You’re here. You clicked on the picture. You know what’s about to happen. So any and all reactions you have to this are not my fault, okay.
We’re all to blame here.
Having said that, as odd as these recreations of beloved Hey, Arnold! characters by artist Miguel Vasquez may be, they’re absolutely incredible works of art. Let’s check them out.
Meet Miguel
3D artist Miguel Vasquez has been horrifying and delighting the internet for 4 years now.
His Instagram, which boasts 157,000+ followers, is a treasure trove for those who like their art with a side of the macabre.
Pop culture is Miguel’s playground
The first post on his Instagram is this recreation of The Lizard from The Amazing Spiderman.
This recreation is eerily accurate, right down to the way the scales’ iridescence is noticeable even without The Lizard moving.
Here’s The Lizard from the movie
As you can see by this gif of The Lizard just wrecking Spiderman (the Andrew Garflield one, anyway), it’s pretty damn close to Miguel’s version.
Anyway, let’s get back to the other monsters, shall we?
Miguel has also taken on some other iconic characters
For example, here’s the version of Luigi you might not have wanted or needed, but…well, it’s in your eyeballs now, isn’t it?
Like The Lizard, this is one of Miguel’s earlier works. You can see the huge change his art has gone through by scrolling back through his work.
Welcome to 2017
Michael shocked the internet in 2017 when he posted the first of what would become a viral series.
In this first illustration, Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants is recreated in textured realism. It evokes intense discomfort, but I can’t help but look at it, you know?
Patrick gains a friend
After his Patrick sparked interest, Miguel posted his version of SpongeBob, as well.
Patrick now has his signature shorts, and Spongebob has beady, Steve Buscemi-esque eyes that stare right into your soul.
“Humanoid sponge”
The disconcerting creation of human skin for SpongeBob is…stunning. Like, I’m scarred from looking at it, but it’s undeniably art.
Wait, hang on. Wait. I know he has Steve Buscemi eyes, but guys. Does Spongebob look like Ben from LOST ?
Okay, SpongeBob looks like Ben from LOST
I’m making this comparison with the utmost respect to Michael Emerson, who rightfully earned an Emmy award for his portrayal of Ben Linus.
But like. We all see it, right?
Anyway. I wanna go back in time to before I noticed this.
Y’all already know what this is
Handsome Squidward (his description, not mine).
I…I’m kinda mad hat Squidward has a perfect cupid’s bow on his lip. Wtf. His next career is as a beauty guru for sure.
I’m scared to ask why Squidward is handsome or swol. Let’s just…let it be.
Anyway, “Hey Arnold!”
Let’s dig into why we’re all here: Hey Arnold! Because that SpongeBob stuff is so 2017.
In 2019, we are all about Hey Arnold! and the insane art it can produce. Get ready, football heads.
Here’s Arnold and Gerald before
I just need you to remember Arnold and his BFF, Gerald, as they were.
You will never be able to unsee what you’re about to scroll to.
Take a moment. Breathe it in. Think about these two iconic characters in their 2D glory.
And away we go!
So. Here we are. Let’s talk about how we’re all feeling, huh? What are we thinking? Everyone doing okay?
Gerald is interesting. It’s…it’s not so bad. Maybe because, proportionally speaking, his face isn’t stretched to take up half the screen.
But Arnold…my dude, life hit you so hard.
Football head doesn’t begin to describe it
It fully looks like there’s an inflated football in his head. The detail in his straw-like hair still evokes his cartoon counterpart, but maybe a few decades on.
I love the pose chosen here, too, with the school portrait background. What age is he supposed to be? We’ll never know.
Gerald’s game
I feel like Gerald is only a little less horrifying, but at least his head is…almost round? Right?
Nah. I tried, but he’s just as weird. Especially how his head is stretched upward, implying that his skull is shaped like a scientific beaker.
Two bros just chillin’ in a photobooth
In all seriousness though, even the texture of the clothes is incredible. Miguel clearly took painstaking effort to create the flyaways and fuzz on Gerald’s sweater, and the texture of the ribbing on Arnold’s.
Sidebar, did anyone else think the bottom of Arnold’s shirt was a skirt? I always did.
Miguel has also taken on some of your other faves
Because having intact memories of cherished childhood icons isn’t necessary, right?
So…uh…here’s Nigel Thornberry. To be fair, there’s very little exaggeration here. Nigel really was just that frickin’ weird looking.
I can actually hear him inhaling while looking at this.
“Monsters, Inc”, but make it scary
This one got me.
Mike Wazowski is just a happy tennis ball in my mind, so this…actually, this kind of reminds me of Slimer from Ghostbusters.
Like, if Slimer and Mike had a baby. You know?
Hope you didn’t enjoy Ed, Edd n Eddy
Because this is what they look like after being 3D rendered!
I feel like this group of dudes is gonna bully me while hanging out in a 7-11 parking lot at 11PM on a Wednesday.
Time to stop adventuring and take a lifelong nap
I’m kinda glad I’m slightly past the target generation for Adventure Time, because I bet this is upsetting.
For me, it’s just…like, I feel like I’ve seen this guy before, you know? Someone let me know who it is. It’s definitely someone famous.
D’OH
To be fair, this is exactly what I would picture Homer looking like in real life.
The combed-over hair is a great touch, as is the sallow, yellow-y skin. And the perma-5 o’clock shadow is perfectly disconcerting.
Mr Vasquez, I don’t feel so good
Would you like your world-destroying super villain with a side of weird handsomeness?
Because that’s what you’re getting with Handsome Thanos, whether you wanted it or not. Sorry ’bout it.
Can’t have one without the other
Finally! Luigi gets his counterpart! 4 years after Miguel first posted Luigi, he posted this really cool timelapse creation of Mario.
I love seeing an artist’s process, and this is frankly insane to watch.
Anyway, back to SpongeBob for a sec
Since Miguel’s work mostly consists of SpongeBob characters, I have a few more to show you. First up: Gary.
As far as creepiness goes, at least this one was a weird-looking creature to begin with? I mean, snails, am I right?
And finally, Angry Patrick
Every meme needs a brutally recreated, realistic, nightmare-inducing counterpart, right?
Well, we’ve had a wild ride, guys. Head over to Miguel’s Instagram to see all of his work in one place, and sorry in advance for any nightmares you might have.
