Okay so last Tuesday I’m scrolling through Instagram when this crazy sculpture pops up – big cartoonish character with X’d-out eyes. Looked like something from Sesame Street got into a fight. Went down the rabbit hole and ended up spending three whole days figuring out who KAWS even is. Figured I’d dump my notes here for anyone else just starting out.
How I First Stumbled Into This Rabbit Hole
Honestly? It started because I saw a picture of Kim Kardashian’s living room. Seriously. There was this massive wooden thing near her couch, kinda creepy-cute. Did a reverse image search (took me ages, tech ain’t my strong suit) and boom – COMPANION. That was my gateway drug, as weird as that sounds.
My Deep Dive (Mostly Googling & Museum Website Surfing)
Started simple: just typed “KAWS” into Google. Big mistake. Got flooded with sneaker ads and NFT stuff. Total chaos. Switched gears, looked up art museums I knew: Brooklyn Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Yuz Museum Shanghai. Read their exhibit pages for KAWS stuff like my life depended on it. Here’s the messy trail of breadcrumbs I followed:
- Realized the dude has like four names. Brian Donnelly… but he goes by KAWS. Also saw people call him the artist behind those vinyl toys? Had to untangle that knot first.
- Dove into WHO these creepy dudes were. That COMPANION guy kept showing up. Then saw another one covered in fur? That’s CHUM. Found another with gloves? BENDY. Spent ages just trying to recognize them!
- Hit a major wall with the art-speak. Kept seeing words like “appropriation” and “commodification.” Translated roughly (for me): he used Mickey Mouse and the Michelin Man for his stuff, and then sells it for insane prices. Made more sense when I saw his older ads where he painted over bus shelter posters – total vandal move.
- Started recognizing patterns. Everywhere I looked? Those XX eyes. And the weird gloved hands. Even the skulls had them! Became like a weird scavenger hunt.
- Stumbled onto the toy connection. Found out he started with small vinyl figures in Japan! Turns out people collect these things like crazy. Went down a whole eBay rabbit hole seeing prices… almost choked on my coffee.
- Saw him EVERYWHERE online. Not just Kardashian’s house. Collaborations with Uniqlo, Dior, even Fortnite! My mind was blown that the same artist making giant sculptures also put those big-handed dudes on T-shirts my nephew wears.
What Actually Stuck With Me (The 10 Bits That Clicked)
After banging my head against the wall, here’s the stuff that finally made KAWS make sense for me:
- Graffiti roots. Guy started by literally defacing ads with his skull character.
- The name KAWS is basically visual. Those letters K-A-W-S stacked look like his X-eyes and skull shape. Clever.
- COMPANION is his main dude. That sad Mickey vibe guy with X eyes? That’s him.
- CHUM is the Michelin Man remake. The fluffy one? Yep.
- BENDY has the long arms. Usually blue, looks like he could wrap around a building.
- ACCOMPLICES are the cute rabbits. Often pink, another recurring squad member.
- KAWS FAMILY is huge. Like, insanely huge sculptures that cost insane money.
- Toys launched his art career. Small vinyl figures in Japan got collectors hooked first.
- Collaborations are EVERYWHERE. High fashion, streetwear, cereal boxes – name a brand, he’s probably done it.
- He exists in both art galleries and your local mall. Bridged that gap like no one else.
Honestly? Still wrapping my head around it. Saw pictures of his giant inflatable COMPANION floating in rivers and it just looks unreal. Kinda wish I’d known these 10 things upfront – would’ve saved me hours of confused Googling and saying “Wait, that’s art??” out loud.
