Bye-bye, Beetle. Arrivederci, Dick. The Museum of Cartoon Art is heading south.
The board of directors approved the move to Boca Raton, Fla., in a 16-2 mail-in vote, "Beetle Bailey" cartoonist Mort Walker said Friday.The museum, housed in historic Ward Castle since it was founded in 1979, features original cartoons by artists like "Dick Tracy" creator Chester Gould and "Prince Valiant" originator Hal Foster.
Museum directors have been looking for bigger quarters for the past two years and found what they wanted when Boca Raton officials gave them a $1 million piece of land.
They plan to build a 30,000-square-foot museum featuring 12 display galleries and rooms for large-screen exhibitions. The old museum was 5,000 square feet. It attracted about 50,000 visitors each year.