Stan Lee Inspired Many Cartoonists

On November 12 of this year, the world lost a cartoon & comic character legend. Stan Lee was 95 when he went. Unlike other comic book artists of his day, he gave the characters (such as Spider-Man) a long & complex history, complete with fears, personality quirks, bad days, and all things relatable. He made the once more-than-human super heroes, human.

And since then, the cartooning industry has never been the same. Fans tend to gravitate toward characters with whom they can identify... 

Though he was known for detailed, powerful and aggressive comic book art, he has inspired many different types of cartoonists. Not unlike Walt Disney, he was an artist who followed his own path and did what felt right at the time. And this created a universe of beloved characters! 

I grew up in the 90s, and was lucky to have witnessed such an array of super heroes and enjoy some good comic book/pop art style illustrations, which helped inspire my love of drawing. 

Though I don't draw in the same style (I gravitate toward both digital drawing, and cute characters, mainly with animalistic traits) I do appreciate the inspiration.  The picture below was sketched as a tribute to a fine cartoonist & designer of relatable characters. 

Why Do They Have Elements?

It has recently been pondered about why each character's description page shows an 'element'. 

As you've noticed, each of the 12 characters has a zodiac sign (none of them are duplicated). This is because - as an astrology fan - in a way each character embodies traits from their sign. 

For instance: like me, Octomouse is a gentle and timid Pisces. That means she is a 'water sign' (which is why she is part sea creature and can swim). 

The zodiac signs we know in the Western world, each have one of 4 elements. Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  I'd like to try a little experiment here. First I'll list the general traits affiliated with each element (in Western and Eastern practices). Then I'll list each Zoo'd friend and their element, and then you can tell us where you see similarities 😊

Fire:

🔥Passionate about life

🔥Very confident, high self-esteem

🔥Never afraid to have a good time (the first ones out on the dance floor)

🔥Impulsive temper, large tantrums

🔥Genuinely care about others and will do grand gestures to express that

🔥Love their freedom and won't be tied down

Earth:

🌍Crave security at all times

🌍Are often quiet and thoughtful, intellectual

🌍Incredibly hard workers and very dutiful

🌍Highly critical and a bit picky, high standards

🌍Very sensual and love to indulge in pleasures

🌍Grounded in reality and unlikely to dream big

Air:

⛅Very intellectual and quick-thinking

⛅Highly talkative and 'chatty'

⛅Highly intelligent and difficult to fool

⛅Great at 'reading people' (body language, etc.)

⛅Also great at reading, and loves learning

⛅Not comfortable with emotions and prefer thought processes

Water:

🌊Deeply emotional and very sensitive

🌊Which leads to empathy and compassion

🌊Though sweet-natured, water personalities can have wild tantrums

🌊Usually quiet and dreamy in demeanor, mysterious

🌊Often lost in deep thoughts, has vivid dreams

🌊Very creative and romantic, a true 'dream weaver'

And now, let's look at our sweet Zoo'd friends...

1. Dogosaur - Fire (Aries)
2. Pandaroo - Earth (Taurus)
3. Parrofly - Air (Gemini)
4. Slowan - Water (Cancer)
5. Elefox - Fire (Leo)
6. Beever - Earth (Virgo)
7. Rabbird - Air (Libra)
8. Froogle - Water (Scorpio)
9. Unicat - Fire (Sagittarius)
10. Penguana - Earth (Capricorn)
11. Zebat - Air (Aquarius)
12. Octomouse - Water (Pisces)

So go ahead, check out your favorite characters and compare their personality traits to the ones described in their elements!  Now have a great day 😊

Is Kiki-Loki Real?

This is a question I asked myself recently, when I was sitting in the living room one evening, working from home. 

Having the TV on for background noise is soothing and helps me be more productive; occasionally I glance at the screen, and I saw what I thought was a reference to Power Rangers: 




A little background: I don't actively watch 'Carter', and this was the first time I actually sort of sat through an episode. I don't have anything against the series (and I love a good mystery!), it's just that life is too busy for being able to keep up with every show. 

Jerry O'Connell posing on 'Carter'

Anyway, the purpose of this post isn't to discuss the tragedies of the episode itself, but rather, the half-elephant, half-chicken character of Kiki-Loki. I think the thing that really got me (aside from the obvious interest in Japanese pop culture), is that this character is half elephant....

This may sound familiar because...

so is Elefox!! 

Now as for whether or not Kiki-Loki is real... 

She/he/it seems to have been made up specifically for the show's premise. I will say this, though - the producers and production staff sure put a great deal of effort into making everything from a giant costume and cartoons, to figurines and tee shirts of this character!

🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘

What Would They Look Like as Humans?

Hmmm, this is a very interesting question. It was interesting enough to actually pop open my artist's notebook, grab a pen and some coloring tools, and do a whole freestyle illustration around them!

On a side note, even with their minor flaws, I'm pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out - yay! 

Firstly, please enjoy this video where you see the cartoon [hybrid] animals compared with the humanoid versions of them. I'm socially awkward and shy, so I speak terribly in the video (no script, lol) - please excuse my explanations, as below is a better description of each character.

