Thomas Columbo is the creator of popular Instagram account ‘Digital Meddle’. His content is exclusively alterations of vintage children’s books and toys. Through the use Photoshop, Thomas alters the text in order to give the stories a different meaning with a comedic effect… not suitable for children! Something that drives Thomas’s passion for this unique art form is people’s disapproving comments, although overall his work is well received with “LOL’s” and dying with laughter emojis. Speaking to Thomas about his dark sense of humour and creative flare has helped us to understand his practice and why he does it.

What initiated the idea for Digital Meddle?

Digital Meddle is Instagram's version of my page ‘Your Childhood Ruined’ on Facebook
(fb.com/YourChildhoodRuined). Your Childhood Ruined is exclusively deviations of vintage children's books and toys. I started in 2016 as a fun way of teaching myself Photoshop and graphic design. It complimented writing styles I developed through prior projects, and became a favourite medium for my brand of "comedy". In 2019, I launched Digital Meddle on Instagram as an extension of Your Childhood Ruined.

You use dark humour to change the meaning of childhood classics - how do you continuously come up with new ideas?

Vintage children's books are in limitless supply, so It's a great genre to bounce off. Many older books have an unintentionally sinister vibe, so oftentimes the ideas present themselves.

Where do you source the archived imagery from?

Everywhere books are found both physically and digitally. Once stay-at-home orders loosen up, I'll go to where used books are found and snap photos.

What sort of responses do you get about your work?

Usually, I get an "LOL" or some sequence of emojis pertaining to laughing, clapping, and/or dying. I'll even get an occasional "100%" but it's the "this isn't funny", "f**k you", and "KYS" that keep me motivated as an artist.

What triggered the Digital Meddle Instagram account to become so hugely popular, which now has over 100k followers?

I really don't have a specific answer. People love the original books and that's a huge built-in factor. My sense of humour is absurd more so than dark or morbid and I suspect I'm not the only one who wants to occasionally jump away from reality.

Do you have a favourite piece that you have created?

I don't really spend much time reflecting on the trail of nonsense behind me.

Do you have any new ideas planned for the future of Digital Meddle?

I don't want to give too much away but I'm working on something right now. Stay tuned.