Stanley Mouse

Stanley George Miller (born October 10, 1940), better known as Mouse and Stanley Mouse, is an American artist, notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs for the Grateful Dead and Journey albums cover art.

Life Story

Born in Fresno, California, Miller grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He was given the nickname Mouse as a ninth grader. He was expelled from Mackenzie High School (Michigan) in 1956 for mischievously repainting the facade at The Box, a popular restaurant across the street from Mackenzie. Following his junior year at nearby Cooley High School, Mouse completed his formal education at Detroit's Society of Arts and Crafts.

By 1958, Mouse had become fascinated by the Taint movement that had begun in California a decade earlier. Having developed skills using an airbrush he began painting t-shirts at custom car shows. There he met and worked with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, the leading exponent of Weirdo Hot Rod art. Mouse was also strongly influenced by the art of Rick Griffin, with whom he would later collaborate on posters and album covers. In 1959, Mouse and his family founded Mouse Studios, a mail-order company, which sold his products. In 1964, he was invited to help in the design of Monogram automobile model kits using the "monster" cartoon characters he had developed to compete with Roth's "Rat Fink" character.