“I wish that my little Pinocchio would be a real boy!”  –  Gepetto

Giving human traits to animals and inanimate objects like puppets has amused and entertained us since a mother first told her child a bedtime story. Just ask any pet owner if their canine or feline family members contribute to the household dynamic in interesting and memorable ways. I know ours do.

I think most people have a fascination with animals that goes beyond a simple academic interest. We relate to animals directly and honestly without pretension or emotional baggage. We project our thoughts and feelings onto them and when we give them human traits we are really speaking through them; they become our alter egos.

It’s no surprise then that animals find themselves featured in many children’s stories, family focused advertising campaigns and product identity systems. As you can see by these images I have given voices and expression to our animal friends in all of these categories. Certain species embody innate characteristics that lend themselves to various storylines. A lion will may fearless or they may be the opposite as in the “Wizard’s Cowardly Lion”. A coyote may be sly and devious or again the inverse as in Looney Tunes’ hapless “Wily Coyote”.