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)
Mother Teresa – No. 73
Happy Mother’s Day, featuring a beloved mother who provided humanitarian care to thousands. A Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in India in 1950. She was made an Honorary Citizen of the United States in 1996. She died in 1997 and was beatified in 2003.
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.
Mahatma Gandhi – No. 69
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?
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
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.
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.
