BABY PACO
SAVES
THE WORLD
SAVES
THE WORLD
WHO ARE YOU?
My name is Paco, or that's what I go by online. My real name is Andy German. I was born and raised here in Brooklyn—Bushwick, of all places. I have been here my whole life. I am Dominican, raised by a single mother, but I still grew up with aunts. I am an illustrator. Yea I have a brand, but I do not consider myself a clothing designer by any ways. I create clothing based on my character.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO ART?
It's always been something I have been into. My mom always said every kid starts by drawing on the wall and sketching around. I buckled down in 2017. It was a time when I was graduating high school, and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was settling on moving to Alaska and being a normal guy who works a 9-5. I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. Once I graduated, I was kind of in limbo, where I didn't have a job, and I wasn't going to college. I found myself drawing a lot. I had the bright idea, "Oh, I'm going to be a clothing designer!" I did that for a bit until around February 2019.
WHAT CAME AFTER?
Around then, I came up with my next idea: to draw and create my own superhero comics. I called it No More Heroes. Everything was done by hand. It was super meticulous. I drew out characters and scanned them into Photoshop to have them interact. I saw that I was getting traction from that. During that time, I was really into Asspizza, Father Steve, Imran_Potato, and all that. I would go to their events and kick it with them and just talk without mentioning my art. Once I thought we were cool enough, I started to talk about my work and had them check it out. Austin was the first to support it; he followed me after seeing my work. Soon after, I saw Imran and some other people looking at my stuff because I paid for a tracker to show who was looking at my profile. I thought I had a nice idea to draw for Imran, so I drew for him. We built a nice relationship from that, and everything kept going like a snowball effect.
WHEN DID YOU MAKE BABY PACO?
It was going really well, but the more I kept doing that, I felt the more I was painting myself into a corner. I started to think that there was not much I could do with this. I wasn't having as much fun with it as I was before. Around this time, I created Baby Paco alongside No More Heroes. I found I had way more fun and freedom with Baby Paco. Because, with No More Heroes, I felt like I was running a business. I had like a tracker, and I was always thinking, who can I draw next? It just didn't feel fun. I got rid of No More Heroes, archived everything, and now I focus on Baby Paco.
WAS BABY PACO BORN OUT OF PURE BOREDOM? OR DID BABY PACO COME ABOUT NATURALLY?
It came about naturally. Because at the time, my brother just had a kid, and he would be over a lot, and I would babysit. There is this show called Pocoyo, and Pocoyo spawned the idea of Baby Paco in my head. Because I love the character design of Pocoyo and his entire world. I'm also a big fan of Mac DeMarco, and he has a song called “Blue Boy”. So I imagined what a Blue Boy would look like from the lyrics. So I took Pocoyo, the vision of what I saw in my head, and mixed it with one of my previous characters, Hero Killer. He would wear a Batman hat with a bandana stuffed inside. So I mixed and mangled all that, and that is what became the look of Baby Paco.
E: So those three things were your main inspirations?
Yea, so those three things were the beginnings. I'm having more fun with Baby Paco because I illustrate what I imagined I was doing when I was a kid. It's just the overly exaggerated adventures I had when I was a kid. The people I draw in Baby Paco are people I know in real life. They don't look identical to them, but they look the way they look to me or what they represent to me. I recently drew this "Star Dog" for Baby Paco; he's based on my girlfriend's dog. Or this little pink character, who's based on my girlfriend. I was able to incorporate my personal life into Baby Paco, whereas No More Heroes was more just cool things or drawing somebody just to get connected with them.
E: While Baby Paco is you creating a stylized world.
Yup, creating a stylized world that is based on my own life. My own personal world.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INTERNET?
At first, during that time, I was very focused on social media and likes and all that. During that era, like the peak of SoundCloud, it was all about who had the most likes. The more I started to stray away, and as the years went by, I started to care less. Not like I didn't care completely, but I am just moving more at my one pace. I draw whenever I want, as opposed to drawing when certain trends get popular to gain traction. There were times when I considered moving off Instagram and going to a different platform. But Instagram always brings me back because Twitter is primarily text-based, Tumblr is of the past, and Deviant Art is also of the past.
C: So, do you feel comfortable with your online presence?
I do feel comfortable. I feel like I have matured enough; I am no longer fixated on looking some way or going about something some type of way. Now I am just focused on Baby Paco, drawing things I enjoy, and creating products I actually wanna wear. I wanna talk about something with my nephew that brought about this new way of thinking and approaching my art. My nephew believes I did those things, the things I draw on Instagram. He really believes I did all that and that I am Baby Paco. I realized if that hit me so profoundly, I think it matters more to me that a little kid or somebody who has a wild imagination appreciates and believes in Baby Paco. He is so enamored and wowed by the things I draw. I feel now I am looking more for that type of response, as opposed to "Wow, this is hard; put it on a graphic tee."
