Artist Makes Custom Lucky Cats of Metal Musicians
Custom "lucky cat" figurines fashioned after the appearances of metal bands including Slipknot, Korn and Mudvayne are currently all the rage on TikTok.
That's due to the work of Local Crooks, otherwise known as Australian designer and illustrator Chelsea Vandenberg. She created the welcoming statuettes that look like members of the influential nu-metal acts.
The detailed creations add some oomph to the time-honored Japanese maneki-neko tradition of "beckoning cat" guardian figurines, the kind of collectible often believed to bring good luck to the owner.
This week, a TikTok video emerged of Chelsea's Craig Jones lucky cat, styled after the Slipknot keyboardist. It's been viewed over 75,000 times so far.
Slipknot (Craig Jones) Lucky Cat
Then there's the lucky cat she made of the late Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, as pictured above. (Jordison died last year at 48; he parted ways with the band back in 2013.) The video of that one is approaching a whopping 300,000 views on TikTok right now.
Chelsea describes herself as a "nu-metal lover, knick-knack collector and the twisted mind behind Local Crooks" on her official website.
"I get a lot of my inspiration from Japan," she explains. "So inspired I've gone back a total of three times! Everything there is cute, colorful and has a character of its own. Add some horror and true crime to that mix, and you've got my style down pat."
Chelsea uses spray paint, acrylic paint and paint pens to make her nu-metal lucky cats. She's currently working on an entire nu-metal lucky cat collection, promising two more of the figurines in a recent video.
Local Crooks also makes hand-painted items that are available for purchase online. See more videos from Local Crooks on TikTok and below.