Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement and publisher of the English translation of the golden plates known as the Book of Mormon.
Krishna – No. 76
A central figure of Hinduism. He is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and the protector of sacred utterances and cows. In some monotheistic traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being.
Moses – No. 75
The author of the Torah, according to Hebrew biblical manuscripts. A prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea and acquired stone tablets at Mount Sinai. In South Park, he was drawn to look like the Master Control Program from the film Tron.
Laozi (Lao Tzu) – No. 74
A mystic philosopher of ancient China and author of the Tao Te Ching. Considered the founder of Taoism. Also an important member of South Park‘s Super Best Friends group.
P.S. “If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.” – Wang Fou, Huahujing (but often attributed to Laozi)
Muhammad – No. 72
I’ve been working on creating 8-bit versions of all major religious figures (including every character depicted in South Park‘s Super Best Friends group) and want to be inclusive without potentially upsetting radical Islamist organizations. Thus, here is a censored (think of it as extremely backlit) visual depiction of a certain prophet from Mecca.
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
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.
Gautama Buddha – No. 50
Siddhārtha Gautama was the spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism. He is also considered the ninth incarnation of Vishnu in Hinduism.
Hotei Buddha – No. 49
Not the real Buddha, but a laughing deity of Chinese folklore. I bought a sitting Budai figurine in Manhattan just after 9/11 and have kept it in my car ever since. For good luck. I am also quite taken by this recent photo of a Hotei Buddha statue resting seemingly undisturbed in the tsunami-destroyed town of Sendai, Japan.
Jesus Christ – No. 48
Time to switch things up. Now begins a series of characters that aren’t based on college sports mascots. First is the central figure and namesake of Christianity who was born from the Virgin Mary.
