From time to time the internet produces things that we’re sincerely on the fence about loving. Granted, we try and find the good in almost everything, but this one is a bit tough as it combines some of the most beloved characters in animation and comic strip history with one of the more reviled trends of recent years. Ahh, who are we kidding! We still love these hipster versions of cartoon characters!
A recent post on TheAwesomer uncovered some of the fantastic modern mash-ups of iconic characters from artist Matt Lassen, created back in 2015. The series combines some of the world’s favorite cartoons with modern “hipster” tropes, like handlebar mustaches, “don’t give AF” fashion, and, of course, an enormous amount of tattoos. And Lassen isn’t just hipster-izing these characters all willy-nilly. A closer look reveals a fair share of them have slight in-jokes to the characters themselves. Peter Griffin sports a tattoo broadcasting his contempt for Meg; Turanga Leela only has need for a single monocle (that’s likely not prescription); and we’re now on a mission to special order Tina Belcher‘s “Locally Grown Butts” shirt.
What we love the most, though, are subtle touches like Popeye holding a can of kale in place of spinach, or the Animaniacs and Mario wearing their usual gloves but with the fingertips cut off.
Hipster culture, like any other fashion fad in history, can be as ridiculous as it is fleeting, but we’d be just fine if these stuck around as the lasting reminder of all the money we’ve spent on mustache wax and artisanal cell phone cases.
Take a look at the gallery for the rest of Lassen’s collection and let us know your favorites in the comments below!
Images: Matt Lassen
