When did the SD (Super-deformed) art style begin?

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lindsay!

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Does anyone know when the super-deformed art style (ie, SD Gundam for example) started? I ask because i was reading an interview with Buzz Dixon and he said that the GI Joe episode "Once Upon a Joe" was inspired by the "super-deformed" anime shows. Now, the episode in question came out in 1986, so it has to be long before that.
 
I don't remeraber seeing in much before the mid 80's but there were some monster stuff out in the late 70's that came close to that style
 
He only used SD Gundam as an example.
As is...I'm not sure when it started. It's mostly a staple of less then serious shows/moments and advertisements.
 
And I added what I knew. When evidence suggests Bandai/Sunrise actually have copyright on the SD/super deformed term, clearly they're a big piece of the puzzle.
 
Many cartoonists the world over have worked in the 2 to 3 head-height ratio. It probably began in the late 19th century when newspaper comics transitioned from detailed engravers cuts to photolithographed drawings.

The term SD:Super-Deformed does appear to be a Bandai thing, but the style is hardly exclusive and certainly wasn't invented there.
 
It's entirely possible that's where the name of the style came from. Still doesnt really help figure out who's the first one to use it, though. Definitely seemed well entrenched by the late 80s/early 90's, though.

Those two are late 80s.
 
I think the question should be better asked as:

When was the first anime (or animation) that would use a technique of drawing the characters with a much larger head/body ratio at certain times for comedic effect?

There have been cartoon characters with a huge head to torso ratio since the beginning of cartoons, but to have characters pop in and out of "chibi" mode is I think the thing that really is "new"... I'm not sure the first example of it at all...
 
There's a 1985 OVA called Karuizawa Syndrome where the characters consistently alternate between standard and 'super deformed-style' character designs, which seems to predate most of the given examples, but on the other hand is also pretty close to G.I. Joe's actual production dates.
 
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