Rocky and Bullwinkle producer Jay Ward was born in 1920 with the name J Troplong Ward. Since nobody could understand a J without a period, it became easier to spell it Jay and then people understood the name. Jay attended the University of California at Berkeley and the Harvard Business School, though he didn't like anybody to mention it.

After several years working in real estate, Ward, and his childhood friend Alex Anderson, decided against conventional wisdom, that cartoons could be produced for the fledgling medium of television. They produced Crusader Rabbit, the first cartoon series ever made for TV from 1949-1951. Based on the success of Crusader Rabbit, Jay (and now co-producer and writer Bill Scott) went on to produce "Rocky and His Friends", which premiered in 1959 and later became "The Bullwinkle Show." Jay Ward Productions Inc. eventually produced a total of 163 Bullwinkle shows.

Other Jay Ward Studio Production include Dudley Do-Right, George of the Jungle, SuperChicken, Tom Slick, Fractured Flickers and a series of breakfast cereal characters created in conjunction with Quaker Oates, including Captain Crunch, Quisp and Quake. A hilarious, oversized personality in every respect, Jay was renowned for his zany promotional campaigns, such as "The Sunset Avenue Block Party," "The Coney Island Intergalactic Film Festival," and "Statehood for Moosylvania."