Beasties of the Kingdom
P.O. Box 678957
Orlando, FL 32867-8957
Ph: 407-758-9891
About the Artist
Throughout his life, John Raya's two passions have been sculpting
and cartooning. As a child, John spent long hours mastering the great
works ... from the "Sunday funnies, " his favorite comic books, or
the all-time classic "Mad Magazine." Any piece of paper was a
potential sketch pad for John to practice drawing his childhood heroes
and heroines..." I mastered anatomy and life drawing skills by the age
of ten through long hours laboring over the finer points of proportion
and structure ... by sketching the likes of "Wonder Woman" " (J. R.)
In 1975, mustering his entrepreneurial spirit and with his accumulated
professional experience (and a prayer), John embarked on his own
business venture. Developing the "Beasties of the Kingdom" collection
along the way, John fulfilled a lifelong dream and created a vehicle for
his personal style and sense of humor. Starting with just six designs
in his collection, John soon directed his talents to creating new and
better "Beasties" to keep up with the ever-growing demand. Since then,
John has increased his collection to include over sixty new "Beasties of
the Kingdom" that has attracted a global family of collectors.
Volumes of illustrations of Superman, The Flash, "Big Daddy" Ed Roth's
Rat Fink and others filled his dressers and closets to overflowing.
"Finding your way through his room was like plowing your way through a
mine field ... you didn't know what was lurking in there from day to
day ... it was quite an amusing experience."
(John's mother)
John's talents soon found their way to Universal Studios in California
where he worked summers as a cartoonist between stints at Cal State at
Fullerton where he studied the "3D's"--dating, dancing, and design.
With a knack for quick-sketch caricature, John's art drew him to
Disneyland where he would sometimes sketch up to 400 people in a single
day. John eventually found his way to Walt Disney World® in
Florida, where as an art director, he was responsible for artists
operations in the theme park.
"Thank you for your encouragement by selecting one of my "Beasties."
I am honored to have my art included within your collection, or to have
it selected as a gift for a special someone in your life.
"I am proud to say that the "Beasties of the Kingdom" are created with
nature in the "good ol' U.S.A." using only the finest American made
materials and skills available. Sometimes the imports can try to beat
us down in the marketplace ... but they can't beat our good
old-fashioned American originality! Thank you.
Throughout his life, John Raya's two passions have been sculpting
and cartooning. As a child, John spent long hours mastering the great
works ... from the "Sunday funnies, " his favorite comic books, or
the all-time classic "Mad Magazine." Any piece of paper was a
potential sketch pad for John to practice drawing his childhood heroes
and heroines..." I mastered anatomy and life drawing skills by the age
of ten through long hours laboring over the finer points of proportion
and structure ... by sketching the likes of "Wonder Woman" " (J. R.)
