Known for his playful characters, tongue-in-cheek visual language, and collaborations with brands like Coca-Cola, Spotify, and The New York Times, Super Freak has spent over a decade building a world that lives across billboards, books, and the blockchain. With the upcoming launch of Mallow Inc., he’s bringing attention back to storytelling, physical art, and community.

In this conversation, Super Freak reflects on his creative journey, shares the origins of Spanky, and offers a look at how Mallow Inc. is expanding the Superverse.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OpenSea: Let’s start at the beginning – what’s the origin of Super Freak? Was there a specific moment or piece that made the identity click?

Super Freak: It started while I was still in university. I studied graphic design for three years in further education. The course was very brand-focused. Our tutors were great at teaching us how to create fully branded packages – sometimes for imaginary brands, sometimes real briefs.

I was one of the few students who leaned heavily into illustration within the graphic design umbrella.

In my final year, we had to come up with a degree show concept, and I decided to brand myself. That’s when I came up with the name Super Freak. I’d already been drawing these strange little characters, and there was one cartoon I kept repeating. I thought, “There’s something here.” So I used it as an alias and tied it to my illustration work.

I started using the name on Instagram and shared my work. Things just took off. Now, 12 years later, here we are. Pretty surreal.

OpenSea: What brought you into web3?

Super Freak: In 2021, I was part of a small artist community on Instagram. One of my favorite artists, Wizard Skull, posted a 3D digital sculpture and said, “You can buy this now – it’s a digital collectible.” I was like, “What does that even mean?”

I started researching. It took time to mint my own pieces because the space felt loud, exclusive, and intimidating. I waited until I had the courage to mint some work and started building a community.

It was a wild intro – but a fun one.

OpenSea: Yeah, that early NFT moment really moved fast and for artists just finding their footing, it could feel like a lot all at once.

Super Freak: Yeah, totally. Platforms like OpenSea made it accessible fast. Artists could learn to mint, build collections, and share them. That ease helped. I built my own collection, started connecting with other artists, and we became close back in those early days.

The web3 space has a lot of cool pockets that are exciting for artists to jump into.

OpenSea: Were there specific influences that shaped your humor or visual style?

Super Freak: Definitely. One was the digital artist Pak. I was obsessed with their coding skills and how they engaged their huge community in creative, playful ways. That approach influenced a lot of my early drops.

On a broader level, my tone and humor come from vintage ads, posters, and old comic books. They’ve always had this tongue-in-cheek quality I love. I try to bring that into my work with a fresh spin.

Right now, we’re having a blast working on posters for the upcoming Spanky drop. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had this much fun creating.

OpenSea: That’s refreshing to hear. Some artists feel pressure once it becomes “the job” – especially after a successful collection.

Super Freak: Totally. That was my reality for the last two years. I released my early collections independently, and then life took me in a different direction for a while. My creative process slowed down, and I found myself overthinking every step. For two years, I barely created. Now I’m back, tapping into the world I’ve been building for over a decade. Jon and Steve kept reminding me that my work brings people joy — and I finally started believing it again.

I had to remind myself – well, Jon and Steve reminded me constantly – that my work brings people joy. I needed to try that on myself too.

OpenSea: Can you talk about the ‘100%’ piece – why you made it and what it was about?

Super Freak: That was one of the first pieces I launched. I did an airdrop for holders of a larger collection I’d released earlier. We gamified it.

There was an auction for a one-of-one, and I announced that every bidder would get an airdrop just for participating.

But there was a loophole on the platform. People – and probably some bots – figured it out and gamed the system. When the auction ended, people started asking, “Where’s my airdrop?” But I knew they’d cheated.

So I dropped a piece with 100% creator fees and said, “Here’s your airdrop.” People were shocked: “Wait, it’s 100% creator fees?” And I said, “Well, I’m sticking to my word.”

I’ve always loved using NFTs in playful ways. It’s not just about putting a JPEG out there – you can create mechanics, add storytelling, mess with expectations. People take things too seriously. In 2021, it felt good to be goofy and use that as an entry point to show people what my work is all about – who Spanky is, and who I am.

OpenSea: And for people just discovering the Superverse – how did Spanky come about?

Super Freak: He came a little after I created the Super Freak alias. I always wanted a character to represent the broader universe – something that could eventually outlive the name Super Freak.

Spanky was that seed. Like how Walt Disney had Mickey Mouse but created many others. Spanky was inspired by those old Disney cartoons – rubber hose animation. I wanted a character I could drop into my world and have him grow, meet new characters, evolve.

Twelve years later, he’s shown up in global campaigns, billboards, ads – it’s surreal. And it’s still going. I’m always looking for new ways to use him.

In 2022, I hit a creative wall again. The rubber hose style had become oversaturated. It’s a brilliant style, and I get why brands love it – it has a human touch in this AI-heavy world. But I felt lost in a sea of similar illustrators.

