Ted Key, the magazine cartoonist who created maid Hazel in the 1940s, died. He was 95. Key was diagnosed with bladder cancer in late 2006 and suffered a stroke in September. He died Saturday at his home in Tredyffrin Township, Pa., his son Peter said, according to the Associated Press.

The bossy yet lovable maid “Hazel” was a popular feature in The Saturday Evening Post from the time it debuted in 1943. The cartoon evolved into a prime-time series in 1961 that starred Shirley Booth and ran for four years on NBC and one year on CBS. It became so popular that the first collection of “Hazel” cartoons, published by Dutton in 1946, sold an impressive 500,000 copies.

Key is also the creator of the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman for producer Jay Ward. The time-traveling dog/scientist and his boy made their TV debuts in 1959 in the animated show “Rocky and His Friends.” He created cartoon panels called “Diz and Liz” for the Jack and Jill children’s magazine and also wrote a play for radio, authored and illustrated books.

“Like a lot of creative people, he kept a notepad near his bedside,” Peter Key said of his father, quoted by the A.P.  “He had a dream about a maid who took a message, but she screwed it up completely. When he looked at the idea the next day, he thought it was good and sold it to the Post,” Peter added.

Ted Key is survived by his second wife, Bonnie, three sons and three grandchildren.