Anonymous (ID: ljvLUFW3)
the grandfather of computer im(...) 10/31/26(Sat)22:08:24 No.545287715

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the grandfather of computer image boards Anonymous (ID: ljvLUFW3) 10/31/26(Sat)22:08:24 No.545287715

>>545289194

man discovers origin of ANSI art on Fire Escape board the 80s grand father meme board where it all began

it was just one woman

https://breakintochat.com/blog/2026/10/25/recycling-ansi-art/

"Fire Escape" was curator of the authoritative list of bulletin board systems in St. Louis's area code and sysop of the area's most popular board. Like many sysops of that time, Fire Escape enlivened her bulletin board by finding and repurposing older ANSI art.

Eventually her BBS had 18 different logon screens in its rotation, many of which featured flames or mushroom clouds or made liberal use of red and yellow.

Some, maybe even all, of Fire Escape's logon screens had actually been adapted from old school "public domain" ANSI art drawn in the late 1980s and early 1990s by folks such as Lora Ruffner (aka "Ebony Eyes") and Violet Stymacks... (aka "Stymie")

Stymacks was unusually generous with her ANSI art. When she first began drawing, she combed through Fidonet node lists looking for bulletin boards with interesting or inspiring names.

When she found one, she would draw an ANSI screen that fit the board's theme, then send it to the sysop. Eventually, sysops began seeking her out, too. By late 1990, she claimed that 500 bulletin boards were using her screens.

Three years later, that total had tripled, according to Boardwatch . Breakintochat has located more than 1,100 of her pieces so far. She was so prolific that it would be surprising if she hadn't reused or remixed her own work over the years...

When Breakin author corresponded with Fire Escape this year, 2026, she admitted her memory wasn't what it used to be, but felt certain that she had not asked any artists for permission because she didn't know who they were or how to reach them. "I figured if anyone had an issue, I'd just remove the screen," she said.

In 33 years nobody had said she is using their works without permission.