Okay so, starting in order here...

Dogosaur is a big, tough guy-type. He's strong and intimidating, but also a big puppy on the inside (tender-hearted and playful). I drew him as a free-spirited warrior. 

I was inspired partly by Cyborg from DC Comics.

Pandaroo is a sort of 'down in the dumps' character, and despite his sadness, he is very intelligent and the others often come to him to help solve problems. 

He is partly inspired by Harry from 'Mike & Molly'.

Parrofly is upbeat, kind of saucy, with a great sense of humor and a real zest for life! He never misses an opportunity to have fun, and has a passionate heart.

He is inspired partly by romantic and exciting Latino men, primarily dancers.

Slowan is well, I don't want to say 'slow' in a way that sounds condescending. He's very smart and health-conscious (he's Vegan), but he is also very chill and doesn't let life worry him. His favorite hobby is napping in the sun. 

He is partly inspired by the cartoon character, Jude from '6teen'.

Elefox is a fun, warm-hearted 'hefty guy' who loves to eat, almost as much as he loves his friends! (On a side note, this one was my personal favorite to draw, perhaps because I've always had a soft-spot for 'squishy'/huggable guys!).

He was partly inspired by a character from a Ren & Stimpy episode, titled 'Lair of the Lummox'. 

Beever is a gentle nature-lover, who is also meticulous and hard-working. He loves his friends and is very kind-hearted, but also mostly serious. As a human, I picture him being a kindly older man of the LGBTQ community and perhaps a florist, because he really loves nature & beauty.

He is partly inspired by Mr. Feenie from 'Boy Meets World'. 

Rabbird is a shy, purple dove/bunny hybrid (and my personal favorite). She is intellectual and loves to read/write poetry. 

She is partly inspired by Violet of 'The Incredibles'.

Froogle is small, but she's feisty (so, don't make fun of her big hair!) She is not mean, per say, but she will stand up for herself.

She is partly inspired by Shriek from the Nickelodeon show 'CatDog'. Only with a less squeakly voice.

Unicat is friendly, upbeat, fun-loving and generous. She's confident without being arrogant, and gives everyone a chance! She also is a sensitive feeler and wears her heart on her sleeve. 

She is partly inspired by Joy from 'Inside Out'. 

Penguana is living a sort of confused (and confusing existence). On the one hand, he has a fiery soul, and loves to soak up the sun. On the other hand, he'd really rather just chill, and go for a refreshing dive in icy water. Which side is stronger? Who is he really? Anyway, this made me give him a sort of 'emo' appearance.

He is partly inspired by emo teens (including one I dated in high school). 

Zebat is a saucy, friendly, and flirtatious 'French lady' - ooh la la! She is by no means 'sleazy', but rather, she is romantic, and full of love to give - very passionate! 

she is overall inspired by 'the ideal exotic girl', with a lean toward Rochelle Goyle from 'Monster High'. 

Octomouse is the second-smallest (Beever is the first), and she is very delicate, physically and emotionally. It's just so darn hard not to love her! To me, her vulnerability and high voice made her seem child-like, which is why I styled her like this.

She is partly inspired by 'little girl' characters, such as Bubbles from 'The Powerpuff Girls' and Sailor Chibi Moon.





Overall, 

I think these 12 characters and their traits (though inspired by characters seen in media throughout my life), 

are an embodiment of a variety of traits in me too... some of which are conflicting. That just makes me human, like you.

What traits did you recognize in yourself?

Which one is your favorite character?

Happy First Birthday!

Wow guys!

Isn't it hard to believe that, at least 3 of our Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends, are already a year old today? 

On June 19, 2017 - shortly before the end of the #Kawaii365 project, I was deciding what to draw for the day's project. I had already been thinking of some potential hybrids between various animals, and doodled these first 3 characters of the series:

Unicat seems to have stayed pretty well the same (yes, I *am already aware of UniKitty from the Lego movie, as well as the Caticorn design on drinkware - it's a free world and we're all designers with similar thoughts). 

Dogosaur got a much bigger head and different face... being part Stegosaurus, he seemed like he needed red eyes. 

And Rabbird might be the most significant change, as here, I had her shaped like a potato with no legs, hahaha! Not sure how I planned to get around that one!

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Here is a closer-up picture of the original sketches:

Since June 19 last year, these guys have come a long way - 9 more were created, and they have their own blog (here), a facebook group, merchandise, a Patreon page, two coloring books, a Buzzfeed Quiz, and soon-to-be web comic! 

Also, Rob & I will be voicing them later on, as we move toward possible animation. These cute/weird animals have become an integral part of daily life :)

Look at the subtle changes in each one nowadays. They've come a long way, and they're going further!

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Another interesting thing about June 19, is that it's also the birthday of one of my best and longest-running friends, Sabrina! (✿◠‿◠)  (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

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To celebrate the 'birthday' of the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends, please enjoy sharing this kawaii birthday card I animated!