This just in from blog reader Vincent Potuto:

[Hi Didier - Thought you might like to see some pics and information about my animation teacher and friend Milt Neil ( taught me for 9 years) who worked for Disney and the Howdy Doody show

"We all knew Milt Neil as "The Duck Man", because of his 14 years of work as a leading artist at Walt Disney Studios. ("They called me "The Duck Man" for awhile because I worked on Donald Duck stuff for quite a long time when he first came out in 1934-5... [as well as] everything from Snow White all the way up to Fantasia.") , Pinocchio 40, Fantasia 40, Dumbo 41, Saludos Amigos 43, Donald Duck 43 [Der Fuehrer's Face 43] academy award , Mickey Mouse, The Three Caballeros 45.

In 1947 he was freelancing and designing children's toys for The Unique Art Manufacturing Company in Newark, New Jersey when Howdy Doody burst into glory. He suggested to his company it would be a great show on which to advertise their toys and sure enough they became one of the first advertisers.

Milt Neil went on to design practically all the products that came out under the Howdy Doody name working with the Milton Bradley Company, all the toys, games, clothing and anything else the Kagran Corporation could promote.

Animator and comic artist Milt Neil died in October, 1997.

Anyone who has ever driven Highway 101 between Oxnard and San Luis Obispo has seen Neil's cartoon logo for the omnipresent Anderson's Pea Soup billboards.]