Gauntlet Gallery
What is KAWS’s piece called “Boo Berry (Black)”?
Summary
Boo Berry (Black) is part of KAWS's Cereal Monsters series, reinterpreting the General Mills blueberry-flavored ghost mascot through his signature pop-art treatment. The ghostly character is recast with KAWS's crossed-out 'XX' eyes and rendered in his flat, hard-edged graphic style, converting a nostalgic cereal advertising icon into contemporary editioned art. The Black colorway provides a high-contrast, near-monochrome rendering that emphasizes silhouette and line. As an accessible screenprint-feel edition, it embodies the consumerism critique and cartoon-appropriation logic central to KAWS's work while occupying a comparatively attainable price tier.
Why It Matters
Boo Berry (Black) matters as a clear instance of KAWS's appropriation of consumer-culture mascots, a strategy he has pursued since reworking advertisements in his graffiti era. The Monster cereal characters embody mid-century advertising's reliance on friendly cartoon faces to sell product, the exact terrain KAWS recontextualizes by branding it with his own iconography. Crossing out the mascot's eyes both celebrates and critiques the nostalgia and commercialism it represents, giving the work conceptual depth beneath its approachable surface. The Cereal Monsters group offers collectors an affordable gateway into KAWS's Pop-art lineage descending from Warhol and Lichtenstein. The Black variant's graphic punch and the set's completist pull, spanning Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Frute Brute, drive ongoing demand among buyers seeking the full grouping. It typifies how KAWS applies a consistent visual signature across recognizable icons to build coherent, collectible series.
Collector Perspective
Boo Berry (Black) draws collectors who appreciate KAWS's appropriation works and cereal-mascot nostalgia, as well as newcomers seeking an accessible entry point. Its bold near-monochrome design makes a strong wall statement and pairs naturally with Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Frute Brute as a coordinated set. Within a collection it represents the consumerism-and-advertising strand of KAWS's practice and rewards completists assembling all four mascots. Buyers should confirm edition size and authenticity through reputable channels and prioritize clean condition, given that these graphic prints are valued in part on their crisp presentation.
Historical Context
Boo Berry (Black) continues KAWS's career-long appropriation of commercial cartoon characters, grounded in his subway and graffiti origins of reworking existing advertising imagery. Targeting the General Mills Monster cereal mascots places it within his consumerism-and-advertising lineage, descending from Pop art's engagement with branding and mass media. Though modest in scale next to his monumental sculptures, it runs on the same conceptual engine that powers his broader practice. The Cereal Monsters set demonstrates how KAWS extends his visual signature across familiar cultural icons to assemble coherent, collectible thematic groupings.
FAQ
What is Boo Berry (Black)?
It is part of KAWS's Cereal Monsters series, reworking the General Mills Boo Berry ghost mascot in his flat graphic style with crossed-out eyes, in a high-contrast black colorway.
Which works pair with it?
It pairs directly with Franken Berry and the broader set including Count Chocula and Frute Brute, often acquired together as a complete grouping.
Is it affordable relative to other KAWS works?
The Cereal Monsters prints sit in a more accessible tier than his flagship Companion pieces, though exact edition and pricing should be verified through reputable sources.
Related Works
About the Artist
KAWS is the working name of Brian Donnelly (b. 1974, Jersey City). He began in the 1990s subverting bus-shelter and phone-booth advertisements, then built a singular visual language around the Companion — a Mickey-Mouse-descended figure with crossed-out X eyes — alongside Chum, BFF, Accomplice and a cast of appropriated cartoon characters. His practice spans paintings, screenprints, vinyl and bronze sculpture, and the monumental KAWS:Holiday installations shown in cities worldwide. His work is held by the Brooklyn Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and major private collections, and he is among the most collected artists of his generation.