Political leader of India during the Indian independence movement whose philosophy was founded on nonviolence. He inspired campaigns for civil rights and freedom across the world.
Che Guevara – No. 68
Argentine Marxist revolutionary and major figure of the Cuban Revolution. His iconic caricature is a hipster emblem of radical chic.
Kim Jong-il – No. 67
Eccentric Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He has a fear of flying and always travels by private armored train.
Osama bin Laden – No. 66
Elusive leader of al-Qaeda and disowned member of the billionaire Saudi bin Laden family. On the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 1999.
Update: Frankly, I am stunned by the coincidence that Osama bin Laden was announced as dead this evening. Perhaps I should have posted an 8-bit version of him years ago? Does publishing primitive pixel art stop terrorism? What.
Saddam Hussein – No. 65
Former President of Iraq and central figure of the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Was executed by hanging in December 2006. Or was he?
Easter Bunny – No. 59
Happy Easter or Happy Ostara! Here is a rabbit that carries around a basket of colored eggs and candy. The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany in the 1500s. German settlers introduced the Easter bunny to American folklore in the 1700s.
Dalai Lama – No. 58
The 14th Dalai Lama has represented Tibetan Buddhism since 1950.
P.S. “What surprises me most about humanity is man. He sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future. He lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies never having really lived.” – Dalai Lama
Cthulhu – No. 57
A cosmic entity created by H. P. Lovecraft. Who better to help us celebrate Earth Day and get us to demonstrate our commitment to survive on this small planet.
Abraham Lincoln – No. 56
The 16th President of the United States. He was assassinated at Ford’s Theater in 1861. In addition, this Holopaw song is great.
Virgin Mary – No. 54
A Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee who got knocked up by God as a teenager. Nine months later she popped out an appropriated sun god named Jesus.
Mario – No. 70
I’m taking a break from political leaders and revolutionaries for a couple of video game characters. Childhood nostalgia runs deep with this Italian-American plumber who first appeared over 25 years ago.
I briefly considered posting an 8-bit Mexican luchador today instead (as a weak tie-in to Cinco de Mayo), but the force of Nintendo was too strong.