One of Ren & Stimpy's most notable visual trademarks is the detailed paintings of gruesome close-ups. Many other cartoons such as SpongeBob SquarePants (another Nickelodeon cartoon) also have closeups like this. They are painted by the storyboard artists, most notably Bob Camp and Bill Wray.[1] They usually occur in moments such as: Ren stepping in Stimpy's hairballs, Ren's rotten unbrushed teeth, Stimpy's sleep-encrusted eyes, infected toes, etc. The paintings are used to show the disgusting humor of Ren & Stimpy as a way to add up the suspense or punchline.
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- According to creator John K., the close-ups were heavily inspired by the works of cartoonist Basil Wolverton.[2]