from Batman to Big Bird to Walter White to...

January 3, 2016 12:10 AM

"Icons Unmasked" is the latest gallery of pop culture alterations by Alex Solis showing the originals, influences, parallels or secret identities behind 70+ iconic characters. Solis' previous galleries include: "Famous Oldies" (aged versions of heroic characters) and "Famous Chunkies" (they're fat), plus mixed media, animations and other stuff from cute to creepy to both ("Adorable Circle of Life" shows cute predators killing and eating cute prey - you have been warned).
posted by oneswellfoop (11 comments total)

I don't get this one.
Why is the lobster from The Little Mermaid secretly Uncle Scrooge?

It is a Trump statement? Doesn't seem to hold with the sometimes disturbing theme.
posted by Mezentian at 2:55 AM on January 3, 2016

That's not the lobster from The Little Mermaid, it's the money-obsessed Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants.
posted by bjrn at 3:04 AM on January 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

The joke loses a lot of its punch because they're not playing by the same rules every time. Dora the Tomb Raider would've been funnier if I hadn't seen the lame Goku/Pikachu or Minion/Stormtrooper pictures before getting to it.
posted by graymouser at 3:16 AM on January 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

That's not the lobster from The Little Mermaid, it's the money-obsessed Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants.

WhatchootalkingaboutWillis.gif

Clearly, I am out of touch, and out of style.
Thanks.
posted by Mezentian at 4:41 AM on January 3, 2016

NO


HOW DARE
posted by louche mustachio at 4:42 AM on January 3, 2016 [3 favorites]

This guy just wants people to start crying aaaalllll over again, doesn't he?
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 5:06 AM on January 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

These were very clever. Had to think back into my childhood for a number of them.

Breaking Flanders needs to be a t-shirt and yesterday!
posted by Fizz at 5:25 AM on January 3, 2016 [4 favorites]

The "Famous Chunkies" gallery is awfully one-note and lazy and a little mean-spirited. Aw haw haw, here are some obese cartoon characters eating junk food and they have bits of food on their face. It's a good way to raise awareness about how food is bad and being fat is gross! Haw haw.

Also, dude, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can eat truckloads of pizza and stay fit because (1) they're teenagers and have fast metabolisms and (2) they're ninjas and spend ridiculous amounts of time either training or in physical combat. It's right there in the name, twice!

Icons Unmasked is quite clever, though.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:30 AM on January 3, 2016 [5 favorites]

I need the trump/Mr. Burns on a T-shirt, and I need it yesterday.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:54 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

My biggest problem with the Icons Unmasked gallery was their inconsistency. All of them SHOULD have shown other icons that PRE-dated the ones being unmasked (and Mr. Burns does NOT predate Donald Trump).

Yes, the 'Chunkies' were standard fat-shaming but I felt it was worth mentioning just for comparison purposes AND because they've been made into a book.
the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can eat truckloads of pizza and stay fit because (1) they're teenagers and have fast metabolisms and (2) they're ninjas and spend ridiculous amounts of time either training or in physical combat.
And (3) Mutant... never forget Mutant.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:41 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oddly, everyone in the "chunkies" gallery is so happy. They range from merely content with their food, to ecstatic over it. The repetition of this happiness, image after image, belies the conceit and suggests that perhaps food should be a source of rich pleasure no matter its physical impact. I am eating half a pan of leftover cornbread in celebration of this gallery!
posted by mittens at 12:00 PM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]