Tex Avery left his mark on the cartoon world, and now it is spread all over his hometown – Taylor.
The Toon Squad scavenger hunt, a project started by local artist Dennis Levitin, is now underway. Levitin began the project last year painting cartoon characters on surfaces inside local businesses. The purpose of the cartoons is to draw more people to Taylor while supporting local businesses.
“It’s a cartoon scavenger hunt project to promote awareness about Tex Avery, who was actually born here in Taylor,” Levitin said.
The first set of characters for the project were Chilly Willy and Screwy Squirrel, also known as Screwball Squirrel, at the Taylor Press.
Currently, the project features more than 25 Tex Avery characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird. Lesserknown characters such as Red Hot Riding Hood, Blackie the Cat and Short the king-size canary are also included. All of the characters are drawn freehanded by Levitin.
The idea was to bring more activity and awareness to local businesses. With a scavenger hunt of cartoon characters created by a Taylor-born artist, the project has a local appeal.
Participants must turn in a scavenger hunt checklist with at least five different locations checked off. They will then be entered into a drawing for a prize basket compiled of items from participating businesses.
The scavenger hunt is open to anyone who wants to participate.
SCAVENGER HUNT RULES
• Look for a checklist in the Taylor Press or the FYI magazine, produced by the Taylor Press
• Visit locations and check off at least five characters
• Return checklist to the Taylor Press, 211 W. Third Street
• Most importantly, have fun
