Animation artist Alexander Anderson Jr., the creator of the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon, has died in Carmel, Calif., at the age of 90.

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Anderson, a former U.S. Navy spy, honed his animation chops at Terrytoons, the New York studio that created "Mighty Mouse," "Heckel and Jeckel," "Tom Terrific" and "Deputy Dawg," working with his uncle Paul Terry, his wife told the Monterey (Calif.) County Herald.

He died Friday at his home in Pebble Beach after several years of declining health.

In 1948, Anderson joined forces with childhood friend Jay Ward creating such landmark television cartoons as "Crusader Rabbit," "Dudley Do-Right," and the zany Cold War characters of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, his sidekick Bullwinkle the Moose, and crafty Russian spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale.

Anderson won an out-of-court settlement with Jay Ward Productions over rights to Rocky, Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right in 1996 and was recognized as the creator of the iconic cartoon characters.

Anderson's wife of 36 years, Patricia, told the Herald her husband created Bullwinkle after a dream about a moose sitting in on his poker games with friends.