delete
- Great lens! A tribute to the Kliban Cat. Loved the Kliban Cat collectibles. Sundae ;-)
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Treasures-By-Brenda
Jul 12, 2011 @ 8:36 pm | delete
- I am not too familiar with Kliban, although I am pretty sure there are mugs with Kliban on them.
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by Susan52
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