Vernon Simeon Plemion Grant

Vernon Simeon Plemion Grant (April 26, 1902 – July 9, 1990) was an American illustrator known for his whimsical gnome characters and fairy tale drawings. Over seven decades, Grant created hundreds of illustrations for advertising (General Electric, Gillette, Hershey's. Kellogg's) and major magazines, including Judge and Ladies' Home Journal. He is best known as creator of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal characters Snap! Crackle! and Pop!

Biography Early life and education Grant was born on April 26, 1902, in Coleridge, Nebraska, to Oliver Simeon Grant and Chloe Barkley Grant. When Grant was six years old, his family moved to South Dakota where they homesteaded. His experiences living on the prairies served as the inspiration for many of the artworks he would create throughout his career. While there he also learned illustration techniques from his beloved school teacher cousin Nellie Grant. As a teen, Grant moved with his family to California. He studied business law and public speaking at the University of Southern California and, at age 21, enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. To help pay for his education, Grant developed his chalk talks, which became a popular act on the vaudeville circuit.

Illustrations In 1932, a Grant Santa Claus illustration was used for the cover of Ladies' Home Journal. The next year, a radio commercial for Kellogg's Rice Krispies inspired the gnome-like mascots Snap! Crackle! and Pop! He soon became the lead illustrator for Kellogg's products, becoming so popular that in 1935 the company sent him on a world tour to promote their cereals.

Influence and legacy In his book Great Cartoonists and Their Art, political cartoonist Art Wood wrote:

Archives The Museum of York County has exhibited Grant's artwork since 1979. A permanent Vernon Grant Gallery was established at the Museum in 1990. In 2006, the Grant's family donated a collection of more than 1,000 items, including scrapbooks, studio furniture and original artwork, to the Culture & Heritage Museums which manages the Museum of York County. The Museum gift shop sells merchandise based on Grant art, including limited edition prints, books, Christmas ornaments, coloring books and playing cards.

Kellogg's Archives houses another substantial collection of original Grant artwork. In 1993, Kellogg's gave the Museum of York County reproduction rights to produce merchandise of art featured in the exhibition "Seventy-five Years of Gnomes and Folks—A Tribute to Grant's Career".

Festivals In the early 1960s, the city of Rock Hill created its Come-See-Me festival to feature the city's Glencairn Garden, with an owl drawn by Grant as a mascot. In 1965, Grant created Glen the Frog, which has been the festival mascot ever since. A new festival, ChristmasVille, was begun in Rock Hill in 2006. The festival spotlights Grant's many Santa Claus and winter illustrations. The festival mascot is Grant the Gnome.