Gregory Grasshopper: Mr Magnetism Himself (Original)

Artist: Gordon Hutchings
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 8" x 11" (200mm x 280mm)
Date: 1987
Code: HutchingsGGMagnet

This is the unique original Gouache painting by Gordon Hutchings.

Gregory Grasshopper originally starred in a strip entitled 'Tiny Tales', later renamed 'Tiny Tales of Gregory Grasshopper' and, later still, 'Gregory Grasshopper's Magic Lamp'.

Gregory is a happy-go-lucky grasshopper who moves to the country after his life in a garden in town is disrupted by a noisy lawn-mower.

He finds himself an old teapot to live in and meets some of the locals, including Mr Bumble Bee, Dr Beetle, Lottie Ladybird, Wilbur Wasp and Belinda Butterfly. Before long, Gregory has created a little village out of old ice cream pots, chocolate boxes, tin cans and old books of matches.

This art was published in Playhour 11 July 1987. The late date may explain why the art is in black and white rather than the full colour we associate with Hutchings work on the feature. That said the art looks to have been remounted so it may have had an earlier publishing history.

• Artist Biography
  Gordon Hutchings
  Gordon Hutchings took over the long-running Gulliver Guinea-Pig strip from Philip Mendoza around 1961 and his crisp charming work appeared in Playhour and later the Teddy Bear Annual.