Vernon Grant

Vernon Simeon Plemion Grant 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!

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.

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.

In the 1930s and 1940s Grant became one of the country's most popular and prolific illustrator of children's fairy tales, creating at least ten booklets and 25 individual prints. He did covers for Judge, Collier's and other magazines. In 1938, Life magazine ranked Grant as "America's favorite children's artist."

Grant worked with the USO during World War II, entertaining troops with sketches and fast-paced chalk talks. After the war, he moved to South Carolina while still working for New York clients.

In 1936, Grant met and married Elizabeth Fewell, a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina. They had two children, son Chip and daughter Kay. In 1947, Grant and his family established a 670-acre (2.7 km2) farm outside Rock Hill, raising Angus cattle and Concord grapes. Grant became active in farming organizations, and his farming practices were recognized with awards from state agricultural associations.

In the late 1950s, Grant led the Rock Hill Chamber of Commerce, promoting changes in city planning and public housing. He served as the city's first director of public housing from 1965 to 1971.

Grant continued making art until, in 1985, he felt he could no longer work to his own expectations and was forced to retire. He died in 1990 at age 88