There's nothing we love more than a good old mashup, and one illustrator's new project takes the concept to new heights (as well as abominable lows). Dino Tomic's brilliant crossover cartoon characters project takes several beloved animated icons and blends them into something both alien and familiar at the same time.
Titled Fusion Characters, the project has seen Tomic fuse an impressive array of cartoon folk, from Super Mario and Yoda to Popeye and Shrek. The results are either horrifying or hilarious (or in some cases, both), seamlessly blending recognisable character design aspects from each subject to create something entirely new.
Tomic has fused dozens of cartoon characters (Image credit: Dino Tomic)
Some of the hybrids work surprisingly well. Aladdin's Genie, and Dory (of Finding Nemo fame), combine to create a brand new species of fish, complete with Nemo-inspired lamp. Meanwhile, the lovechild of Pinocchio and Squidward Tentacles (both long-nosed, of course) becomes the delightful Squiddochio (above).
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But others are plain terrifying. We have a feeling Woodchuck (below) will be haunting our dreams tonight, and if you thought combining two cute characters would automatically result in a third, just take one look at the Minions/Mickey Mouse abomination below. (Speaking of Mickey Mouse-based horror, have you ever seen what he looks like from above?)
We're so sorry (Image credit: Dino Tomic)
Along with the ingenuity of the combinations, it's also seriously impressive just how many mashups Tomic's imagination has managed to conjure. Indeed, the Norway-based illustrator has created over 30 brand new characters, blending more than 60 existing ones. You can view more of our favourites below, or check out the whole collection on Tomic's website.
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(Image credit: Dino Tomic)
(Image credit: Dino Tomic)
(Image credit: Dino Tomic)
From these incredible logo mashups to this summer's Disney/NBA crossover, we've seen some truly inventive crossover content this year – but perhaps none as appropriately weird for 2020 as Tomic's Fusion Characters. If you fancy knocking together your own design Frankenstein, our best laptops for graphic design have you covered.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
