Editing Dan DeCarlo (section)

==Josie DeCarlo==
'''Josette Marie "Josie" DeCarlo''' (née Dumont; September 8, 1923 – March 14, 2012) was a French-born model who became the inspiration and [[namesake]] for Josie McCoy of ''[[Josie and the Pussycats (comics)|Josie and the Pussycats]]'' comics and the 1970 [[Hanna-Barbera]] [[Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)|Saturday morning cartoon series]].<ref name=wrap>{{cite news|first=Todd |last=Cunningham |title='Josie and the Pussycats' Inspiration Josie DeCarlo Dies |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-archie-cartoonmt1thewrap36344-20120318,0,6742034.story |agency=[[Reuters]] and [[The Wrap]] |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=2012-03-18 |access-date=2012-04-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321210335/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-archie-cartoonmt1thewrap36344-20120318%2C0%2C6742034.story |archive-date=March 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name=bc>{{cite news|first=Ethan|last=Minovitz|title='Josie and the Pussycats' model Josie DeCarlo dies|url=http://blog.bcdb.com/josie-pussycats-model-josie-decarlo-dies-3471|work=[[Big Cartoon DataBase]]|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=2012-03-16|access-date=2012-04-11|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121203154800/http://blog.bcdb.com/josie-pussycats-model-josie-decarlo-dies-3471/|archive-date=December 3, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cp>{{cite news|first=Clara|last=Morris|title=Josie DeCarlo, Woman Who Inspired 'Josie and the Pussycats', Dies|url=http://global.christianpost.com/news/josie-decarlo-woman-who-inspired-josie-and-the-pussycats-dies-71655|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=2012-03-16|access-date=2012-04-11}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

She met future husband Dan DeCarlo on a [[blind date]] in Belgium in 1945, Shortly after the [[Battle of the Bulge]].<ref name=wrap/> At the time, Dumont did not speak English, while DeCarlo, a member of the [[U.S. Army]] during World War II, spoke very little French.<ref name=wrap/>

Unable to have a conversation due to their [[language barrier]], the two communicated through his cartoons. She later explained, "We communicated with drawing.... He would draw things for me to make me understand what he had in mind. He was really so amusing. Instead of just using words, he would use cartoons to express himself. Right away, we knew that we were meant for each other."<ref name=wrap/> The couple married in 1946.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sergi |first=Joe |date=2015 |title=The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k42oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |page=126 |isbn=978-0-7864-7360-1}}</ref>

She became the inspiration for ''Josie and the Pussycats'' while the couple were on a [[Cruise ship|cruise]].<ref name=wrap/> Josie DeCarlo wore a [[catsuit]] costume during the cruise, which became the basis for the fictional ''Josie and the Pussycats'' trademark outfits.<ref name=wrap/>

Later, when she got a new hairdo, Dan DeCarlo incorporated it into the Josie character as well, "The [[hairdo]] came after... One day, I came in with a new hairdo with a little bow in my hair, and he said, 'That's it!'"<ref name=wrap/> Dan DeCarlo drew his wife with the cat costume as Josie McCoy and naming the starring character Josie.<ref name=wrap/> Josie first appeared in Archie Comics in 1962.<ref name=cp/> The character was voiced by actress [[Janet Waldo]] in the [[Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)|television series]].<ref name=bc/>

After her husband's death in 2001, Josie DeCarlo remained active in the comics and animation industries, promoting his work.<ref name=wrap/>

Josie DeCarlo died in her sleep on March 14, 2012, aged 88. Her funeral was held in [[Scarsdale, New York]].<ref name=wrap/>