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A Kurtzman designed counting short
Animation cel for Kurtzman's Sesame Street short, "Nellie 1-10/10-1"
Harvey Kurtzman (1923-1993) was a cartoonist known for his work as a founding editor of MAD magazine, and the creator of the Little Annie Fanny comics for Playboy.
In 1972, he was one of several established cartoonists and designers, including fellow MAD vet Jack Davis, hired by Phil Kimmelman & Associates to create unique aesthetic looks for commercials and educational inserts.
Kurtzman worked on several Sesame Street spots with Terrytoons veteran Dante Barbetta animating the segments. One segment features a snarling, surly sea captain ordering 20 numbers into a small boat. A second features the numbers one through twenty counting off in a military-style roll call (led by the number zero). A third, "Nellie 1-10/10-1" (in which Kurtzman's daughter Nellie contributes voiceover) displays numbers that are counted in a parade, interrupted by people and things.
Kurtzman's other forays into animation included work on the script for the 1969 Rankin/Bass animated feature Mad Monster Party, with designs by Jack Davis.