The KAWSBOB prints feature screen-printed, close-up portraits of the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants. KAWS subverts the original character’s persona by replacing its eyes with his signature “X” motif, blurring the lines between “high” art and pop culture and critiquing consumerism.

 

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Introduction

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The series originated in 2008 when music producer Pharrell Williams commissioned KAWS for his exhibition Saturated. The project resulted in acrylic paintings of the SpongeBob character with KAWS’s signature aesthetic. The prints were produced in 2011, several years after the original paintings. They extended KAWS’s SpongeBob concept to a wider audience through a more accessible medium. The work reflects KAWS’s dual background in graffiti and animation. As a freelance animator in the 1990s, he worked on shows like Daria and Doug, while also subvertizing ads in New York City with his distinct visuals. This experience deeply shaped his art and his choice of cartoon subjects.

Each print is a tightly-cropped portrait of SpongeBob SquarePants’s smiling face. The set comes in three different color variations: Yellow (the character’s original, recognizable color palette); Red (a bold, monochrome red colorway); and Black (a stark, monochrome black and grey colorway). KAWS modifies the character by replacing SpongeBob’s wide, googly eyes with his iconic “X” marks. The “X” motif first appeared in his street art and is his most recognizable tag.

The prints deliberately mix familiar cartoon imagery with fine art, continuing KAWS’s career-long exploration of the line between commercial and fine art. Like Andy Warhol, KAWS uses mass culture icons to create fine art, bridging the gap for a new generation. By appropriating and altering globally-recognized characters, KAWS comments on branding, media omnipresence, and the commodification of culture. The prints leave viewers to decide if the work is an homage or a critique. The “X-ed out” eyes, often a symbol of death or removal in cartoons, transform the cheerful SpongeBob into something melancholic or corrupted. This witty subversion disrupts the audience’s nostalgic connection to the source material.

The KAWSBOB prints are a key example of KAWS’s larger body of work that reinterprets popular characters like Mickey Mouse, the Smurfs, and The Simpsons. These artworks demonstrate his artistic method and became a signature element of his practice. Along with his other work, the KAWSBOB series helped solidify KAWS’s transition from an underground graffiti artist to a globally recognized contemporary artist. By utilizing universally known symbols, KAWS created art with broad appeal that transcends traditional art boundaries. His collaborations with global brands like Nike and Dior and the viral popularity of his work online showcase his massive commercial and cultural influence.

 

 

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KAWSBOB, 2011

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KAWSBOB

The complete set of 3 screenprints in colors
Medium: Screenprint in colors on Rives BFK wove paper
Year: 2011
Sheet: 20×20 inches (50.9 x 50.9 cm)
Edition: 100
Artist’s Proofs: 20 AP
Publisher: The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut

 

1. KAWSBOB (Yellow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. KAWSBOB (Black)

3. KAWSBOB (Red)

 

 

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KAWSBOB (Yellow)

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Heritage Auctions: 27 March 2025
USD 13,750

KAWS (b. 1974)
Kawsbob (Yellow), 2011
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Ed. 86/100
Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil along lower edge

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 11 December 2024
Estimated: HKD 50,000 – 80,000
HKD 66,000 / USD 8,490

KAWS (b. 1974)
KAWSBOB (YELLOW), 2011
Screenprint
Signed, dated 11 and numbered 61/100 (lower edge)

SBI Art Auction: 25 October 2024
Estimated: JPY 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
JPY 1,725,000 / USD 11,326

KAWS
KAWSBOB (Yellow), 2011
Screenprint in colors
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part
From the edition of 100

Phillips New-York: 13 September 2023
Estimated: USD 7,000 – 9,000
USD 12,700

KAWS
Untitled (KAWSBOB for the Aldrich), 2011
Screenprint in colors on Rives BFK paper
Signed, dated and numbered 82/100 in pencil (there were also 20 artist’s proofs)

KAWS (B.1974)
KAWSBOB (YELLOW), 2011
Screenprint in colors on Rives BFK paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 61/100

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KAWSBOB (Black)

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Sotheby’s London: 26 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 5,000 – 7,000
GBP 4,826 / USD 6,255

KAWS (b. 1974)
KAWSBOB (Black), 2011
Screenprint in grey and black on BFK Rives wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 95/100

Phillips New-York: 24 October 2024
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 6,985

Heritage Auctions: 30 November 2023
USD 7,500

KAWS
Kawsbob (Black), 2011
Screenprint in colors on Rives BFK paper
Signed, numbered 48/100 and dated in pencil along lower edge

SBI Art Auction: 28 October 2022
Estimated: JPY 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
JPY 1,782,500 / USD 12,185

KAWS
KAWSBOB (Black version), 2011
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part
From the edition of 100

 

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KAWSBOB (RED)

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Heritage Auctions: 27 March 2025
USD 6,250

KAWS (b. 1974)
Kawsbob (Red), 2011
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Ed. 43/100
Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil along lower edge

Sotheby’s London: 26 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 5,000 – 7,000
GBP 4,445 / USD 5,760

KAWS (b. 1974)
KAWSBOB (Red), 2011
Screenprint in colours on BFK Rives wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 94/100

Heritage Auctions: 28 March 2024
USD 9,375

KAWS (b. 1974)
Kawsbob (Red), 2011
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed, dated, and numbered 41/100 in pencil along lower edge

Heritage Auctions: 30 November 2023
USD 6,562

KAWS
Kawsbob (Red), 2011
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed, numbered 41/100 and dated in pencil along lower edge

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COMPLETE SETS

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Poly Auction: 13 July 2022
Estimated: HKD 150,000 – 250,000
HKD 312,000 / USD 39,745

KAWS
KAWSBOB (Red), KAWSBOB (Black), KAWSBOB (Yellow), 2011
3 Screenprints
Red: editioned, signed and dated ’30/100 KAWS.. 11′ bottom
Black: editioned, signed and dated ’38/100 KAWS.. 11′ bottom
Yellow: editioned, signed and dated ’32/100 KAWS.. 11′ bottom

Phillips Hong-Kong: 14 September 2020
Estimated: HKD 300,000 – 400,000
HKD 437,500 / USD 56,450

KAWS
Three Works: KAWSBOB (i) (Red); (ii) (Yellow); (iii) (Black), 2011
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
(i) Signed and dated ‘KAWS..11′ lower right; numbered ’45/100’ lower left
(ii) Signed and dated ‘KAWS..11′ lower right; numbered ’94/100’ lower left
(iii) Signed and dated ‘KAWS..11′ lower right; numbered ’27/100’ lower left