Eric Hill, creator of Spot the Dog, dies aged 86

Updated

Author and illustrator Eric Hill, the creator of much-loved children's book character Spot the Dog, has died age 86.

He died at his home in California after a short illness, his publisher Puffin Books said in a statement posted online.

"Eric Hill was a master of simple design," the head of the company's children's division, Francesca Dow, said.

"He created one of the world's most loveable children's book characters - Spot, the charming, naughty, playful puppy, loved and appreciated across the world.

"Eric's ingenious lift-the-flap device turned the reading of a Spot book into a glorious game of hide and seek, enjoyed by children and adults alike."

Hill was born in North London, and cut his teeth as an illustrator while working as an errand boy in an arts studio.

He went on to work in advertising, and created Spot a few years after the birth of his son Christopher in 1976.

The Spot books have sold over 60 million copies around the world since the character debuted in Where's Spot? in 1980.

Hill, who often referred to himself as "Spot's dad", was awarded an OBE for his services to children's literacy in 2008.

He moved to the US with his family in the 1980s and is survived by his wife Gillian and two children, Christopher and Jane.

Topics: author, books-literature, arts-and-entertainment, united-states, england

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