Jason Steele (animator)
| Jason Steele | ||||||||||
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Origin | Orlando, Florida | |||||||||
| Other names |
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| Occupations |
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| Website | filmcow | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2008–present | |||||||||
| Genre | Comedy | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 1.86 Million (August 4, 2025) | |||||||||
| Views | 548 million (August 4, 2025) | |||||||||
| Network | Frederator Studios | |||||||||
| Contents are in | English | |||||||||
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Last updated: August 4, 2025 | ||||||||||
Jason Steele is an American animator, voice actor, and filmmaker best known as the creator of the YouTube channel FilmCow.[1] Steele's most popular works include Charlie the Unicorn and Llamas with Hats.[2][3]
Career
[edit]After losing most of their possessions and source of income during Hurricane Katrina, Steele created Charlie the Unicorn as a birthday present for their mother.[1][2] The animation was uploaded to Newgrounds in 2005, and achieved viral popularity.[4][5] After attempting to pitch shows to television networks, Steele found financial success through releasing content online, and merchandising.[6][7]
After releasing several sequels and spinoffs of Charlie the Unicorn, Steele launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a finale to the series. The campaign was able to double its goal in two days.[8][9] A followup to the series was released in 2024.[10]
Between 2009 and 2015, Steele produced 12 episodes of the Llamas with Hats series. Steele announced an epilogue to the series in 2024. A Kickstarter campaign to fund the epilogue met its goal of US$22,000 within three hours, and raised over US$250,000 in total.[11]
Steele's other work includes the Marshmallow People series,[12] and Shadowstone Park[13]
Cultural Impact
[edit]Steele's characters appeared in the music video for Weezer's single "Pork and Beans".[14][15]
Steele’s short film A Delightful Evening, released in March 2011, contributed to the spread of the Thanks, Obama meme. The phrase was used as the video's closing punchline. The meme began trending in August of that year.[16] Barack Obama and his daughters are fans of Steele's work.[2]
In December 2024, Warner Bros. posted an advertisement for their game MultiVersus on Twitter which used audio from one of Steele's videos without prior consent.[17] The tweet was later deleted.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The creator of Llamas with Hats explains why they made the series". LADbible. January 12, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c Allocca, Kevin (January 23, 2018). Videocracy: How YouTube Is Changing the World . . . with Double Rainbows, Singing Foxes, and Other Trends We Can't Stop Watching. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-63286-676-9.
- ^ "We recommend Llamas with Hats | Screenwriter". www.irishtimes.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Parr, Ben (May 25, 2009). "Top 20 YouTube and Video Memes of All Time". Mashable. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "YouTube's 50 Best Videos - TIME". Time. March 29, 2010. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Blair, Iain (June 5, 2011). "Online model clicks with next gen". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ Youngstrom, Kimberly (June 5, 2009). "Viral Video Phenomenon Charlie the Unicorn a Real-World T-Shirt Success - A CafePress Cultural BarometerTM Report". Business Wire.
- ^ "Beloved ancient Internet hit 'Charlie the Unicorn' now has a Kickstarter". Yahoo News. February 25, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "Remember Charlie the Unicorn? There's FINALLY going to be a grand finale". Metro. February 26, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ Polo, Susana (December 26, 2024). "The year's most unexpected holiday gift is a new Charlie the Unicorn short". Polygon. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ Schonter, Allison (May 17, 2024). "'Llamas with Hats' Episode 13: Release Date and What We Know About Kickstarter-Funded Epilogue". PopCulture.com. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "WATCH: Bizarre 'Marshmallow People' Cartoon". HuffPost. February 28, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "Shadowstone Park". FredFilms. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "Weezer understands how to work YouTube: allude to these 24 viral videos". valleywag.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ "Spot the memes in Weezer's Pork and Beans". NewsComAu. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ Calise, Kyle (July 21, 2024). "Meme History: Thanks Obama". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ Hopley, Alex (December 24, 2024). "Charlie the Unicorn creator hits back at WB after MultiVersus uses his IP". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "MultiVersus pulls tweet after Charlie the Unicorn creator says it used his work "without permission"". Eurogamer.net. December 23, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2025.