 Today my father would have been 97. I love this photograph. Growing up, this is exactly how I remember him. He was ALWAYS at his drawing board. He was creating or (even "doodling") every single day of his life up until he took his last breath. Paul Fricke posted a beautiful tribute to him on instagram and shared that he was inspired by something
Jeff Rose posted the previous year. It simply was an invitation to honor my father's legacy by viewing something he created, whether it's reading a comic, studying a page or character design, sharing his work...or watching an episode of one of our podcasts. Thank you always to all of you who continue to honor him. Happy Birthday, Dad. Love, Dana, Carrie, Eric and Damon
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 Today, May 27th, is the anniversary of my father's passing. It has been nineteen years.
This image above is a postcard that my talented friend (and fan of my father's), Mark Stanleigh and I created for the 150th Anniversary of the Art Students League of NY. It is our understanding (through a brief interview my father did while alive) that he attended a class/classes there. While we have posted this card before--honestly, it says it all. I wish he were here to see what fans still say about his work all these years later. And, that there is a new generation of illustrators, cartoonists and comic book artists that continue to honor him. We are so grateful for all of you--and that you help us honor his legacy by "continuing the conversation". Dana A DONATION & A CELEBRATION for THE 150th ANNIVERSARY of THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE OF NEW YORK.3/30/2025  When my father passed away, I had an overriding desire to support future students of cartooning, animation, illustration & design. It truly was the main impetus of getting involved with his legacy in any way. Looking back, most of us would agree that fundamentally he was a teacher as well as a creative genius. In each of his letters, and in each conversation--was an in depth sharing and wealth of information. In those final years, he and I spoke about how he could continue to teach. He had more to say, and I'd hoped the inspiration and venue would find him. When he received fan mail while in ICU, it brought tears to his eyes. As he read it, his words were "they finally get it; they understand." Because, somewhere in each correspondence was a reflection of the words he preached and how those words had made a difference in their work: "keep it simple; draw it with the fewest lines, and tell the story in the fewest words". The family proudly embraces the responsibility to be part of what fans have ensured lived on all these years--(a conversation that continues about Dad's work and his teachings.) So when we were approached and invited to participate in The Art Students League of New York's 150th Anniversary Celebration, we more than embraced the opportunity. We are not sure if our father took one class there, or a few--as we can only find evidence of his attendance in an interview whereby he briefly mentioned it. But the fact that there is a new generation of students studying this medium would have great meaning for him. One of our panel members, Mark Stanleigh, came up with the idea to create t-shirts for this event. And so he generously did. The piece of art for the design was borrowed from Jeff Rose, another panel member, and creator of the original TothFans website (that my father endorsed). My father had written the words to him. We also created and donated a postcard hand out and "doodle pad" for the event exhibitors on April 5th, when they hold their own mini Comic-Con. Here's to a successful celebration & event, and more opportunities to support schools & students in the future! Dana   Dear Fans:
We are looking ahead to all good things in 2025! My family and I appreciate the continued interest and passionate conversation about our father and his work. Thank you. We launched our line of "official" T's, and we will be expanding along the way--so please reach out with ideas! We have finally found the ultimate home for Bravo and our father's work & collections. We will finalize that relationship in early 2025. More to come when we are able to officially announce those details. Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous, creative 2025! In gratitude, The Toth Family www.AlexanderToth.com  Well, I finally gave myself permission to buy
a new MAC desktop, which frankly cost the same as the one I bought 15 years ago. I just love that. It was time. I'm not the fastest at the technical learning curve, but working on some additional designs and learning how to interface with a new platform for printing was the best impetus for me (although in my frustration, I behaved like my father on more than one occasion.) Please visit AlexanderToth.com to see the new designs now available in our store. Our printer ships Worldwide, so hoping to reach fans everywhere--especially for Holiday! I want to thank my dear friends Mark S, Jeff R, and Paul F for their generous input. Please always feel free to reach out with concepts. We appreciate you and your appreciation of our father's work. Dana & The Family www.alexandertoth.com
 Here is a link to John Hitchcock's YouTube video created at "The Hero's Convention", where he spoke about his personal relationship with our father, including details from his book: "The Dear John Alex Toth Doodle Book". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IQdmw7VqMI  As a young girl and into my teens, each year, on my father's birthday, I wondered what on earth to get him. I knew little about him, except a few generic things: he liked licorice, gummy bears and needed tums; he "puffed" but didn't "inhale"; he liked models (both types, the female human-type, and the plastic model versions of the cars and planes he admired); he preferred candy from Europe or Canada (and he liked their lifestyle and politics better as well); he shopped exclusively at Trader Joes and kept a wide variety of dried fruit and nuts for nibbles; he liked trains (and loved talking about steam engines); and his art supplies were simple. He craved nothing my allowance could afford, including a hamburger at his favorite place (which would include cigarette smoke wafting into my face.) In later years, I grew to watch how these things connected. He was visual, simple, minimalistic, and treasured connection, conversation, integrity... and "tried & true." These days, in my mind, that is my guiding voice with anything attached to him, his work, and his following. This year, we created a T-shirt (available on AlexanderToth.com) to commemorate the birthday (June 25th) of our father, Alex Toth, and the partnered launch of “TOTHcentric,” an ongoing series featuring discussions and analysis surrounding our father's legacy and work. The episodes will be hosted by cartoonist, educator and passionate Toth fan, Paul Fricke, on his newly branded podcast/video program, "COMIX CRUSH”. A must see. Happy Birthday, Dad...!  My father was the late, great cartoonist, Alex Toth. May 27th is the anniversary of his passing. He died at his drawing table way too early, but had made peace with much in his life. Even though today marks 18 years since his death, there are still many who talk about, write about, and celebrate his work and contribution to the comic industry.
Jeff Rose created the original and official TothFans website in 2001, and hosted it all these years. Now because of time limitations, Jeff would like to turn it over to someone new. We are currently looking for that unique replacement. We developed this simple pageholder not only to hopefully carry on with a blog and ongoing discussion, but to link to the original site so that we preserve the format and retain the original content. You can access it by clicking on this link TothFans.com Our family is grateful for all those who still hold our father and his work in high regard, and we certainly look forward to continuing the conversation in all creative forms and expressions, including future content on this site. More to come! Dana (Toth) Palmer AlexanderToth.com |
AuthorJeff Rose was the original TothFans.com creator and host. Archives
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