E: I think you really hit the nail on the head here when it came to the character design for Baby Paco here. Like you draw him in a bunch of different styles, like you did a Parappa one or a Mario one, but he doesn't look out of place in any of those worlds. It makes sense that a kid would see him and register him as kind of like this superhero.
Yea, before drawing Baby Paco, I was super into comics, and I kinda got tired of it. Well, not tired of it, but it didn't feel as intense anymore. I started looking more into video games for inspiration. For example, I started to buy art books from series like Kirby or Mega Man. It really spoke to me; it tapped into this child-like wonder that went perfectly with Baby Paco. I was thinking of video games, which I associated with my younger days. Everything meshed very well.
DO YOU EVER PLAN TO HAVE A SET STYLE FOR PACO? DOES HE HAVE A STAPLE WORLD OR LOOK?
Yea, there's actually this look for Baby Paco that I like a lot. It's based on Paper Mario, but not completely. I like how he looks; he's drawn with round hands and stumpy legs. But as an artist, I don't want to just keep drawing that. So the story of Baby Paco in the world is that he's a kid that was born from stars. He was born to move from planet to planet to study other universes for the stars because the stars from his region have never really explored. They all combine themselves to make Baby Paco an adventurer for them. He's gonna be their eyes for them, so that's why he's falling into a bunch of different styles and worlds. For example, he landed in the Mega Man world, so he looks like Mega Man.
C: So, want him to always be visually changing?
Yea, I always want him to keep visually changing, partially because of my own entertainment and fun. But also, because of the story, he keeps traveling and moving to new places. He does have his own look and his own world, but I want to showcase that in like a video game. I don't want to do comic books because they take many, many months to make. Especially if it's just me doing everything from drawing, coloring, designing, and story. I don't really have a team. Meanwhile, yea, video games take months, but I feel like it is a medium worth waiting for. Whenever someone sees a drawing, they are usually like, "this is dope," and then they move on. With video games, you're playing it, you see the stories, you see the design. That's really what I want to do; I feel like I have all the characters and the pieces there already. I need to make it 3D and get it going.
E: Yea, because people tend to shit on video games as a form of art like people usually don't view video games as art. But video games offer such a higher form of storytelling.
I was going to say it's probably the perfect form of media. Because it captures everything; it has the visuals, it has the characters, has the story. On top of that, it's completely interactive.
WOULD YOU EVER EXPAND THE BABY PACO TEAM?
I would like to have other creatives to bounce off. Usually, I tend to do that, but only for certain products. Right now, I have an idea to create Baby Paco out of yarn, kind of like Yoshi. But I want to work with someone who actually crochets. I really want to have a Baby Paco team where I can count on them and have a foundation.
C: Is it difficult to have people on a team that revolves around a character you created? Now you have to factor in these other people's inputs about your work.
It is something I think about, but I also feel like you kind of need that. If you are just the one person controlling it, one day, you might hit a limit. I don't want that; I don't want that with Baby Paco. That means I have to involve other people to pull me out of that. Or if they have other ideas, I would like to listen to them. This is something I want to outlive me, to keep going. I want Baby Paco to reach the point where he's like Sonic or Mario. Yea, it probably won't be a multi-billion dollar company, but who's to say? I want him to be everywhere like there's Baby Paco soap, there are Baby Paco towels, there's Baby Paco toilet paper! I want him to just be everywhere. It was something I would have loved to see, a kid that had my complexion that did the things that Mario or Sonic did, as a person of color.
C: It really is an underrepresented community; when was the real last black game?
It was like Def Jam or some shit. *laughter*
C: It's the same thing for Black Panther when that became a movie. There were commercials that were like "Oh he looks like me, or he dresses like me." It was inspiring.
I feel like it's so important. We're young; we're all still young. But we have to be the change that we wish we had. For the next generation, I want to give the kids what I wish I had.
E: Yea, there isn't much diversity, especially in children's media.
Nah, they're always like a dog or some sort of alien. For example, Piccolo—we all know that's a Black dude, but he's green! There are always animals or little things that are like us, but they don't blatantly have black skin or have a notion of culture that you have.
C: Yea, if you ever watch The Amazing World of Gumball, y'know Darwin, the fish?
ALL: He's Black!
He's Black! But he's a fish. And then Gumball, they say he might be Asian, but nobody knows because he's a cat!
E: You want something blatant; this kid is LIKE you.
Yea, I want him to look like me; I want something blatant, like he IS Black. He looks like me, and he's out there! I can see myself in him.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY FOR ADVICE TO YOUNGER ARTISTS?
