David Gonzales (cartoonist)

Last updated
David Gonzales
Born1964 (age 57–58)
Richmond, California
Area(s) cartoonist, apparel designer, toy designer
Notable works
 Homies, Mijos, The Palermos
ChildrenAndres, [1] Monica, Anthony [2]
http://www.davidgonzalesart.com

David Gonzales (born 1964 in Richmond, California) is an American cartoonist, apparel designer, and toy designer. He is the creator of the Homies line of toys.

Contents

Biography

Gonzales was one of five brothers who were very close. He grew up in a tough, impoverished Mexican-American neighborhood. After attending Roman Catholic elementary school, Gonzales begged his parents to put him in a local public high school because the art program was better. [3]

Gonzales began drawing comics while he was in high school. His amateur comic strip was called The Adventures of Chico Loco, and the characters were based on "barrio guys." [4] The main character, based on Gonzales himself, was called "Hollywood."

Gonzales attended California College of the Arts in Oakland. He had changed the title of his strip to The Adventures of Hollywood [4] when it was picked up as a monthly feature by the San Jose-based Lowrider magazine and steadily gained an audience. [2]

In the early 90s Gonzales began drawing characters from The Adventures of Hollywood on T-shirts and other products, which he and his wife sold at local beach stands, swap meets, liquor stores, and eventually urban clothing stores. [2] These characters were the templates for Homies. Under the Gonzales Graphics name, Gonzales also sold shirts geared toward "La Raza," with Aztec designs, Pachuco imagery, and illustrations of the Mexican Revolution. [2]

Gonzales lived in Taos from 1994 to 1998, when he moved back to the Bay Area. [5] It was at that point that Gonzales shifted direction from T-shirts to toy design. He released the first set of Homies figurines, which were initially sold in supermarket vending machines in Chicano communities throughout California. [6] Gonzales initially had trouble selling his product, in particular because the Los Angeles Police Department claimed that the toys glorified gang life. [4] [6] In response, many stores stopped selling the Homies.

Gonzales repeatedly explained that he “did not create Homies to glamorize gang life.” [7] Met with the challenge of re-imagining his characters, he went back to the drawing board and gave each individual Homies character an inspiring biography. [3] [7] He created stories for each characters on the Homies website, [4] with each one embodying a positive trait. [3] Stores quickly returned the Homies to their shelves; [7] the resulting media coverage of the controversy helped Homies gain ever more popularity. [8] The toys were widely popular, with the first series selling a million Homies figures in four months. [4]

Gonzales claims that after he re-invented the Homies characters, police representatives have introduced themselves at public functions and individual police officers have even ordered Homies figures from him personally.[ citation needed ]

In 2004, Gonzales released the Mijos toy line of youth characters related to the Homies. Also in 2004, Gonzales introduced a toy line named The Palermos, featuring a fictional Italian American former mafia family now running a pizzeria; [9]

By 2013, Gonzales had shifted his focus once again to apparel, creating the T-shirt brand DGAtees, featuring his own art as well as his son Anthony's. [2]

Personal life

Gonzales has three grown children. [3] After living for many years in Hercules, California, by 2013 he had relocated to Southern California. [2]

One of Gonzales’s brothers, Robert, has become peripherally involved in the Homies toy line. After a life of crime and violence, Robert became a priest. Himself using a wheelchair, Robert suggested that Gonzales create a Homie in a wheelchair. Willie G, as the character was named, has since become one of the more popular Homies, even being promoted by the Special Olympics. [3] In addition, the Homie character Padrecito ("priest") resembles Robert, and has been used to connect with and help those looking for a route out of the ghetto. Through Robert's “El Padrecito’s Online Church,” Homies have made it easier for society to connect with those looking to improve their lives; on the website people can create religious figurines, such as saints. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homies (toy)</span>

Homies are a series of two-inch plastic collectible figurines representing various Chicano Mexican American characters. The line of toys was created by David Gonzales and based on a comic strip that Gonzales created featuring a cast of characters from his youth. Introduced in the year 1998, Homies were initially sold in grocery store vending machines and have become a highly collectible item, and have spawned many imitation toys.

The Palermos are a series of two-inch plastic collectible figurines created by David Gonzales. Representing an Italian American family and their associates, the Palermos debuted in 2004 as a spin-off of Gonzales' Homies figures.

Caló is an argot or slang of Mexican Spanish that originated during the first half of the 20th century in the Southwestern United States. It is the product of zoot-suit pachuco culture that developed in the 1930s and '40s in cities along the US/Mexico border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Powers Collection</span> 1980s Kenner Products action figure line based on DC Comics characters

The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s.

Batman action figures have been produced since the 1940s.

Schleich is a German producer of handpainted toy figurines and accessories. The company is headquartered in Germany. The traditional market for Schleich products is Mainland Europe, with half their sales in Germany. The toys are sold worldwide and are quite popular in the United Kingdom, France, Australia and North America

<i>Lowrider</i> (magazine)

Lowrider was an American automobile magazine, focusing almost exclusively on the style known as a lowrider. It first appeared in 1977, produced out of San Jose, California, by a trio of San Jose State students. In 2007, it was published out of Anaheim, California, and part of the Motor Trend Group. The magazine was closed in December 2019.

