Jessica Herman

Acres of really happy people sell products and productivity at The Motivation Show at McCormick Place.

Among them, Ziggy's cartoonist Tom Wilson is a life-size advertisement for inspiration and optimism."He's a motivated guy but not in a traditional sense," the Cleveland-based artist says of his really optimistic cartoon and merchandising character. "He's always the butt of somebody's joke, but he's still going strong."

Of course, like every Coach, Coleman, or Canon representative who comes to Chicago with a financial agenda, Wilson is shilling the DVD release of "Ziggy's Gift" and his new company, "Character Matters." "We find out the true character of a business or brand and put it in character form," Wilson explains as he waves over autograph-seeking fans. "It's almost a Zen way of looking at it."

While the launch of the venture is Wilson's latest project, his eyes really twinkle when he talks about the short, fat and bald guy he's lived with for nearly 35 years. "You just want to hug him," he grins, bending over the pile of papers onto which he's penned original Ziggys.

He squints and quotes Einstein as he tries to simplify the complexities of the character. Perhaps because he's been with Ziggy for so long--taking over from his father twenty years ago--Wilson gestures and speaks about the character as if he's alive.

"I would love to write "The Far Side" for Ziggy but I can't," Wilson adds, explaining how the character tells him what does and does not work in the strip. "Ziggy's just not that kind of humor."

(2004-09-29)

Also by Jessica Herman

Dialogue by design
Two headless torsos cloaked in black apparel dangling from the ceiling are not what you might expect for a boutique's window display. Then again, hejfina is not your typical boutique.
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Spin Control
A compilation mixed by Philadelphia producer/DJ King Britt and produced by Milan Records, is intended to embody the experience of lounging on the Chicago Park Hyatt's seventh floor
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To the Gill
"Let's put it this way. I never dress my women in black and red. It's just gross," says Mark Gill
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The art of the discount
Exercising a kind of affirmative action, Lincoln Park Athletic Club offers an artist's discount
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Boutiqueville
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Unabashedly cheesy
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Bird watching
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Pretty in pink
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Shopping around
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Unstoppable
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Cupping runneth over
(2004-07-27)

Fancy fleas
(2004-07-13)

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