First off, I would kind of like to reassure them. Maybe tell them whatever ideas they have aren't not cool or not stupid. As a kid, I would have loved to hear my stuff wasn't weird. I wish I had more encouragement from a family member or somebody in school. I did get that eventually, but it all came from friends. The advice I would give them is just to keep at it and keep drawing. Be a nerd about teaching yourself about the media that you like. Really dive into that. There are a lot of people right now that want a brand but don't research what it really takes. You really need to teach yourself the media you want to adapt. Keep creating even if it fails. Each time you create, you learn a little bit of something.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ALL THESE DIFFERENT ART STYLES?
I know the key components of what Baby Paco has. I know what needs to be present for him to be recognizable. It's all in his hat and his color scheme. I remember I was watching a video about the creator of Spongebob. He spoke about how you know a character is iconic when they can be recognized by their silhouette alone. So I watch a lot of videos like that about other creators to get inspiration.
E: So you perfected other styles by years of drawing Baby Paco in different scenarios?
Yeah, but I am just growing to appreciate the person's artwork I am trying to emulate. As I said, I buy art books. I will become enamored in those books, just taking everything in. Then I think about how to incorporate Baby Paco into it. That, and just knowing my character.
WHAT IS THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF TURNING AN IDEA INTO A PRODUCT?
So, this I actually learned from Imran. Imran is, uh, a madman when it comes to creating things, very obscure things. Like you guys saw the caveman shoes where he made shoes out of somebody's feet? Being in his house and looking at everything, but also seeing him come up with these random things, it made me curious as to what I could do because, at the time, I was just screenprinting. He just told me, "Alibaba." Those were the magical words. From then I just went in and started messaging manufacturers. Once I had a place where I could get my things manufactured, I started to think about what I wanna make. Once I drew Baby Paco enough, I saw a plushie and knew I wanted to make a plushie. I drew him from all angles, made him in clay, and then sent it to them so they could know how he looked in 3D. Because I don't know how to make anything in 3D, I know how to use my hands. From that, they created plushies for me. It went very well, and I still work with the person who made the plushie to this day.
I just took a photo of my girlfriend's face for the Baby Paco helmet and drew it on Procreate. Since they had already worked with Baby Paco before, they understood how his helmet worked. For the bag, I was at this bookstore on 42nd Street and saw this Sanrio bag that I was blown away by. I bought it for my girlfriend, but before I gave it to her, I studied every single part. I took photos of the inside and all that and sent them to the manufacturer. All the things I design are based on things I want or like, but I ask myself, "How do I make this Baby Paco?" For example, regarding the helmet, I really wanted a pooh sheisty, but I didn't want to make a pooh sheisty. It just didn't fit the world. So I thought Baby Paco has a pooh sheisty, so I brought his helmet to life.
C: Something existing has to inspire you first.
Yup, I have to find a product that I enjoy first. I don't want to overly create things. Because if I am not feeling something, eventually, the customer won't feel it either. That means they're gonna throw it away, and it's just going to become another piece of waste that pollutes the world.
HOW DID YOU FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU SOLD SOMETHING YOU MADE?
The first thing I sold successfully was an airbrushed tee by Baby Paco. You know, people say the pandemic was terrible. It really wasn't that bad.
C: That's a controversial ass take.
E: People died!
Yea, I mean, people died, but n*ggas was making money out here.
C: Can we get a list of pros and cons?
E: I heard rent was low?
Nah, it was a movie in those times. It was during that time, and I was looking at someone with an airbrushed tee out in Coney Island, and I was like fuck I want one. It evoked that era in the 2000s when I was growing up here in Brooklyn. There would be a lot of Puerto Ricans. And at every block party, there would be one dude wearing an airbrushed tee, and the graphic would be like an airbrushed Puerto Rican baby with a BIG ass hat. I was always amazed by that. But by the time I grew up, I realized I couldn't wear this. But I was basically like fuck it, now is the time I'm gonna do it. So I went online and found somebody in Las Vegas who does airbrushes, and I asked him for this specific design, and he bodied it. Right now, I'm working on another one, and it's going to be Gundam themed. I remembered I ordered like 16 of them, and I just posted it. People were just like, “More! Make this! More, more!” Once I put it out there, I was watching the Shopify tracker, and it was just going and going. But I only had 16 of them. It was just getting to the point where I made like 4,000 to 8,000 just in that one span. I wasn't responsible, I pretty much spent that money wherever I wanted. But eventually, I was able to get down to business and get it executed and make sure everyone got their stuff. The airbrush tee today is one of the things I feel most accomplished about, like it was just moving.
E: How did the airbrush tee’s reception make you feel?
It made me feel like, "Oh, maybe I can do this." Like what I am drawing isn't bad. What I am doing is something that will just be eventually forgotten. I don't want to make something that is just for the times. Like, I am not making Baby Paco parachute pants because it's only for a time, and it will be forgotten. I'm only making timeless products that won't be dated to 2020 or 2017. I felt… what is the word I'm looking for…
E: You're that guy.
