‘Mr. Yuk’ creator, Dr. Richard Moriarty dies

PITTSBURGH — The man who came up with the “Mr. Yuk” symbol to warn kids of poisons has died.

Dr. Richard Moriarty was 83 years old.

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Moriarty died peacefully on Sept. 7, according to his obituary.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center confirmed Moriarty’s death, sending the Cox Media Group National Content Desk the following statement:

“The Pittsburgh Poison Center family is saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Richard Moriarty. Dr. Moriarty was instrumental in the development and promotion of Mr. Yuk, a Pittsburgh icon that serves as a poison prevention symbol and promotes poison center awareness. Dr. Moriarty’s passion for Mr. Yuk and poison prevention was unmatched. We will work hard to continue Dr. Moriarty’s mission through ongoing promotion of Mr. Yuk in our communities.”

He was from the Lawrenceville area near Pittsburgh and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh before getting his medical degree from the university’s School of Medicine.

Moriarty was the head of the city’s first poison control center operated by Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. When he noticed an uptick in childhood poisonings in the area, he realized a new symbol to indicate dangerous substances was needed.

According to the Pittsburgh Poison Control Center of UPMC, one of the problems was the MLB team the Pittsburgh Pirates, WPXI reported when Mr. Yuk was 50 years old in 2021.

Prior to the adoption of Mr. Yuk, potentially poisonous items had a skull and crossbones on them to warn of danger.

But the Pirates adopted a skull and crossbones symbol.

“Children, particularly in the Pittsburgh area, started to associate the skull and crossbones symbol with the Pittsburgh Pirates and its efficacy as a poison prevention symbol began to wane,” the hospital said, according to WPXI.

Moriarty, working with Dick Garber of the Vic Maitland & Associates Group, designed a new warning symbol, deciding on a neon green frown face with its tongue sticking out. It was named Mr. Yuk after one of the team members said “he looks yucky.”

Some call Mr. Yuk the world’s first emoji, according to Moriarty’s obituary.

It was meant to catch the eyes of children, stopping them from ingesting something dangerous and giving the number for poison control officials to parents.

Stickers were distributed all over the country after that. By 1979, 50 million stickers were sent each year.

Mr. Yuk was so popular that there was a commercial shown during the 1975 Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, WPXI reported.

The stickers can still be ordered from UPMC for free more than 50 years after their creation.

Moriarty leaves behind his husband, David Hairhoger, as well as several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great nieces and great-great nephews, according to his obituary.

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