Toby Black Tee

Printed with water-based ink on black Bella+Canvas shirts in Tucson, AZ. 100% cotton, unisex fit.

Wholesale options for this item are available at jospar.faire.com

The fourth installment of my "Tucson Tales" series.

Toby the Griffin is a 12-foot-tall metal sculpture located downtown on Scott Avenue right out front of the Freemasons Temple. It’s inspired by the stone griffins that used to be perched on top of the Carnegie Library (now the location of the Children’s Museum) and were destroyed by a fire in 1938. Local artist Joseph O’connell wanted to imagine that one of the griffins had come to life and escaped the fire, jumping down from the building and wondering across the street to stand guard instead. In 2009 that idea was brought to life with help from local design firm creative machines. A trail of griffin footprints (half eagle, half lion) are embedded in the cement starting behind the Children’s Museum, crossing the street, and leading right up to the statue. There’s a heart of bright led lights installed in Toby’s chest that turn on with the streetlights each night.

If you’re unfamiliar with my Tucson Tales series, it’s a project dedicated to combining my love of Tucson with my love of comic books. Each “issue cover” highlights a different landmark of local lore that is lesser known or talked about. My goal for this project is to spread awareness of the parts of Tucson that help make this city strange and special.