NASHVILLE, TN, August 08, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The iconic and popular comic characters, Nancy and Sluggo have teamed up with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and Metro Nashville Public Works in a fun and educational coloring book for children in Davidson County Schools called Nancy Loves Nashville that is designed to promote the message that littering is wrong. For nearly 20 years, Nashville resident, Guy Gilchrist has been drawing the legendary comic strip that recently celebrated 80 years and is one of America's most enduring comic strips surviving a World War, Great Depression, Cold War, and the decline of print newspapers yet still flourishes in this digital age. Nancy Loves Nashville celebrates all that makes Nashville a special place to live from the music to the events while educating children on the importance of not littering and taking care of the environment. In addition to the 24 page coloring book, Nancy appears in billboards throughout Davidson County.

"I am very proud and honored that TDOT and Metro Nashville Public Works asked Nancy to be part of this educational concept for Davidson County students," said Guy Gilchrist, the illustrator of Nancy. "Promoting the importance of taking care of the environment is essential and critical that this starts at an early age. As a resident of Nashville, this has a special meaning for me.

"Educating our students in a fun yet informative way creates an impact that will influence their behavior from an early age into adulthood," continued Gilchrist. "That is what Nancy and Sluggo are about. The message of Nancy is universal and one of love of Nashville, our country, and our world. I believe that Nancy Loves Nashville will create a greater appreciation of the environment and Nashville among our students and is a worthwhile concept that can be adopted in all metropolitan areas in the United States."

Syndicated internationally in 80 countries and some 400 newspapers, Nancy has a viewership of 57 million readers around the world. And as fans of the the comic strip know, Nancy resides in the fictional town of Three Rocks with her Aunt Fritzi and friend, Sluggo. Nashville-area resident Gilchrist, at the age 24, was selected to create Jim Henson's Muppets, comic strip, which was printed worldwide in 660-plus newspapers daily from 1981 to 1986. He took over the Nancy comic strip in 1995. In 2013 he unveiled a one-of-a-kind exhibit, Nancy Loves Nashville, at the Nashville International Airport that revealed the location of Three Rocks as a suburb just outside of Nashville.