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Unsettling Truth About Popular Animation Characters As Told By An Artist

These behind-the-scenes truths might ruin your childhood.

Unsettling Truth About Popular Animation Characters As Told By An Artist

Some childhood favorites look a lot stranger once an artist gets hold of them. That is exactly what American illustrator Alex Solis does in his long-running Unpopular Culture series, where familiar characters from Disney, Nintendo, Nickelodeon, and more are twisted into unsettling new forms.

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The result is playful at first glance, then oddly disturbing the longer you look. Solis has been sharing pop culture-inspired artwork for years, blending design, web skills, and a sharp sense of irony into images that make beloved icons feel completely unfamiliar.

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Scroll through his dark take on animated characters, and you may never see them the same way again.

1. Is that a nose or bubble gum?

1. Is that a nose or bubble gum?Alex Solis
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2. The transformation is crazy

2. The transformation is crazyAlex Solis
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3. So Mario's mustache has been Batman all along?!

3. So Mario's mustache has been Batman all along?!Alex Solis

These familiar faces are about to get a lot weirder.

4. So this is what Cat and Dog have been hiding behind those smiley masks?!

4. So this is what Cat and Dog have been hiding behind those smiley masks?!Alex Solis

5. Just so you know...

5. Just so you know...Alex Solis

6. Check if you have a monster under the bed too

6. Check if you have a monster under the bed tooAlex Solis

7. Jake's eyes in reality

7. Jake's eyes in realityAlex Solis

That cheerful cartoon energy does not last long.

8. Shredder has some real problems to deal with

8. Shredder has some real problems to deal withAlex Solis

9. Brain or Heart?

9. Brain or Heart?Alex Solis

10. Makeup at its finest from Queen Grimhilde

10. Makeup at its finest from Queen GrimhildeAlex Solis

11. Tinky Winky and Buzz Lightyear have some explaining to do

11. Tinky Winky and Buzz Lightyear have some explaining to doAlex Solis

He keeps pushing the joke until it turns genuinely unsettling.

That “Jake’s eyes in reality” vibe matches 70 photos that will make your brain need a restart.

12. These guys are definitely related

12. These guys are definitely relatedAlex Solis

13. Wait...what?!

13. Wait...what?!Alex Solis

14. This is scary

14. This is scaryAlex Solis

15. Finn has been hiding this from you all

15. Finn has been hiding this from you allAlex Solis

16. So weird!

16. So weird!Alex Solis

17. Popeye has been a Sailor Senshi in disguise all this time

17. Popeye has been a Sailor Senshi in disguise all this timeAlex Solis

By now, the nostalgia has fully given way to chaos.

18. What Lady and the Tramp were really doing behind the scenes

18. What Lady and the Tramp were really doing behind the scenesAlex Solis

19. From a harmless mushroom to Juggernaut

19. From a harmless mushroom to JuggernautAlex Solis

20. Sub-zero got you all fooled

20. Sub-zero got you all fooledAlex Solis

21. Real life VS Online

21. Real life VS OnlineAlex Solis

22. Life cycle of a butterfly explained with a twist

22. Life cycle of a butterfly explained with a twistAlex Solis

23. Pik-ach-uuu!

23. Pik-ach-uuu!Alex Solis

24. The Super Saiyan form explained

24. The Super Saiyan form explainedAlex Solis

25. Mickey Mouse feeding fat on some Benjamins

25. Mickey Mouse feeding fat on some BenjaminsAlex Solis

26. Po might not be as sweet and innocent as we thought

26. Po might not be as sweet and innocent as we thoughtAlex Solis

27. This can totally give you the creeps

27. This can totally give you the creepsAlex Solis

Alex Solis really knows how to ruin a childhood memory in the best way.

Want more “wait, that cannot be real” moments? See 81 visual anomalies that will leave your logic spinning in the mud.

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