No, I am that guy but, what's the word? Except for you, that guy…
C: You were reassured?
That's not it, but let's go with that one. I was reassured that…
L: Validation?
Yes! That one. I was validated. Like, fuck, my art isn't stupid or people won't buy this. But people did! It's because I put my love into it and designed something timeless.
WERE YOU EVER SHY OR NERVOUS ABOUT YOUR ART AND MAKING CONNECTIONS?
Yea to this day I struggle with the way I sound. Like, say, my speech. I was always scared to talk and afraid of stuttering and not sounding smart or proper. Until one day, I was like fuck it, nothing is gonna get done if I'm always timid. But I never really allowed myself to be shy because I was always very loud. Whenever I talk and be around people I like, I would be really loud. So speaking to people over time just became more natural. Especially once I started to think, "Bro, you won't get fed if you don't say something, so say something."
C: That's real.
Mhm, so I just applied that, and I learned to look people in the eyes and tell them, "I like your stuff; can you apply that to my stuff?" Because what's the point of learning all these skills, to not apply them? To me, it's like being that kid on the playground with the ball, and you're just hogging it. Like motherfucker, let's all play!
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PRICING YOUR WORK?
So I tend to do pricing because I don't want to make overpriced things. Times are tough here. I do tend to do high-priced items, like the airbrush tee. The first one I sold was $60 bucks. But for this upcoming one, I think like $80 because the design is a lot more intricate, and the guy charges me more for them. But still, some guys only specialize in airbrush tees and charge upwards of $150 bucks. I could show this to one of them, and they would easily be like, "Bro, charge $150 for this." But I don't want to. At that point you're almost gatekeeping your own art. I want my prices to feel fair. So I tend to think of others like, can they purchase this? And if they can't, then I'll make something in a more comfortable price range. For example, if I make an $80 item I'm going to make a $40 item too. If someone can't afford the $40 item, they can purchase a $5 item like the sticker pack. I really want to make Baby Paco double knees, and I think I would charge around $100. I could charge like $220, but for that price, why wouldn't you go to Daves or something and get a bunch of pairs? I want to think of others and what they can pay for.
C: What does a Baby Paco supporter look like to you?
Look for my fans like…?
C: You know how certain brands have a specific demographic they market for? What does yours look like?
I don't really have a specific look; it's more of a mindset. If you're into Sonic and video games or little trinkets you can put around the house, come to me! I have things that can interest your mind. I don't really care if they're skinny or fat, a boy or a girl, or whatever. I want to connect with them in conversation like, "Hey, how did you feel about Shadow showing up at the end of the last Sonic movie? Were you excited?"
C: Did he actually show up? I didn't watch that.
E: I only watched the first one and didn't even finish it.
You guys didn't watch the last Sonic movie!? Well, he does…
E: Should we put a spoiler tag for this?
If you wanted to watch the movie, you would have already! You had time. Anyways, Baby Paco fans can look like whatever they want! It's all about what you're interested in.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED NEXT?
Just more products! Snapbacks, double knee, slippers, airbrush. I want to make an inflatable Baby Paco, but I'm not sure where I'd put it since my place is so tiny. I want to do a Baby Paco event, and I tried to plan one last summer, but it didn't work out because of scheduling, so I wanted to do it during a different time. But basically, I wanted every person who came to the event to draw Baby Paco in their own style. I wanted Baby Paco cookies, ice cream, inflatables, just everything Baby Paco. My big project, the thing I really wanna do is that video game. I want to tell the story of Baby Paco and have my art be in movement.
C: What about you personally, outside of Baby Paco? I heard you wanted to go into FIT for their Toy Design program.
Yes, yes. That's still something I want to do; I would have to do two years of illustration first. I wouldn't say it's easy, but I have a good knowledge of illustration. But ever since I started designing, I did Imran's toy and this unreleased Asspizza toy. Toys are my life. I used to want to do a toy review channel because I used to watch a bunch of them. I would be so envious because it must be lovely to be sent toys and talk about them.
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD SAY TO SOMEONE TO GET THEM INTO BABY PACO?
People don't hate babies.
BIG THANK YOU TO ANDY FOR AGREEING TO DO THIS! PLEASE SUPPORT HIM HOWEVER YOU CAN. BUY SOME STICKERS, BUY A TEE, WHATEVER!
https://pacocomics.store/
CREDITS
SUBJECT/BRAND : ANDY GERMAN @cutnose_paco
PHOTOGRAPHER : LAURA SONG @gh0stpimp
MODEL : ANDY GERMAN @cutnose_paco
TEXT : E&C* @acediastudios