Kim Casali

Here is a full, SEO-optimized biographical article on Kim Casali — the New Zealand cartoonist behind Love Is…:

Kim Casali – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and legacy of Kim Casali (1941–1997), New Zealand cartoonist and creator of Love Is…. Discover her biography, creative journey, and enduring influence in the world of romantic cartoons.

Introduction

Kim Casali (born Marilyn Judith Grove, 9 September 1941 – 15 June 1997) was a New Zealand cartoonist best known for creating the iconic single-panel romantic cartoon Love Is…. Originally conceived as personal love notes to her future husband, Casali’s drawings grew into a syndicated phenomenon that appeared in newspapers around the world. With their minimal style, universal themes of intimacy and affection, and emotional resonance, Love Is… cartoons became a cultural fixture and remain in syndication to this day.

Her life encompassed not only creative success, but personal tragedy, controversy, and a pioneering posthumous conception case that challenged legal and moral norms. Casali’s story reminds us how art, love, and life often intertwine in unexpected ways.

Early Life and Family

Kim Casali was born Marilyn Judith Grove on 9 September 1941 in Auckland, New Zealand.

She left New Zealand at about age 19 and traveled through Australia, Europe and the United States, seeking opportunities and experiences beyond her home country.

Little is recorded about her formal education; she is often described as largely self-taught in art, and she considered herself more a “doodler” than a professional cartoonist in her early years.

Youth, Meeting Roberto, and the Birth of Love Is…

While traveling, Casali eventually moved to Los Angeles and in 1967 met Roberto Alfredo Vincenzo Casali, an Italian computer engineer, at a ski club gathering.

During their courtship, Casali began to draw small cartoons and leave love notes for him — doodles that expressed her evolving feelings and intimacy.

Her first such drawing was a signature-style sketch of a girl (herself) and a boy (Roberto), which she tucked into letters, under pillows, or in pockets.

Noting their appeal, the couple compiled several into small booklets (titled Love is When… or Love Is…), which Casali sold for a dollar apiece from her workplace in Los Angeles.

Through Roberto’s encouragement and connections, Casali’s cartoons were submitted to editors, and on 5 January 1970 the Los Angeles Times published the first Love Is… cartoon (under the pen name “Kim”) in newspaper form.

The cartoon’s title and style echoed cultural trends of the time — particularly the popularity of the film Love Story (1970) and its signature line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” which Casali inverted into one of her most famous captions: “Love is… being able to say you’re sorry.”

Career, Syndication & Growth

Once launched, Love Is… gained rapid popularity. The strip was syndicated across newspapers globally, translated into many languages, and reproduced on merchandise (cards, mugs, home goods) in dozens of countries.

By the mid-1970s, Casali’s royalties were reportedly substantial, with the cartoons reportedly earning millions per year at their peak.

Casali created the characters — a naked boy and a naked girl (without explicit sexual features) — as an abstract representation of intimacy, not to titillate but to universalize affection.

Because of her husband’s illness and later death, Casali stepped back from producing the daily cartoons. From 1975 onward, she commissioned Bill Asprey, a British cartoonist, to draw Love Is… under her signature.

Under Asprey, the strip was expanded (for example, a Sunday feature) and the brand’s reach continued.

Personal Life, Tragedy, and Posthumous Birth

Kim and Roberto married on 24 July 1971 in Epsom, Auckland (in the same church where her parents married).

They had two sons during their marriage: Stefano and Dario.

In 1975 Roberto was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and by early 1976 his condition worsened significantly.

Before Roberto’s death (in March 1976, aged ~31), he and Kim arranged to freeze and store some of his sperm as a precaution.

In a rare and pioneering case of posthumous conception, Casali underwent artificial insemination and gave birth to Milo Roberto Andrea on 10 July 1977, about 16 months after Roberto’s death.

This event attracted international attention and controversy, raising legal and moral debates about inheritance, the rights of posthumously conceived children, and reproductive ethics.

Kim Casali never remarried and gradually withdrew from the public spotlight.

Later Years and Death

In the mid-1980s, Casali and her family moved to New South Wales, Australia, where she lived for some years, breeding Arabian horses.

By 1990, they relocated to Leatherhead, Surrey, England.

In 1997, Casali died of bone and liver cancer on 15 June 1997 in Weybridge, Surrey, England at age 55.

On her death, her elder son Stefano assumed control of Minikim, the company that handles the rights of Love Is….

Legacy and Influence

• Love Is… continues to be syndicated globally, appearing in newspapers daily (except Sunday) and in many languages.

• The simplicity, universality, and emotive resonance of Casali’s cartoons have made Love Is… a beloved fixture in popular culture.

• Her personal story — especially the posthumous birth of Milo — had legal and ethical significance in debates over reproductive rights and inheritance.

• Her work has been merchandised on cards, household goods, posters, apparel, and more, embedding her art deeply into everyday life.

• Though her creative involvement lessened over time, her vision and emotional core continue to define the Love Is… brand.

Personality, Style & Themes

Kim Casali was fundamentally a romantic — she drew the Love Is… cartoons as a way to express her own feelings and relationship. She described the cartoons as a kind of visual diary of love.

Her cartooning style was deliberately minimalistic and tender: a naked couple with oversized heads and big eyes, lacking identifying features or distracting details, so as to emphasize emotion and connection.

She faced challenges: health struggles, grief, public scrutiny over her decisions, and the difficulty of balancing personal tragedy with maintaining a beloved art brand. Her willingness to engage in posthumous conception showed both profound love and courage in confronting taboo territory.

Famous Quotes & Cartoons of Kim Casali

While Casali was not primarily a writer of aphorisms, many Love Is… cartoon captions function as short, memorable expressions of love. Here are a few notable ones she (or her brand) is associated with or inspired by:

• “Love is… being able to say you’re sorry.” — one of the best known phrases linked to her work.

• “Love is… never asking for more than you are prepared to give.” — cited in obituary sources as a favorite early cartoon.

• “If you’ve got love you’ve got life, if you can love you can live.” — a statement reflecting her philosophy quoted in obituaries.

Beyond lines, each cartoon frame stands as a “quote in image form” — expressing universal sentiments about intimacy, forgiveness, commitment, and the small gestures of affection.

Lessons from Kim Casali

• Personal passion can scale: What started as private, personal doodles became a global cartoon brand because of emotional authenticity and consistent voice.

• Simplicity conveys universality: Her minimal approach allowed many readers to project their own experiences and feelings into the cartoons.

• Art and life often overlap deeply: Her creative output was interwoven with her relationship, mourning, and ethical decisions.

• Courage in controversial spaces: Her decision to use posthumous conception challenged conventional moral, legal, and religious boundaries.

• Legacy beyond death: Even after her passing, the values and aesthetic she inspired continue to resonate and carry forward.

Conclusion

Kim Casali’s life is a vivid example of how a quiet, heartfelt artistic impulse can blossom into an international cultural icon. Her Love Is… cartoons distilled the subtleties of affection, intimacy, and daily relational truth into tiny visual poems. Though her personal journey included sorrow, controversy, and loss, the core of her work endures: love spoken softly, universally, and without pretension.

Even now, people around the world read Love Is… and see reflection of their own hearts in her simple, expressive lines. That is perhaps the highest legacy an artist of love can leave.