Pencilmation

Pencilmation is an American independent digital animation studio and entertainment brand created by animator and director Ross Bollinger. Based in Philadelphia, it produces short-form animated comedy for internet audiences, with work extending into children’s and family entertainment, publishing and licensed products.

The project began on June 4, 2004, when Bollinger published the first Pencilmation short on Newgrounds at age 16. Its central premise turns the relationship between animator and drawing into a source of visual comedy: stick figures and doodles come to life on ruled paper, then struggle against the unpredictable interventions of an animator’s pencil. Recurring characters include Pencilmate and Pencilmiss, whose misadventures rely on slapstick and visual pantomime.

Animation and production

The studio specializes in 2D digital animation, including frame-by-frame Flash and Animate techniques, character design and storyboarding. Its production capabilities span animation direction, storyboard development, asset creation and original intellectual property development. What began as Bollinger’s solo project developed into a continuing episodic production supported by a worldwide remote creative network.

YouTube became the principal platform for the series’ expansion. Between 2018 and 2020, its subscriber audience grew from approximately one million to more than 18 million. The report records more than 700 episodes of the flagship series, reflecting its development from individual internet shorts into an extensive library of animated comedy.

Beyond the original shorts

Pencilmation’s output includes additional animated projects and spin-offs, while its publishing activity brings the property into graphic novels and children’s books. Through Penguin Young Readers Licenses, the brand expanded into print with Pencilmation: The Graphite Novel, released in December 2022, and Pencilympics.

The business also supports content licensing, merchandising and commercial brand integrations. Across these formats, its work retains an emphasis on expressive characters, visual storytelling and the comic possibilities of drawings interacting with their creator.