British animator David Firth gained fame through Salad Fingers, a subversive and surreal comedy series. Following the animated series’s popularity, he created several individual animated videos and series (without changing his original style), such as Jerry Jackson, Spoilsbury Toast Boy, and Take This Pill. 

But among his several creations, the 11-episode series Salad Fingers remains the most popular on his YouTube channel, amassing over 100 million views.

Without further ado, let’s learn how he got the idea behind this macabre yet comedic series and other animations!

The Idea Behind Salad Fingers

When he was just an amateur, the now-renowned animator did not think he would achieve the fame he currently enjoys. But the series that shot him into the limelight had humble beginnings - the idea came from one of his friend's suggestions, who called the creator "Salad Fingers" based on how his fingers were shaped while playing the guitar. 

So Firth made the principal character’s fingers long and slender. Following that, he sketched the character twice and eventually settled on the iteration.

Likewise, he deliberately planned a muted voice for the character, as he was living with his parents and didn’t want them to hear different voices coming out from his room.

He finally completed the animation on May 9, 2007, and uploaded it to his self-titled YouTube channel. He titled the video ‘Salad Fingers 1: Spoons.’ Later, he created more episodes, which eventually attracted viewers.

Firth Is Now Well-Versed in Arts & Animations

After he created one of Britain’s strangest cartoons of all time, the artist received a healthy amount of limelight (and funding). Soon, he made more animated series such as Burnt Face Man, Sock, and Cream — the latter bolstered his credibility as a serious animator and increased his follower count on YouTube.

As his popularity grew, people began asking how he developed his animation projects. While replying to a fan on Reddit’s 'Ask Me Anything' session, he mentioned that most of his ideas came from his dreams. He also stated that in addition to his dreams, he took inspiration from things that were happening around him and things that he would wish to happen.   

Ideas come from: Dreams. Things that happen around me. Things that could happen. Things that I'm glad aren't happening. Things that I wish would happen.

Leveraging his followers on YouTube, he started sharing his disturbing yet mesmerizing sketched arts through his Instagram handle. 

Further, he also opened his official merchandise store and sold the series’ merchandise alongside several of his other arts and creations.

The Cancellation of Salad Fingers’ Game

As the animated series gained hype, Giant Elephant Games contacted the creator with a proposal to make a game based on the series. The first act of the game ‘Salad Fingers: Where’s May Gone’ released on August 6, 2015.

However, just four months later, on December 8, 2015, it was notified that the game’s development was canceled, and hence, the second and third episodes were not released. 

It was revealed that Firth and the game company had creative differences, and the animator was uncomfortable regarding the game's portrayal of the characters and world he had created.