Paul Frank is an American cartoonist

Cartoonist

A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...

, artist and fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

 designer. His creations adorn clothing, accessories, and many other products. Julius the Monkey is one of Frank's best-known characters, and has appeared in a wide variety of media.

Biography

Paul Frank is a fashion designer focusing on menswear.
During the 1990's, he was an art student at Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...

. He bought a sewing machine

Sewing machine

A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...

 in order to complete small projects. One day, he used some spare orange vinyl to create a wallet and after seeing his work, his friends expressed interest in other accessories, so he began to sew items such as guitar straps and backpacks...

Career

...A few years later, Frank formed Paul Frank Industries

Paul Frank Industries

Paul Frank Industries is a privately-held California-based lifestyle products company, selling apparel and accessories.-History:The firm was founded in 1995 as a partnership between Paul Frank Sunich and two local businessmen Ryan Heuser and John Oswald , making vinyl accessories in a garage...

 in order to keep up with the demand for his products. He worked at another job during the day, but sewed and sold his products during his spare time. Paul Frank Industries currently has a multi-national presence.

Frank has collaborated with many bands including Bad Religion

Bad Religion

Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...

, Every Time I Die

Every Time I Die

Every Time I Die is a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. Their musical style is rooted in technical hardcore with strong southern metal and mathcore elements, and is also characterised by their cryptic, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. The band announced on July 14, 2008 that they had...

, Radiohead

Radiohead

Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...

, The Vandals

The Vandals

The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...

, Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...

, Atreyu

Atreyu (band)

Atreyu is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/lyricist Alex Varkatzas, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Marc McKnight and drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller...

, Tool

Tool (band)

Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...

, Gorilla Biscuits

Gorilla Biscuits

Gorilla Biscuits are a New York City-based vegan straight edge hardcore band consisting of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records.-Early career:...

, The Aquabats

The Aquabats

The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They have released five full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. They are best known for their mythology, in which they claim to be superheroes on a quest to save the world from evil through music...

, and Pretty Girls Make Graves

Pretty Girls Make Graves

Pretty Girls Make Graves was an art punk band, formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths song of the same name...

. Other musical collaborations include the Coachella festival

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...

, Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...

, and Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM

KROQ-FM

KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

.

He has collaborated with oths and companies, including Mattel

Mattel

Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...

, Oscar Mayer

Oscar Mayer

Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut production company, owned by Kraft Foods, known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon and Lunchables products.-History:...

, Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...

, Wahoo's Fish Taco

Wahoo's Fish Taco

Wahoo's Fish Taco is a restaurant chain that offers Mexican food mixed with Brazilian and Asian flavors. Categorized as a "fast casual restaurant", the quality and preparation time of its food is between that of a fast-food restaurant and a more formal restaurant.-History:Wahoo's was founded in...

, SHAG

SHAG (Josh Agle)

Josh Agle is an American artist, better known by the nickname SHAG.-Life:Agle's nickname is derived from the last two letters of his first name, and the first two letters of his last name...

, John Deere

John Deere

John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...

, Nirve Bicycles, Skullcandy

Skullcandy

Skullcandy is a Park City, Utah-based company that markets headphones, earphones, hands free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players and other products. The company was founded in 2003....

, Obey Giant, ProKeds shoes, Mark Ryden

Mark Ryden

-Early life:Ryden is the son of Barbara and Keith Ryden, born in Medford, Oregon but raised in Southern California. He has two sisters and two brothers, one a fellow artist named Keyth Ryden....

, Thomas Campbell

Thomas Campbell

Thomas Campbell was a Scottish poet chiefly remembered for his sentimental poetry dealing specially with human affairs. He was also one of the initiators of a plan to found what became the University of London. In 1799, he wrote 'The Pleasures of Hope' a traditional 18th century survey in heroic...

, Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty

is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...

, and Lego

Lego

Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...

.

Frank currently owns and heads the new design studios Treestitch Design, Inc. and Park La Fun. He has not been affiliated with Paul Frank Industries since November 2005. Frank's new label includes brand new characters, as well as a more hands-on, personal approach towards his new creations. Frank's new line includes handbags, wallets, t-shirts, and many other accessories all personally designed by Frank himself.

Frank often contributes art pieces to charity events and museum exhibitions. His most famous piece of art is Julius the Monkey. Other friends include Worry Bear, a bear; Spicoli, a hamster; Ellie, an elephant; and Clancy, a small giraffe. He also has Bunny Girl, a little human girl who lives down in a hole dressed in a bunny costume.

Influences

In 1972, Frank attended Sun View Elementary School in Huntington Beach, California. The building was painted in bright colors—rusty orange, light blue and gold-yellow—and Frank acknowledges this influence on his subsequent work. He also says that he is inspired by industrial designers: "...[artists who] design schools, desks, chairs, office furniture, bicycles, cars, blenders, toasters from the '40s through '60s, stuff like public buildings." Further, Frank says that much of his style has developed as a result of his love for music such as The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

, The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 and The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...

.

Personal life

In 2003, Frank met his wife, Susan Wang. They were married on June 18, 2005 at Disneyland and currently live in Southern California.

External links

• http://www.parklafun.com
• http://www.myspace.com/paulfrank
• http://www.paulfrank.com