Original My Little Pony Sculptor - Bill Culbertson
Hi Pony Friends!! We would like to welcome and introduce you to our special guest:
Bill Culbertson!
Commercially, Bill began his career at Hasbro, Inc. in 1981 as an industrial designer in Research & Design, creating sculptural patterns for the first series of My Little Pony and G.I Joe. Within a short time, he was made Director of the Sculpture Department, guiding the sculptural creations of the company’s popular toy lines from Mr. Potato Head to My Little Pony and others. Moving into the freelance community in 1986, Bill developed a nationwide clientele including manufacturers, theme parks and cruise lines. Specializing in licensed characters he has extensive experience working with such clients as The Walt Disney Company, Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street Workshop, Nickelodeon and others. As an inventor, Bill is responsible for numerous toy concepts and designs.
As the founder of Whooplah LLC, Bill is committed to creating family-fun entertainment that helps parents meet and exceed their parenting goals. An experienced video game designer and developer, he recently released the large-scale video game environment portal, Pollywog Pond, for early learners. The game was nominated for a 2019 Kidscreen Award “Best New Video Game -Original.” The game is being developed into a children’s television series for national distribution, a co-production with Rhode Island PBS. A graduate of Towson University in Maryland, Bill earned a Master of Art in Art Education degree from The Rhode Island School of Design. Additionally, Bill has created and produced the award-winning puppet show, “Li’l Rhody!” for Rhode Island PBS. As a fine artist, Bill has been recognized internationally for his sculptural work through numerous large-scale public art works world-wide, including most recently, a memorial to Jim Henson in Hyattsville, Maryland. He has the distinction of being named a Copley Master Artist by the Copley Society of Boston. A Professor at New England Institute of Technology, Bill is a faculty member of the University’s nationally ranked Video Game Development and Design Department. With over eighteen years of post-secondary teaching experience, Bill’s teaching emphasis is in 3D modeling, animation and game development. Additionally, Bill has authored two textbooks on 3d modeling, 3ds Max Basics for Modeling Video Game Assets, Volumes I & II.
*Snack time luncheon with Bill Culbertson, is scheduled to be on Saturday with limited availability. Tickets will be available soon!
Follow Bill on Instagram @whooplah_sculpturelab
Bill Culbertson!
Commercially, Bill began his career at Hasbro, Inc. in 1981 as an industrial designer in Research & Design, creating sculptural patterns for the first series of My Little Pony and G.I Joe. Within a short time, he was made Director of the Sculpture Department, guiding the sculptural creations of the company’s popular toy lines from Mr. Potato Head to My Little Pony and others. Moving into the freelance community in 1986, Bill developed a nationwide clientele including manufacturers, theme parks and cruise lines. Specializing in licensed characters he has extensive experience working with such clients as The Walt Disney Company, Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street Workshop, Nickelodeon and others. As an inventor, Bill is responsible for numerous toy concepts and designs.
As the founder of Whooplah LLC, Bill is committed to creating family-fun entertainment that helps parents meet and exceed their parenting goals. An experienced video game designer and developer, he recently released the large-scale video game environment portal, Pollywog Pond, for early learners. The game was nominated for a 2019 Kidscreen Award “Best New Video Game -Original.” The game is being developed into a children’s television series for national distribution, a co-production with Rhode Island PBS. A graduate of Towson University in Maryland, Bill earned a Master of Art in Art Education degree from The Rhode Island School of Design. Additionally, Bill has created and produced the award-winning puppet show, “Li’l Rhody!” for Rhode Island PBS. As a fine artist, Bill has been recognized internationally for his sculptural work through numerous large-scale public art works world-wide, including most recently, a memorial to Jim Henson in Hyattsville, Maryland. He has the distinction of being named a Copley Master Artist by the Copley Society of Boston. A Professor at New England Institute of Technology, Bill is a faculty member of the University’s nationally ranked Video Game Development and Design Department. With over eighteen years of post-secondary teaching experience, Bill’s teaching emphasis is in 3D modeling, animation and game development. Additionally, Bill has authored two textbooks on 3d modeling, 3ds Max Basics for Modeling Video Game Assets, Volumes I & II.
*Snack time luncheon with Bill Culbertson, is scheduled to be on Saturday with limited availability. Tickets will be available soon!
Follow Bill on Instagram @whooplah_sculpturelab
Artist - Sarah Keefer
Sarah is an original My Little Pony Girl! Her very first pony was Starshine, a beautiful white pegasus with rainbow hair. These colorful ponies who love adventure and friendship certainly captivate the imagination. Sarah’s ongoing passion for vintage My Little Pony inspire her to create beautiful pony watercolors, using soft pastel colors and classic MLP art style to illustrate her favorite Windy Wings, TAFs, flutters, and many more!
Today her traditional hand-painted watercolor pony illustrations often feature floral, wildlife, and landscape elements to highlight the personality of each pony. Stop by her booth to see if you can find your favorite pony!
Original My Little Pony Packaging Designer - Ruth Bush
Introducing special virtual guest Ruth Bush! Join Ruth in her panel on Sunday of our event! She will be on our live stream and will be showing prototypes, samples and more from the G1 MLP line!
Ruth graduated in 1977 from Kutztown State College with a B.F.A. in Advertising Art. Her various commercial art positions included graphic designer at Hess’s in Allentown, Finance America, a BankAmerica Subsidiary, and Blue Cross in Rhode Island. She worked as a package designer at Hasbro Toys for primarily My Little Pony but also Jem, Fairy Tails, Get in Shape Girl, and Real Baby. Her job included layouts, attending photoshoots, and occasional label illustration for playsets. Once she moved into research and design she created MLP accessories and worked on playsets.
In the late 1980s Ruth relocated to the southwest, where she created packaging for Mr. Don Duncan Jr of Duncan yoyo fame, and other custom designed products and package design for small companies in the area. She owned a retail store with her husband in Bisbee AZ for ten years which sold all custom designed souvenir and gift items. It was a niche market and was widely received by locals and tourists. Following this venture she worked for an atelier art company designing and painting unique line pieces for the high end gallery industry. She was also introduced to the publishing market where hundreds of her pieces were published for the wall décor market, licensed on products, and sold through major retailers. This took her to Las Vegas where Ruth painted custom pieces for the hotel and casino industry. In 2005 she moved closer to family in Pennsylvania and opened an art retail store where she sold originals from the publishing market.
Currently Ruth has been interested in local history and volunteers for a Historical Society where she provides framing of historical items and any artistic needs that may arise. She carries her interest over into local scenery paintings with a nostalgic flair.