Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was the King Midas of Cool. Whatever he touched with an airbrush or molded with fiberglass was instantly hallowed with hipness. Devilish though they were, his monsters must have wore halos.

One of the patron saints of monster kid culture, the creator of Rat Fink merged monsters with custom cars, hot rods and surf culture, expanding the monster craze of the 1960s to encompass new horizons and new fans. From monster T-shirts to monster car kits and beyond, Ed Roth's art was everywhere. His outer space-inspired custom cars were at the apogee of the sixties Kar Kraze. The mad genius of fiberglass is arguably the most culturally signifcant monster artist to emerge during American monster mania. Ed "Big Daddy" Roth belongs in the Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

GARY L. PRANGE

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectos nunc."