Theodore W. Drake (September 2, 1907 – May 25, 2000)[1] was an American cartoonist, graphic artist, and sports artist known for creating the college-sports mascot the Notre Dame Leprechaun and possibly the NBA Chicago Bulls logo.
Drake is probably best remembered for the creation of the Notre Dame Leprechaun, for which he was paid $50.[2] The Leprechaun was first used on the 1964 football pocket schedule and later on the football program covers, and featured on the cover of Time magazine in November 1964.[3] Ted Drake has been credited by The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune as the creator of the Chicago Bulls logo, but commercial designer Dean Wessel has also been credited as the author of the Bulls logo.[4][5] In the early 1950s, Drake was the main graphic artist for the Kukla, Fran and Ollie television puppet show, creating its opening titles along with album covers, newsletters, advertisements, and even Christmas cards.[6]
References
- 1."United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JPPG-X6K: accessed 23 Feb 2013), Theodore Drake, 25 May 2000; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
- 2."Ted Drake, 92, Creator of Notre Dame Logo". The New York Times. May 30, 2000.
- 3.Chaliapin, Boris (November 20, 1964). "Ara Parseghian". Time. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
- 4.Press, The Associated (2000-05-30). "Ted Drake, 92, Creator of Notre Dame Logo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- 5.Smith, Lilly (2020-05-15). "The '90s-era Chicago Bulls were iconic. So why is the logo such a mystery?". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2025-04-16. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- 6.Ted Drake, Kuklapolitan Artist