Geoffry Morgan Pike

Who is Geoffry Morgan Pike?

Geoffrey Morgan Pike is a British-born, naturalized Australian writer and cartoonist. He was born in Tottenham Middlesex, England on 17 October 1929. His parents are Mildred and Robert Pike. He has two siblings, Anthony J. Pike and Peter Robert Pike.

At age 14 he entered training on the Navy ship Indefatigable, and went to sea in 1945 aged 15. In 1949, Pike emigrated to Australia where he worked in the outback breaking horses, felling trees and sailing aboard deep-sea trawlers before he signed on as an artistic director on many popular cartoons such as Beetle Bailey and Krazy Kat with American Paramount Studios. Unbearable Bear in T.V. Tours, an animated cartoon series for Artransa Park Television, featured a globe trotting koala with itchy feet.

Pike worked with Bryce Courtenay at McCann Erickson advertising agency, most notably on the Mortein advertisement, "Louie the Fly". Bryce wrote the jingle and Geoff created the cartoon and animation. He also created the animation for the McWilliams' monk advertisement and the popular Yowie characters featured in children's picture books and Cadbury's line of confectionery containing small plastic toys.