I had the amazing opportunity to talk to Travis Falligant, the man behind all of those amazing Scooby Doo/Slasher mashup pictures that you’ve been seeing lately. Falligant is as huge of a pop culture geek as I am, so we had a good time chatting about everything from The Monster Squad, Saturday Morning Cartoons, to Bea Arthur and Buffy! Check out the interview below.
Casey: You’re obviously a huge fan of pop culture ranging from Saturday Morning Cartoons, to 80s classics and beyond, what got you into being an artist in the first place? Who were some of your idols growing up as a little Trav?
Travis: I think the idea of being able to create and escape reality was what got me into art in the first place. I always enjoyed living in my own imagination and still to this day love the escape that movies, music and art provide from the mundane realities of life.
Casey: One of my favorite pieces of yours is your Teen Wolf drawing? I know you’ve gotten some big recognition for the Scooby Doo pieces, did Michael J. Fox happen to catch your homage to Scotty Howard, or possibly did Andrew 
McCarthy get caught with a Mannequin t-shirt on?
Travis: Haha! Not that I have heard yet. I was truly touched recently when the family of actor Meshach Taylor (“Hollywood Montrose” from Mannequin) reached out to me for a print of the “Hollywood 4 Eva” piece I did of him. His passing was a big blow to me personally. I always loved his work. Just recently, Kristy Swanson (aka Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the ’92 film) commented that she loved my Buffy tee design on Twitter and that truly blew my mind. I’ve also been in contact with Fred Dekker (director of The Monster Squad-one of my fave movies of all time) and Don Mancini (creator of Chucky) regarding my work and I’ve just been beside myself. All out of body experiences for a fan like myself.
Stuff like this mean so much to me because these people were heroes and idols of mine growing up and the characters they created still bring me joy to this day.
Casey: Given that you’re influences for work are all over the place, what are some of your most popular items?
Travis: My Bea Arthur design in my Society 6 shop is a popular one along with the Mannequin design and probably the STEEL design (Steel Magnolias superhero design).
Casey: What’s your favorite things to draw? The logo pieces, posters, or just random sketches?
Travis: I tend to enjoy doing random sketches. I do best when I’m working loosely. I am really
satisfied by doing poster designs and I want to do more of those, but they require a good amount of planning for me. The work that artists are putting out there today (work by Phantom Creative, Sadist Art Designs, Jason Edmiston and Gary Pullin to name a few) just blow my mind and inspire me SO MUCH! I don’t understand why movie studios aren’t hiring these guys to produce art for current film posters.
Casey: It’s obvious that you don’t want to profit from the creators of Scooby Doo, but if someone commissioned you for a piece involving the Mystery Inc, would you do it?Could they bribe you in a complete Pete & Pete box set on blu-ray?
Travis: For a private commission, I think I could make an exception. I would prefer to just create a horror villain in the style of Scooby rather than use the artwork that I do of the gang or whatever from the original show. I wouldn’t feel good about selling someone’s else’s artwork. Bribery always 
works 😉
Casey: I’ve seen your Kristy Swanson and your Sarah Michelle Gellar pieces, whose the better Buffy?
Travis: OH NO! I will NOT answer that!!!! Hahahaha!!! I have to say that I love them both equally and I mean that in all serious terms.
Some people’s favorite superhero is Batman, some love Superman. I have grown up with BUFFY being my favorite hero and I can honestly say that Swanson was a tough one to beat but Gellar really brought it home for that character.
Casey: You have a ton of horror mixed throughout your work from Child’s Play, to Scream, to Hatchet. Who is your favorite horror icon and why?
Travis: CHUCKY CHUCKY CHUCKY! Chucky has ALWAYS been my favorite horror icon and still remains so. I think the sheer absurdity of that character is what draws me to him. Also, I have always rooted for the underdog or related to them and Chucky is the ultimate underdog. I mean, he’s not going to walk into a room and start slaughtering like a Jason or Michael would. He’s automatically got the odds stacked up against him. Also, the obstacle that the creators of Chucky have in front of them with each film (Don Mancini the writer, the directors, actors, FX people) of making this doll scary is a great one. The idea that you have to take this puppet, bring it to life and try to make it scary is a feat that is 
unmatched. I mean, ANYONE would be scared of Jason lunging at them from a dark corridor, but a 3ft doll? If you can make THAT terrifying, you deserve a medal!
Casey: Have you taken any of your work to conventions to sell? I feel that you’d make a killing at a Comic Con.
Travis: You know, I haven’t done that yet. Since these Scooby pieces have taken off, my work has been getting a lot of exposure and it’s something I would definitely start considering. I love going to conventions!
Casey: Without revealing too much to your rapidly growing fan base, what can we expect next from Travis?
Travis: Wellll…there are some new designs I have in the works that I don’t want to reveal specifics on, that I plan on selling as specific items. Kind of like a LINE, if you will.
I’m super excited about them and really can’t wait to share them with everyone cuz as a fan, I know I’d be psyched to see ‘em!
If you’re like me, you’ve seen Travis’ artwork and you want to give him all of your money. Check out his website, LIKE his Facebook page, and follow him on the Twitters. He’s a super great guy and you’d be honored to have a piece of his work hanging prominently on your wall, worn on your back, or up in your office space. Thanks a lot Travis for chatting with us at DFAT and we can’t wait to see what you unleash on us next.
