Who was Raymond Briggs? Legacy of The Snowman creator explored as he passes away at 88

On August 9, 2022, Raymond Briggs, the creator of the children's picture book The Snowman, passed away at the age of 88. The news was first announced by Briggs' publishers from Penguin Random House on August 10.

While he was best known for his 1978 The Snowman book, he has been an illustrator, cartoonist, and graphic novelist since the early 1950s. Briggs was also the man behind the creation of iconic picture books such as Fungus the Bogeyman and Father Christmas.

Conveying the unfortunate news, Briggs' literary agent, Hilary Delamere, stated:

"Raymond liked to act the professional curmudgeon, but we will remember him for his stories of love and of loss. I know from the many letters he received how his books and animations touched people’s hearts. He kept his curiosity and sense of wonder right up to the last.”

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A look at Raymond Briggs' life and work as an illustrator

Raymond Briggs was born in London, England, in 1934. He completed his schooling from the Wimbledon School of Art and the Slade School of Art, London. During the early phases of his career, Briggs worked in advertising. However, he soon went on to become a children's book illustrator and a teacher of illustration at the Brighton College of Art.

Briggs first received major attention from the public for his book of nursery rhymes called The Mother Goose Treasury in 1966. He also won the Kate Greenaway Medal from The Library Association of the United Kingdom twice, once in 1966 and the second time in 1973.

Interestingly, Raymond Briggs has illustrated books by acclaimed authors including Allan Ahlberg. The artist has also illustrated his own picture books, two of which are the most successful children's books of his career, Father Christmas (1973) and The Snowman (1978).

Speaking about his reluctance to sell movie rights to producer John Coates for The Snowman, Briggs told The Guardian:

"Every five minutes, he’d raise the topic and I’d say no because I knew he’d commercialise it. Which he did. Done very well, at the same time.”

In the same interview with The Guardian, Briggs also opened up about his frustration with The Snowman book and movie merging in the public imagination. He noted:

"It annoys me that people think the book’s success is based on the film. It’s the other way around, for God’s sake! Not that I care."

Most of his books have also been translated into different languages and adapted into successful television cartoons, plays, and movies.

Furthermore, Briggs has also worked on the illustration strip, Ethel & Ernest (1998) which is noted to be a biography of his parents' lives. The story revolves around the time when the couple met and lived together for 41 years.

Raymond Briggs' other renowned books include Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), Unlucky Wally (1987), and The Bear (1994).

As for his adult fanbase, Raymond Briggs wrote a book titled When the Wind Blows (1982), which is claimed to be a satire on nuclear war. The book has been adapted into a successful play and movie, The Tin Pot Foreign General and The Old Iron Woman (1984).

In 2019, Briggs released his last picture book called Time For Lights Out, which also delves into the physical indignities that come as one ages. Speaking about the process of finishing the book, Raymond Briggs noted:

"I’d finish off some of the drawings that are only scribbles. You start drawing it, then you leave it, but you never get round to finishing it off. Everything takes so bl**dy long when you’re old. I’ve just spent half an hour getting dressed. Ludicrous!"

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While not much has been revealed about Raymond Briggs' last rites, his family's statement added that Briggs will be remembered for his “love of nature” and “sense of fun and craziness."