Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is a true-crime documentary that follows the downfall of zoo owner Joe Exotic. It was released towards the end of last month and has quickly become one of the most widely discussed series on Netflix.
There’s old-fashioned rivalry, neverending conspiracies, and a not-so-classic whodunit case that involves sardine oil. It's all mixed in to create an iconic storyline that has been inspiration for some great fan art.
Joe In Space
Thank you Allegra Maeva. This makes sense. This makes more sense than the reality of the actual show. It answers a lot of questions and any purple, space-related button-down shirt desires. The placement of the eyebrow piercing is always interesting to notice, and this one is one of the most intriguing, as there is no eyebrow. So that horseshoe barbell ring is just hanging onto skin, no eyebrow in sight. The artist's ability to characterize Joe Exotic in such a distinguishable way is representative of a lot of their other work. Perhaps the tiger would be better off with Sandy Cheeks in her Treedome. The tattoos, the watch, and the sunglasses suggest the artist’s commitment to depicting Joe Exotic in an accurate but epic space-filled light.
Neon Joe Exotic
The contrast between the color and countenance in this illustration highlights the artist’s ability to capture Joe’s character. Neoleon2025 utilizes bright colors to bring light and personality, and the background mirrors the foreground. The bright neon pink against the open-mouthed tiger presents a similar distinction. The perched crown in Joe's neon green hair and the streaks of bright blue in his mustache elevate the overall artwork into one that is dazzlingly creative.
Innocent Carole Baskin
This digital illustration by caricature artist Alex Merrill scarily portrays Carole’s personality throughout the docuseries. It’s like a trick of the light.
One minute her smiling face fills the screen, and the next minute her face is shrouded in premeditated evil, but it’s not clear if it was just some sort of weird optical illusion. The artist did well to make the eyes a focal point of the illustration, which draws attention to the overall color story.
King Tiger
This smooth character design from David VanTuyle has all the markings of a cartoon villain who is condescending and ruthless but also has annoyingly impeccable taste in clothes. He may or may not overuse the term “darling,” and he may or may not call on those around to help him straighten his crown. Everything about this digital art piece is rich: the feelings of nostalgia, the color choices, the upward spiral of smoke, the cheetah print robe, and the attitude.
Joe Exotic In The Style Of Lisa Frank
Animator Ariel Hart planted Joe Exotic in the middle of a colorful forest, and the rest is history. Nothing is out of the ordinary, as Lisa Frank’s style and Joe’s on-screen personality complement each other so well. The mustache is hilariously cute, and the dark roots, belt buckle, and cowboy boots bring this illustration to life. The dedication and addition to small details are evident in several areas, like the eyebrow piercing despite his eyebrow being covered, the multi-colored fringe on the cheetah print vest, and the bright nail polish.
Tiger King Things
Rose Honey’s ability to soften the elements of a show called Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is something to be celebrated. The coloring on Carole and Joe’s cheeks, and the shape and similar shade on the noses make them look so pinch-worthy. This is a very calm take on such a lively show with a whimsical quality.
If the show was anything like this serene piece of art, Joe would ask Carole about Don’s whereabouts without suspicion. The difference between the relaxed aura of this art piece and the actual show is almost akin to the difference between book Dumbledore and movie Dumbledore when he asks Harry if he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Carole Baskin... DID YOU PUT YOUR HUSBAND IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?!
Joe, The White Ranger
In this cool-toned painting by Ashley Sparks, Joe has “got the ability to morph and even up the score,” which is bad news for everyone involved. The full-on stare, the stance, and the balled fist is an amalgamation of Joe’s spirit of misguided determination. There are a lot of small details in this painting that adds to the imposing, but still comical, effect. Let’s take the claw marks in the background as a mark of success for the tiger. That’s where tigers should be: far, far away from Joe Exotic.
Joe’s Burgers
A perfect mashup. A little bit of Bob, a little bit of Linda, and a whole lot of Tiger King. The distinct Bob's Burgers style looks wildly good here. Somehow everything still works, despite the fact that it’s a completely different show. It’s almost as if Tiger King was animated, it would look somewhat similar to this. The tiger’s expression, the use of varying colors, and the tiger print background make Parkcreation's digital art piece one to get on a t-shirt.
Sardine Queen
Artist Falk Houben reimagines Carole Baskin as a snow leopard and it marks the beginning of a winding mind journey. Would Carole have eaten her husband? Would her husband have been another big cat named Don? Would there have been a need for the sardine oil?
All aboard the symbolism train! While we’re on that epic journey, it’s rewarding to have this piece of art to gaze at. The fact that Carole is still wearing a flower crown even though she has no pupils is an eerie but on very on-brand detail that speaks to the artist's strengths.
Oh, The Horror!
These Blake Neubert paintings truly capture the chaos of the characters and the overall show. The brushstrokes, the bulging eyes, the various states of disbelief and absurd insanity shining through the visible cracks, all come together to mirror the faces of the millions of viewers watching the show. Despite the fact that the wide-eyed horror expression seems so well-fitting for a show like Tiger King, it is a stylistic choice of the artist. Much of his art bears similar expressions with accompanying faces like The Joker and Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.