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“For as long as I can remember . . .

. . . I’ve dreamed of being a cartoonist and having a cartoon studio… of writing and drawing stories for people. When I was a kid, I had a small walk-in closet in my room. I put a little desk and chair inside it, pushed the clothes out of the way, and crammed in a bulletin board. I made a sign with markers and cutout paper for the door and called it my cartoon company. I drew homemade cartoons and stories for friends and family… Now, years later, the Astonish Factory has become my home for imagination, creativity, and stories for all-ages.

It truly is the place where I hope we can encourage everyone to listen to that little creative voice inside to follow your dreams…

...and to always remember your childhood… and pass it on."

-       Mike Kunkel. . .

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Welcome to the Astonish Factory

Who are we?
The goal of The Astonish Factory is to introduce long-lasting, fun stories and appealing characters with heart, humor, meaning, and positive values for all ages.
The Astonish Factory has set out to make a difference in the way society views audiences. We believe that by caring about what we create and striving to have positive values in all of our work, the audience in turn will care about the stories and worlds we're involved in creating.

Most importantly, we care about creations for kids. In our society, kids have become a demographic, a label, a statistic. We still see them as kids. something we all were at one time. We believe to create stories that reach kids is not done by talking down to them and telling them what to like, but to simply talk to them and let them feel that we created something we believe in with them.
At the core of everything we're involved with, we believe that the stories should be fun. Fun to look at, fun to read and fun to experience...but not only that, they should also have a quality and direction that connects with people emotionally. We have a desire to create art and stories that will immerse audiences into worlds and lives of characters. Having been part of that imagination world, the audience will be better for it in the real world. 


Mike Kunkel

Here at the Astonish Factory you'll find the creations of cartoonist Mike Kunkel.

In his spare time, he is an accomplished juggler, deep sea diver, astronaut, race car driver, gourmet chef, world class magician, pro football wide receiver, big wave surfer, and frequent storyteller.

Well . . . actually only the the storyteller part is true.

Something he's done since he was a kid was write and draw stories.  And with over 20 years experience in the Animation Industry, Mike Kunkel has continued to do what he loves by working on numerous Television and Film projects as a Director, Story and Development Artist, Character Designer, Screenwriter and Animator.   Mike has worked for such studios as Warner Bros, Nickolodeon, Cartoon Network, Sony Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Studios. 

As a published writer and artist, Mike has been nominated three times for the prestigious EISNER Awards and four Ignatz awards, and is the creator of the two-time EISNER Award-winning comic book series "Herobear and the kid."  His designs in television have also won the ANNIE AWARD for Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production.

But, he soon realized that to be truly happy he had to work on his own stories and characters. . . and he created the perfect place to do that here at Astonish.
So we're glad you found The Astonish Factory, where you can find that we enjoy creating creations for kids and the kids at heart and where you are always welcomed and encouraged to . . .

"Remember your childhood . . . and pass it on."

Mike lives in Southern California where he spends most of his time drawing cartoons, trying to learn new magic tricks and playing with his family. 

 

He's never been early for a deadline.