New Black Walking Fish vinyl toy by Pez

The newest Walking Fish 7" vinyl art toy by El Pez and UVD Toys is Black, an edition of 100. So who is El Pez?

Barcelona’s vibrant street art scene owes much to José Sabaté, better known as El Pez. Born in 1976 in Sant Adrià del Besòs on the outskirts of Barcelona, he began tagging graffiti in 1999. That same year, after losing his engineering job, he pivoted fully into art—transforming his hobby into a joyful lifelong mission.

What started as tagging his own name soon morphed into a universally resonant icon: the now-famous smiling fish. Crafted spontaneously, the fish—with its wide, toothy grin—became an ambassador of positivity. As Sabaté explains, it was “a tool to spread good vibrations” . Its simple, comic-book aesthetic and bold palette quickly made it synonymous with Barcelona’s “Happy Pop” street art movement.

El Pez’s progression in style is striking. Starting from classical graffiti roots, his work evolved into large-scale murals, experimental pop pieces, and canvas exhibitions. His kaleidoscopic murals—from Barcelona to Bogota, Miami, Tokyo, London, and beyond—showcase his adaptability and global reach. He’s even participated in landmark collaborations and shows such as the ‘20 Years Smiling with Friends’ gallery exhibitions alongside Banksy’s contemporaries.

In 2008, El Pez appeared in Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop, further cementing his influence in street art canon. His vibrant style, rooted in the Logo Art movement, cleverly critiques urban advertising while uplifting public spaces with whimsy.

Today, El Pez balances street murals and gallery prints—his limited-edition giclée series (“Graffiti Sunday”, 2025) attests to his evolution into the fine art domain. Yet he remains a street-first artist, walking murals in Wynwood, Denver, Paris—always smiling. In an era where street art’s boundaries blur, El Pez’s joyous fish serves as a universal reminder: a simple smile on a city wall can brighten the world.