The Story of DALEK and His Beloved SpaceMonkey Character

We are excited to introduce DALEK and his beloved SpaceMonkey character for the 22nd day of our 25 Days of POAP! Strap yourselves in because we are about to blast off into the story of DALEK and his SpaceMonkey creation!

James Marshal, aka DALEK, is an American artist who is best known for his murals and illustrations. James originally inherited the name DALEK—a reference to the British sci-fi show Dr. Who—while he was creating graffiti art. Eventually, the name became his official artist name and brand identity.

DALEK developed his Japanese pop culture-inspired character, SpaceMonkey, in the summer of 1995 while painting under a bridge in Connecticut with his friends. Over the years, he continued to grow and develop the SpaceMonkey brand into the character that it’s widely known as today. 

Although Jame’s SpaceMonkey character was created out of his love for street art and cartoons, SpaceMonkeys aren’t actually monkeys at all. At their core, SpaceMonkeys are hollowed out semi-robotic creatures shaped by their experiences but programmed to seek out cartoon carnage.

The SpaceMonkey character is a representation of DALEK’s concept of human experiences in a growing world of technology and the complexities that follow. SpaceMonkey is often used by James to express his emotions, ideas, and concerns about the world we live in today.

That being said, SpaceMonkey is an ever-evolving character meant to cradle the discussion of these matters within human experiences and isn’t aimed at any single point of view. DALEK says that “dialog and discussion are the most important tools we have for evolution.” 

DALEK has enjoyed creating using pencils, pens, markers, and paint of all kinds for years. As he’s moved into the digital realm, he’s been able to grow both his technical skills as an artist, but also his theories and relationships to our world. 

Moreover, DALEK says that he’s been lucky enough to find amazing people throughout life that have inspired him to continue his journey as an artist, and help him grow as a person. He is curious to see how the dynamics of the digital world will continue to shape our lives.

James says he’s excited to learn more every day and hopes that others can find positivity in the world. Feel free to stop by DALEK's Discord community and check out The Official Space Monkey Store.