It’s hard to believe that it’s really been 20 years since the claymation pair made their debut in the British short film A Grand Day Out, but what started off as a student production went on to entertain children (and adults) around the world. Paste Magazine has a great salute to the series, and here’s an excerpt:

Begun while director Nick Park was still in college, theWallace and Gromit series is likely the most successful franchise ever built out of a student film. That the film “A Grand Day Out” went on to an Academy Award nomination at the same time as another of Park’s works, the equally surreal “Creature Comforts,” is a testament to just how good Park was right out of the gate, appearing in even his earliest works as a fully-formed artist in a way that’s pretty rare for any medium, let alone one which requires the shear level of craft as animation. Since then, the Wallace and Gromitpictures have gone on to win three Academy Awards as well as pretty much every other award offered to animated films under the sun. Not bad, considering that the series has only had one feature film and, frankly, it’s not even the series’ strong point.

Happy birthday Wallace and Gromit. Keep enjoying the Wensleydale cheese and here’s to many more!