Rat Fink is one of several

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

characters created by artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, one of the originators of

Kustom Kulture Kustom Kulture is a neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. It was born out of the h ...

of automobile enthusiasts. Roth conceived Rat Fink as an anti-hero to

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

. Rat Fink is usually portrayed as either green or gray, comically grotesque and depraved-looking with bulging, bloodshot eyes, an oversized mouth with sharp, narrow teeth, and wearing red overalls with the initials "R.F." on them. He is often seen driving cars or motorcycles. Roth began airbrushing and selling "weirdo" T-shirts at car shows and in the pages of hot rod publications such as '' Car Craft'' in the late 1950s. By the August 1959 issue of ''Car Craft'', "weirdo shirts" had become a craze, with Ed Roth at the forefront of the movement. His T-shirt designs inspired an industry. Rat Fink was advertised for the first time in the July 1963 issue of '' Car Craft''. The ad called it "The rage in California". Also in 1963, the Revell Model Company issued a plastic model kit of the character. The initial run of the kit was from 1963 to 1965, but the Rat Fink kit, along with Roth's other creations, has been re-issued by Revell over the years. Rat Fink continues to be a popular item to this day in hot rod and Kustom Kulture circles in the form of T-shirts, key chains, wallets, toys, decals, etc. Other artists associated with Roth also drew the character, including ''Rat Fink Comix'' artist R.K. Sloane and

Steve Fiorilla Steve Fiorilla (January 12, 1961 – July 29, 2009) was an American artist born in Paterson, New Jersey, who lived and worked in Buffalo, New York. Throughout his career, Fiorilla emphasized the grotesque and surreal in illustrations, sculptur ...

, who illustrated Roth's catalogs. Rat Fink and Roth are featured in Ron Mann's documentary film ''Tales of the Rat Fink'' (2006). Jeannette Catsoulis reviewed in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'': A Rat Fink revival in the late 1980s and the 1990s centered on the

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

/ punk rock movements, both in the U.S. West Coast and in Australia (Roth drew Rat Fink artwork for the album ''

Junk Yard Junk may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junk'' (film), a 2000 Japanese horror film * '' J-U-N-K'', a 1920 American film * ''Junk'' (novel), by Melvin Burgess, 1996 * ''Junk'', a novel by Christopher Largen Music Groups * Junk (band), a ...

'' by the Australian band The Birthday Party). The band White Zombie produced a song titled "Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks, and Cannibal Girls". The song was featured in the film ''

Beavis and Butthead Do America ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do America'' is a 1996 American adult animated comedy film based on the MTV animated television series '' Beavis and Butt-Head''. The film was co-written and directed by series creator Mike Judge, who reprises his roles f ...

'', along with an animated sequence reminiscent of Ed Roth's artistic style. Fink's, a bar-and-grille in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin, is named in tribute to Rat Fink. There is a Rat Fink poster on the blue wall at stage left in The Pee-wee Herman Show.

References

External links

Rat Fink Official SiteOfficial Ed "Big Daddy" Roth WebsiteRat Fink MuseumPrevious Official Site
{{Kustom kulture Anthropomorphic mice and rats Kustom Kulture Ed Roth Literary characters introduced in 1963