Art toys, also called designer toys, are toys and collectibles created by artists and designers that are either self-produced or made by small, independent toy companies, typically in very limited editions. Artists use a variety of materials, such as ABS plastic, vinyl, wood, metal, latex, plush, and resin. Creators often have backgrounds in graphic design, illustration, or fine art, but many accomplished toy artists are self-taught. The first art toys appeared in the 1990s in Hong Kong and Japan. By the early 2000s, the majority of art toys were based upon characters created by popular Lowbrow artists, linking the two movements.

Mijos are a series of plastic collectible figurines created by David Gonzales. Representing various Chicano Mexican American youth characters, Mijos debuted in 2004 as a spin-off of Gonzales' Homies figures. The Mijos line are specifically targeted at Hispanics — in this case, Hispanic children.

Stanley George Miller, better known as Mouse or Stanley Mouse, is an American artist who is notable for his 1960s psychedelic rock concert poster designs and album covers for the Grateful Dead, Journey, and other bands.

Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (2016–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funko</span> American toy company

Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories and games.

<i>The New Adventures of Zorro</i> (1981 TV series) American TV series or program

The New Adventures of Zorro is an American animated television series produced by Filmation in 1981. The series, which has 13 episodes, is based on the fictional character created by Johnston McCulley. It aired as part of The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinylmation</span>

Vinylmation is a brand of 1.5", 3", and 9" vinyl collectible toys sold at Disney theme parks, select Disney Stores, and the online Disney Store. The name Vinylmation is a combination of the word Animation and Vinyl. Most figures are all shaped with the body of Mickey Mouse but have different themed markings, colors, and patterns. This means that all figures have round mouse ears, whether or not the painted character has them. This is accommodated by painting the ears with backgrounds - stars, stripes, rainbows - to match the painted character. The series exception is the Park Starz series which does not resemble Mickey at all, and more closely resembles iconic figures from the parks. Vinylmation was first introduced in July 2008, and the first figures were introduced in November 2008.

G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.

<i>Disney Infinity</i> Toys-to-life sandbox video game series that ran from 2013 to 2016

Disney Infinity is an action-adventure sandbox toys-to-life video game series developed by Avalanche Software. The setting of the series is a giant customizable universe of imagination, known as the Toy Box, populated with toy versions of iconic Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters.

Toys-to-life is a video game feature using physical figurines or action figures to interact within the game. These toys use a near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), or image recognition data protocol to determine the individual figurine's proximity, and save a player's progress data to a storage medium located within that piece. It was one of the most lucrative branches of the video game industry, with the Skylanders franchise alone selling more than $3 billion worth over the course of four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulipop</span>

Tulipop is an Icelandic lifestyle brand founded in 2010. The company's original product line was a series of plush figures that resembled elements of nature, such as mushrooms and trees. The company went on to develop these characters, called Tulipoppers, in a variety of media, including a children's cartoon series that was released on YouTube in 2017. In 2017, Tulipop partnered with Hot Topic to release its first merchandise in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cholo (subculture)</span> Mexican-American subculture

A cholo or chola is a member of a Chicano and Latino subculture or lifestyle associated with a particular set of dress, behavior, and worldview which originated in Los Angeles. A veterano or veterana is an older member of the same subculture. Other terms referring to male members of the subculture may include vato and vato loco. Cholo was first reclaimed by Chicano youth in the 1960s and emerged as a popular identification in the late 1970s. The subculture has historical roots in the Pachuco subculture, but today is largely equated with anti-social behavior, criminal behavior and gang activity.

<i>Homie Rollerz</i> 2008 kart racing game

Homie Rollerz is a 2008 kart racing game developed by Webfoot Technologies and published by Destineer for the Nintendo DS. The game is based on the plastic figurine line Homies by American cartoonist David Gonzales, and follows ten different characters from the figurine line racing each other in a competition set up by an elderly man named Vato Wizard, who has the ability to grant wishes.

References

  1. ↑ Macias, Chris. "Barrio Boon: Mijos Figures Are All The (Commercial) Rage," Sacramento Bee (Aug. 3, 2004).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mendoza, Beto. "David Gonzales Art - Creator of the Homies: Lowrider Draw the Line," Archived 2015-01-03 at the Wayback Machine Lowrider (June 18, 2013).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Becerra, Hector (18 Dec 2007). "'Homies' are Where His Art Is". LA Times. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bir, Sara. "Where the Heart Is: With Homies, gangsta is in the eye of the beholder," Metroactive (Apr. 10, 2003).
  5. ↑ Fischer, Zane. "Homie Sweet Homie: Sexy urban icons have New Mexico roots," Santa Fe Reporter (February 4, 2009).
  6. 1 2 Napolitano, Jo. "Two-Inch Latino Role Models, for Good or Ill," New York Times (May 1, 2003).
  7. 1 2 3 Alonso, Alex (May 12, 2000). "Homies Figures: The Original Homies". StreetGangs.com. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Wortham, Stanton (1 January 2011). "Homies in the New Latino Diaspora". ScholarlyCommon. 31 (3): 191–202. doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2011.02.007.
  9. ↑ Sullivan, James. "Homies go from figurines to branding phenomenon: Richmond native has runaway success," San Francisco Chronicle (June 10, 2003).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.