Beloved creator of Fungus the Bogeyman and Father Christmas brought a distinctive strain of melancholy to the genre
Raymond Briggs, the writer and illustrator who delighted children and inspired adults with bestselling cartoons and picture books, has died 88 , his publisher Penguin Random House has said.
Ranging from the enchanting magic of The Snowman to a devastating apocalypse in When the Wind Blows, Briggs created a host of much-loved characters including his angst-ridden Fungus the Bogeyman and his curmudgeonly version of Father Christmas. A career spanning six decades brought him numerous awards, with television adaptations making him a fixture of British Christmas viewing.