Rumen Petkov

Rumen Petkov (1948-2018) was a Bulgarian animator, painter and comic creator. He is best remembered for the animated series Choko the Stork and Boko the Frog, which he also adapted into a comic strip, and his influence helped form a new generation of young Bulgarian comics artists.

He was one of the main artists of Duga ("Rainbow"), the comics magazine that was the most popular with several generations of Bulgarian children. His adventures of Choko and Boko were widely popular in Bulgaria during the 1970s and 1980s. He also directed animated films such as Friends of Gosho the Elephant and Treasure Planet. In 1985 he won the Palme d'Or for Best Short at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Ottawa Animation Festival.

In the 1990s he worked as a writer, storyboard artist and animation director on episodes of American series such as Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel. Artists who emerged under his influence include Vladimir Nedialkov, Koko Sarkisian, Ivan Kirjakov and Sten Damyanov.