Happy Trails, Jim Smith: A Ren & Stimpy Co-Creator Who Redefined Cartoon Chaos

From Marvel-inspired doodles to Nickelodeon madness, the Spümcø co-founder left an indelible mark on animation and music—one wild, surreal frame at a time.

Ren & Stimpy cavort on their eponymous show.

Jim Smith, the multifaceted artist, musician, and animation visionary best known for co-creating The Ren & Stimpy Show, passed away on May 2 at the age of 70 following a heart attack. A founding member of the boundary-pushing indie studio Spümcø alongside John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, and Lynne Naylor, Smith was instrumental in shaping the surreal, anarchic tone that would define early '90s animation.

His career spanned decades and styles, from quirky Saturday morning shows to underground music videos, always anchored by his unmistakable draftsmanship and offbeat sensibility. Beyond Ren & Stimpy, Smith lent his talents to The Ripping Friends, Cool World, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Samurai Jack, Ice Age, and Over the Garden Wall, among many others.

Born James Carl Jobb in Lubbock, Texas, Smith came to animation through a love of comics, music, and genre-bending art. His influences ranged from Marvel’s Jack Kirby to animation greats like Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, and Bob Clampett—whom he discovered thanks to Kricfalusi’s deep cartoon archive. A gifted guitarist as well, Smith even played on the Ren & Stimpy theme song.

Friends and colleagues described him as humble, generous, and fiercely talented. Bob Camp remembered him as “the best draftsman of all of us,” while writer Richard Purcell called him “a mentor… who made the world a much better place.” In every chaotic facial expression, rubbery character pose, and warped background he sketched, Smith brought humor, heart, and a fiercely original vision. The animation world—and its weirdest corners—won’t be the same without him.

For more on Jim and his bizarre, hilarious work, see the original Animation Magazine article here.