Stuart Hample

Stuart E. Hample (January 6, 1926 – September 19, 2010) was an American cartoonist, author, and performer, perhaps best known for the humor collections *Children's Letters to God* and *The Silly Book*. Born in New York City, Hample began his career in entertainment as a performer and playwright before turning to cartooning, sometimes working under the pseudonyms Joe Marthen or Turner Brown, Jr. His most notable comic-strip work was *Inside Woody Allen*, which he wrote and drew, adapting the filmmaker's persona and wit into a syndicated panel. Hample also collaborated with Woody Allen on several projects, including the comic-strip collection *Dread & Superficiality: Woody Allen as Comic Strip*. His style was loose, expressive, and deceptively simple, well-suited to both gag cartoons and his children's books. In his later years, Hample remained active in cartooning, with his final credited work appearing in 2009 for European publishers such as Ehapa. He is the father of baseball memorabilia collector Zack Hample. Hample received no major industry awards, but his books and strips have enjoyed enduring popularity, particularly *Children's Letters to God*, which has been adapted into a stage musical.