12th Annual Rat Fink Reunion set for June 5-7
The annual Rat Fink Reunion, honoring Ed “Big Daddy’ Roth, is set to take place Thursday through Saturday, June 5-7, in Manti, where fans gather to celebrate Roth’s life works and talents.
Rat Fink artists will descend from all over the universe to share talents with a car show, awards, 5k fun run and auctions. Everyone is encouraged to come watch the artists at work and have them create dream designs as they airbrush and pinstripe on anything and everything.
Special guest Dennis Gage, from My Classic Car TV show will be there filming the reunion and car show. Rat Fink artist AbNorman, Chad Norman, who created the art for the reunion shirt and poster will also be there.
Each day is filled with adventures and activities including a pine wood derby race, dinner with a piano concert by Janae Torgerson, banana splits, tours of the Rat Fink Museum, store and Roth Residence, live auction, 5k fun run, car show, parade and cruise on Main Street and band concerts.
Ed Roth
Ed became Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, a hot-roddin’, gear head, mad scientist, and struggling artist who financed his inventions by selling drawings and t-shirts at drag events, fairs, and car shows. Big Daddy Roth would draw cartoons of monsters that he created and pictures of cars, but when he personally airbrushed t-shirts with the monsters driving the cars, people went crazy and would line up at his booth.
The most popular Ed “Big Daddy” Roth monster was Rat Fink. Rat Fink started as a drawing that Ed had put on his refrigerator. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was a genius at designing cars, but it was Rat Fink that brought him fame. By 1963, teenagers across America were buying Rat Fink model kits and mass-produced Rat Fink T-shirts by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.
Ed’s first car was called the Little Jewel, Shortly after came the Outlaw, Beatnik Bandit and Beatnik Bandit 2, Rat Fink Hot Rod, Mysterion, Orbitron and more.
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth artwork can be found throughout the late 1980s and mid-1990s in underground comics produced by Roth and Sloane, in tattoo parlors and in art galleries. Yes, many consider the work Ed “Big Daddy” Roth as fine art. Also find Ed “Big Daddy” Roth creations on concert posters by other American cult artists Frank Kozik and Coop.