Cheech Wizard

Cheech Wizard is an American underground comics character created by artist Vaughn Bodē. Vaughn created Cheech Wizard on September 26, 1957, at the age of 15. He drew a hat with stars on it with legs sprouting out from beneath the oversized hat. Vaughn spotted a can of Cheechie Nuts on his kitchen table and named the character after the brand. In 1964, Vaughn furthered the character and did an unpublished strip in his journal. In 1967, Cheech appeared in a small self-published black and white comic. The Collected Cheech Wizard was published as a comic by Company and Sons in 1972 (2nd Printing 1976). In 1973, Last Gasp publishers issued the new comic Cheech Wizard Suck my Turnip. From 1972 to 1975, the strips also appeared in National Lampoon. It is said no one knows who is under the hat; however, Vaughn confided in his son Mark (also an artist) that Cheech Wizard was his creator's alter ego and his son Mark was the Lizard apprentice. To look or discover who is under the hat was to look the creator in the eye and would render the viewer forever blind. The Wizard is a bad mouthing, broad balling, fake of a wizard who often is found kicking his Lizard apprentice in the balls on more than one occasion. Cheech Wizard calls it the time distortion trick. The Cheech Wizard has often been copied in graffiti art, and has been referenced in pop music, as in "Mistadobalina" by Del the Funky Homosapien and "Sure Shot" by The Beastie Boys.