Hundreds of stickers have been posted around Leeds, Manchester, and Nottingham of a character that resembles iconic illustrations from your childhood, only more deadly, reports the Daily Star.
The "Mr. Ebola" art features a little blue man with a red nose and wavy hair, inspired by the "Mr. Men" children's book series by British author Roger Hargreaves. The series features characters like Mr. Tickle, Little Miss Hug, and Mr. Happy, so this cartoon representation of a deadly virus probably wouldn't have a place in Hargreaves' universe. The subtitle on the posters says that Mr. Ebola was created "by the media," but the artist responsible for the street art is unknown.
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The hashtag #thinkbeanie is the only calling card on the posters, and Nottingham Chief Community Protection Officer Andrew Errington has confirmed that they are trying to find out who is damaging property and "putting pedestrians at risk" by posting the stickers over crosswalk signs.
We will be coming for you #thinkbeanie - criminal damage and putting pedestrians at risk pic.twitter.com/BPCA5WxruA
— Andrew Errington (@Errington2012) January 12, 2015Covering signs is not a good look, but the posters are pretty great. Ebola got a lot of screen time in 2014, but has since disappeared from headlines completely. There were a few good moments, like that time Cam'ron supplied the world with ebola masks, or when other artists like Hanksy poked fun at what some considered to be an "outbreak hyped for funding and media attention." Taking inspiration from something that most people are familiar with and flipping it on its head is one of the unwritten laws of good street art, and whoever made this pulled that off.
[via Daily Star]
