When new body dryers — or “Wilderness Warming Huts” — featuring Humphrey the Bear appeared in Disney California Adventure this week, many fans were surprised. However, one artist got even more of a shock, noting that the artwork used on one of the dryers bore a striking resemblance to fan art they had created of the character.
- In April 2017, artist Eligecos — real name Gabriel Cano — posted artwork depicting Humphrey the Bear on Tumblr.
- Cano’s interpretation of the character is nearly identical the art used on the new dryer, using the same pose and background design.
- On Twitter, Eligecos also shared images of the sketch and ink layers from the piece:
- Asked by another Twitter user whether he planned on taking action against Disney, Cano acknowledged, “Eh, it’s their character,” adding “I honestly don’t mind. Goes to show you that the artists they hire to design park props and assets can’t make their own art from scratch sometimes.”
- In messages to Laughing Place, Cano said, “I don’t really know what to make of it. It was some fan art I drew and posted on Tumblr over a year ago. I even credited Disney for owning the character.”
- Cano also theorized how the incident could have happened, saying, “Perhaps [whichever] graphic designer that reproduced my fan art may have mistaken it for official Disney art? I’m really not sure.”
- Laughing Place has also reached out to Disney for comment, but they did not immediately respond to our request.