So I started exploring other ways to draw Spanky. We’ve run art competitions where others draw him in their own styles – 3D renders, wood engravings, whatever. And he always still looks like Spanky. That’s what I’ve worked toward: a character who transcends trends. A flexible, lasting piece of IP.

OpenSea: And with your upcoming drop, Mallow Inc. – can you tell us how it expands the Superverse and where Spanky fits in?

Super Freak: Yeah. In a way, Mallow Inc. is the Superverse. “Superverse” was the phrase I’d attached to my work for years. But Mallow Inc. is the universe everything is built in – my art, collaborations, commercials – they all originate in the Mallow Inc. factory.

We don’t see it as just a fun, gamified NFT drop. We’re using it as a foundation to build a media and entertainment company. That might sound ambitious, but it’s the goal. We’re planting seeds and leaving space to grow new things.

OpenSea: Why did you choose to launch Mallow Inc. on Ethereum? 

Super Freak: It was the first blockchain I minted on. I know everyone’s chasing Solana right now with memecoin hype, but Ethereum is solid. It’s tried and tested. I’m familiar with it, and I think most people in the space are. The goal is to bring back that vintage 2021 vibe to NFTs. Ethereum’s basically retro now.

OpenSea: For an ideal Mallow Inc. holder, what does the journey look like—from mint to long-term engagement?

Super Freak: Going back to planting seeds – we’ve got the original Spanky & Friends collection, which was always meant to act as a kind of key. Without giving too much away, we’ve mapped out ways for different tokens to unlock access to limited edition prints, physical art pieces, and more.

If Mallow Inc. evolves into a full-blown media company focused on IP like Spanky, we want as many people as possible involved. Help us grow Spanky, get him global recognition.

I don’t love talking myself up, but I think it’s already happening. The goal is to create fun, art-focused collectibles, not flipping games. Bring attention back to storytelling, physical art, and community. Mallow Inc. is the umbrella for that – exclusive drops, limited runs, and a lot of fun.

Mallow Inc. is for people who want to be part of a story. The art has always hinted at a bigger world.

In Discord, I’m constantly engaging people, getting feedback, sharing ideas. We want to expand on that and build everything out from the factory.

What excites me most is we’re launching with an established brand – Spanky. For serious NFT collectors, IP matters. And we’re coming in with a full package. We’re not forcing anything. Spanky has existed for a decade. There’s a real history – collaborations with Coca-Cola, Spotify, New York Times, Budweiser... it’s all already happened.

I just finished a global clothing collection with Zara that’s covered in Spanky.

I want to show people what’s possible. It’s not just a typical merch drop—it’s authenticated, vetted, and built to collaborate with major brands. That’s the standard we’re setting from the beginning: we’re established, we mean business, and we want to have fun.

OpenSea: That actually leads to my next question – you’ve done so many brand and editorial collaborations. What have those experiences taught you about building durable IP? And what’s your dream crossover?

Super Freak: I’ve always dreamed of collaborating with Converse – I wear them all the time. Fashion collabs are something I really leaned into. I’ve always loved fashion, and the more I’ve worked with those kinds of brands, the more I’ve realized how well Spanky fits in.

That’s part of what Mallow Inc. is – it’s the incubator for Spanky’s own clothing line. Not just a merch store, but something physical – like a red-brick shop that’s pure Spanky.

There are just so many directions Spanky could go. It’s overwhelming in the best way.

OpenSea: Is there anything coming up that you’re able to share?

Super Freak: The Zara collection is set for October. Right now, I’m also working on a children’s book series – currently finishing book five. One day I’m doing a kids’ book, the next I’m working on a billboard campaign for a milkshake company.

Last year, I worked on Chobani’s Halloween yogurt packaging. We even built a full AR game using characters made from yogurt ingredients. There’s always something new.

OpenSea: To zoom out – where do you see the IP going in five years?

Super Freak: Honestly, I see Spanky becoming a household name. Plushies in Walmart, toys on shelves.

Projects like Pudgy Penguins proved how strong web3 IP can cross over. People use Pudgy memes without knowing what they are. That’s the kind of cultural presence I want Spanky to have – clever, cheeky, universal.

OpenSea: One last thing before we wrap – there’s been a lot of talk about how artist-led and community-first this drop is. Is that in part a response to something that happened in the past?

Super Freak: Yeah, it is. In the early days, I had some experiences that pulled me away from the way I wanted to create and connect with my community. It became a really challenging time that took me away from my art and forced me to rethink everything about how I was working.

In the end, I realized I needed to get back to my roots – creating with honesty, joy, and weirdness, without outside constraints. Now, with Jon and Steve, we’re doing it our way, with a focus on real people, real IP, and a genuine sense of purpose. That’s what people want from this space, and that’s what we’re building.

OpenSea: It’s powerful to see how you’ve turned it into something meaningful.

Super Freak: It was rough. But it taught me a lot. And honestly, problem-solving is baked into everything we do as creatives. That’s what makes the job fulfilling and entertaining. That’s what design is, that’s what art is, and that’s what Mallow Inc. is.