Digital creator and artist Danny Casale – also known as Coolman Coffeedan – gained overnight internet virality when his animation, “Snakes Have Legs”, garnered tens of millions of likes in a matter of hours. “It’s a short story about how you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet,” he explains below. “From that point on, I knew the simple characters could carry large meanings. I feel very blessed that I get to doodle dumb drawings with beautiful messages and be able to touch the lives of so many.”

Featured on the Forbes’ prestigious “30 Under 30” list in 2020, plus accumulating over two million Instagram followers and three million on TikTok, Casale has entered heights of fame not commonly reached by visual artists. Rapidly, through his characters, he has established something of an empire, driven largely by a desire to do good. He was recently asked by TikTok to be featured in their upcoming “Stop Scrolling” campaign due to his influence on the platform and prior work on platforming mental health, following the 2021 book Ur Special, in which he coupled his characters with messages of positivity, providing daily boosts to readers’ wellbeing. An upcoming coffee line, his own art installation in the Shanghai Art Show, and further fashion collaborations are also on the horizon as Casale doodles his way to global notoriety.

Head below to read our chat with with Casale all about the Ripndip collab, remaining creative with millions watching, and the JG Quintel animation that first gave him his zest for the art form…

Hey Danny! How are you today?
Oh, I am feelin’ special.

Congratulations on your collaboration with Ripndip! Can you tell us how it came about?
I’ve been a fan of Ripndip for years now. Ever since I moved to LA in 2020, I have been super impressed with how popular their store on Fairfax Avenue was. I remember telling some friends at the time it would be cool to have my own store one day. Fast forward to one year ago, I started working with the Ripndip team on some potential designs. And everyone fell in love with them right away. Fast forward to this weekend, the popup shop on Fairfax Avenue opened its doors.

Once you got down to exchanging ideas for the collection, what was that process like? How did you build it up into the finished product we have today?
Me and my team focused on the creative because I felt it was very important to find how Spesh (my main character) and Nerm (Ripndip’s main character) became friends. The Ripndip team focused on what they do best, which is designing the actual clothes, picking fabrics, and making sure it is a high-quality, dope drop.

Best known as Coolman Coffeedan, you’ve amassed a huge online following for your animations. Can you tell us about a few defining moments that got you to where you are today?
In 2017, I dropped my video “Snakes Have Legs” which amassed millions of views. It’s a short story about how you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet. From that point on, I knew the simple characters could carry large meanings. Later, I dropped my first hoodie which sold out. This brought me into the world of apparel and showed me how my message can be carried through clothing.

As an artist, gaining widespread public notoriety isn’t necessarily as common as in other art forms, like recording artists for instance. How does it feel to be able to do what you love with millions watching?
I feel very blessed that I get to doodle dumb drawings with beautiful messages and be able to touch the lives of so many. I never would have thought that would be an actual career option as a child.

Has acquiring a large following impacted your thought process when creating at all? If not, how have you managed to block out any pressures regarding public perception of your work?
Yes, but in a good way. Now I try to make sure an idea is absolutely perfect and will appeal to as many people as possible, regardless of what language or whether they even like animation or not. My goal is to make Spesh a household name, and the only way to do that is to make sure as many people as possible fall in love with him.

Your own artistic influences include Jonny Sun, Dan Harmon, Pendleton Ward, J.G. Quintel, Reggie Watts, Shantell Martin, Keith Harring, Walt Disney and Stan Lee. Was there any artist or piece of art that really caught your attention first?
Yes, I would say seeing a YouTube video titled “2 in the AM PM”. It’s a simple storyboard animation made by JG Quintel. From what I remember it was made long before the regular show aired, and it was amazing to see how this dumb, simple, storyboard could tell such a fun and intriguing story. Shortly after I watched that, I started experimenting with my own animations.

Your work, of course, has its own very distinctive, humorous style. When did that start to shine through?
My animations have always been an ode to my childhood cartoons and sketches I would create. As I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve found my favourite characters, most notably Spesh. These characters continue to develop and shine in their own ways and will continue to do so as long as I am pushing their narrative forward.

You’re collaboration with TikTok for their upcoming “Stop Scrolling” PSA, following your influence in discussions around mental health. Can you tell us anything about that? Why was it important to you to get involved?
The beauty of my style of animation is that it can be used to get out messages of all different kinds. Personally, mental health has been a huge theme in my animations. When TikTok approached me to work with them to spread awareness around screen time – something we can all relate to, me included – it struck a chord with me. Also, it seemed like a very fun opportunity to animate.

You were featured on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which is very impressive, firstly! What is the ultimate accolade you would love to receive in your career?
An Oscar for the baddest animator ever.

Finally, tell us about UR Special! We love the idea of having a new friend paired with some challenging hardships in every chapter. What inspired you to make the book?
The book started during the Covid lockdown. I was living in an Airbnb at the time, 3,000 miles away from my friends and family. I was too scared to travel back home or do much of anything. Feeling very anxious and alone, I started writing a series of short stories with my characters. Eventually, I realised I had enough short stories to create a larger, more meaningful story. This resulted in publishing my very first book, UR Special with Penguin Random House. I felt if these stories could help me in such a hard time, then maybe they could help many others.