Hello Big Eye Enthusiast!
It has only been a couple years since I started collecting "big eye" or "pity" animal art.
The pictures themselves have intrigued me for a long time, and with the recent
resurgance of nostalgia for the 60s and 70s, I have been able to find an abundance
of different creations from several artists. Though I tend to focus mostly on the
artist Gig, I have amassed a fairly decent sized collection that includes several other artists that I'd like to show you.
Many people love the big eyed children from Keane, Lee, Maio, and countless others. I just happen to not be one of those people.
Instead, I love the pity animals, so you won't be seeing any kids here. I have also included pictures that are not part of my
collection as a reference to either what was
produced, or what I am currently looking for.
Prints
The Gig images are arranged into puzzles and prints based on my collection.
A majority of the Gig prints were released by the Donald Art Company or D.A.C.,
with the most common ones all having names.
The Gig prints seem to come in four different forms: (1) 8 x 6 pre-framed prints, (2) print on heavy paper rolled in a tube, (3) print mounted on
thin cardboard with a texture, or (4) print mounted on a half inch thick corkboard with a hole in the back for hanging.
The corkboard prints also had a frilly border incorporated with
the print to make it look framed without actually having one. Most were single prints, but I have seen doubles. I only have one like this,
the cheetah listed on the Jungle Kitty page,
however, you won't be able to tell from the scan. Any other
variations were probably done by the original owner.
Puzzles
For most of the Gig puzzles I've seen, they are simply labeled "Pity Kitty", "Pity Puppy", "Puppy", or "Kitty".
If they have an original name that I am aware of, I will list it. For those of you collecting puzzles, double check the
amount of pieces. A complete Milton Bradley puzzle has 513 pieces (19 pieces horizontally, 27 pieces vertically)
even though the box says 500. For the wild cats, I've only seen them released by Warren Built-Rite. They also have 513
pieces, same demensions, and are simply labled "Jungle Kittens". The only difference is the jagged puzzle edges they have as opposed to the traditional round peg puzzles.
For both companies, the completed puzzle size is roughly 14 x 20, and they fit nicely in 16 x 20 frames for display.
I believe all the puzzles were originally offered as prints, where at one time, you could walk into a dime store and buy these
off the shelves or order them from the back of a magazine.
Other Artists
The world doesn't always revolve around Gig. I've found several different artists who have wonderful pity or just plain big eye
animals that come in a variety of sizes and colors. Some of them forgot to sign their work, so let me know if you recognize a
particular artist so I can give them credit.
Copies
I also made a page showing the copies I've seen that other
people did for fun 30 years ago. Lately, they are being labeled as "original" Gigs instead of amateur copies. Some of them
are pretty good, and I can see how they could be mistaken for a Gig.
I do not claim to be an art expert, but I don't like seeing people being taken advantage of either. Take a look and let me
know what you think.
You are welcome to borrow the pictures you see on these pages for personal use.
Keep in mind that these are copyrighted images. If you decide you want to link to my collection,
please use this page and let me know so I can link back to yours.
If you know anything about Gig, K. Chin, Lee, George Buckett and other artists like
them, or you just want to talk about Big Eyed pictures in general, feel free
to email me.
