zombie popeye
& zombie BLUTO
Popeye's 90th anniversary
Concept
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After the sold-out of the release of Zombie Mario, the Asian agency Dream Beyond contacted me to design a collection of art toys for Popeye’s 90th anniversary, under official license.
Process
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This was the first project where I didn’t have to sculpt the pieces myself. The process involved creating a design on paper and, once approved by the brand, developing the four-view turnaround so the manufacturer could model it in 3D for production. This is how I first met ZCWO, with whom I would later collaborate on the Playboy and Stormtourist projects.
First Approach
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My first idea was to design a Popeye figure made entirely of spinach sprouts. The message was clear to me: you become what you feed on, not only in terms of food, of course. I was really happy with the result and sent it for review.
Identity Crisis
Contrary to what I expected, the design didn’t get approved.
They told me it was very interesting, but that they wanted something “more Luaiso Lopez.”
It may sound simple, but it wasn’t at all.
Until then, all my works had followed their own language, letting creativity flow freely with each project.
But what exactly was “something Luaiso Lopez”?
​This forced me to look inward and ask myself what truly made my work mine, something I had never consciously done before.
My references were clear: graffiti, cartoons, videogames… but stylistically I didn’t have a well-defined form.​​​
Redesign
I also added the facial paint patterns I had started experimenting with in other pieces, inspired by a small vintage tanooki figure I bought in Japan.
A step toward building a recognizable visual language that I could easily incorporate into future works, and a kind of allegory of the masks we all wear.
Then I thought that, since Zombie Mario had resonated so well, I could follow that direction.
​​I designed a Zombie Popeye with a visual language similar to Zombie Mario, but keeping the silhouette and proportions of the first concept.
The result left me quite satisfied, although personally I still felt that the spinach version was stronger and more meaningful.
Production
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The brand loved the new proposal, so the next step was to prepare the four-view turnaround.
I had never worked this way before, but it was exciting.
Of course, it had nothing to do with sculpting directly in material, shaping volumes and proportions in real time, compared to imagining the final piece in my head and reproducing its four sides on paper.
Once finished, I sent it without being completely sure about it.
My surprise was huge when they sent back the first 3D render for me to review. Except for a few minor details, the model looked almost exactly as I had imagined it.
Legacy
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Today, it’s probably my most recognized piece.
Yes, it borrows from a famous icon, and without that reference its reach might’ve been smaller, but that’s part of pop art and the art toy world: appropriation, satire, reinterpretation.
Anyway, it’s not just a tourist disguised as a Stormtrooper or a Stormtrooper on vacation. The Stormtourist has meaning and his own background.
Now you know.