Who Is Whatshisname?
Whatshisname is not a clothing label. It is the working name of Sebastian Burdon, the London artist behind the cheeky POPek balloon dogs and the haunting Gone series of cartoon silhouettes. Here is the story, what the work costs, and how to read the auction numbers.
The name is a joke. The artist has said he has trouble remembering other artists’ names, and the alias nods to a Green Day song, according to a lot description on Lot-Art. What is not a joke is the market: balloon dogs that sell out on release, prints that dealers price at hundreds or thousands, and an auction record that looks different depending on where you read it.
The story
Burdon was born in eastern Poland in 1982 and settled in London in 2006, where he worked as an assistant to established British artists before going solo, per his own About page. The same page says he began making digital art at age 7 on an Atari 130 XE. Artsy notes that he came of age in post-Communist Poland, where Western cartoons from Disney and Hanna-Barbera had been forbidden, which became the raw material of his work.
He has long courted controversy: Castle Fine Art says the London Underground banned his art from the Art Below exhibition in 2012 as “offensive.” His public projects include a giant zoetrope at the Singapore Science Centre and balloon dogs at Singapore’s Cathay Center, both in 2018, and a 2023 show that sent a breakdancing-astronaut sculpture and prints into the sky in collaboration with Castle Fine Art and Sent into Space.
- 1982Born in eastern Poland.
- 2006Moves to London.
- 2012The London Underground bans his art from Art Below.
- 2018Singapore zoetrope and balloon dogs; Mighty Jaxx PEEpek edition.
- 2019 to 2020Gone prints, oil paintings and box sets; chrome porcelain POPek dogs.
- 2022Gone MRS & MRS, a series viewed through an LGBTQ+ lens.
- February to March 2023Art Above Earth exhibition launched into space.
- March 10, 2026A PEEpek balloon dog sells in Julien’s Auctions’ Whoopi Goldberg collection.
- July 28, 2026Four Gone prints offered at auction at £200 to £300.
- Summer and autumn 2026New Gone collections at Castle Fine Art.
The work
Gone
Shadowy silhouettes of childhood cartoon characters, as prints and oil paintings. Editions of 50 are typical.
POPek
Balloon dogs that parody Jeff Koons, in poses such as peeing, humping and howling, in resin, porcelain and other finishes.
One Small Step
Dancing astronauts in prints and sculptures.
Collaborations
Mighty Jaxx toys, a Kidrobot Dunny and Limoges porcelain POPeks in a numbered series of 25.
Every edition is signed and numbered. SOHO ART notes that sculptures also carry an edition number under the paw, such as 12/200, and come with a certificate of authenticity.
2026 releases
Castle Fine Art’s Gone 2026 collection adds Mary Poppins, Moana, the Toy Story 2 cast and Paddington, with single medium prints at $869. Castle also lists Gone Summer 2026 and Gone Autumn 2026 collections, including a framed set of two and a framed set of four. An earlier Castle collection used Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO and E.T. I did not research licensing for the characters he depicts.
Price chart: Gone prints at Castle Fine Art (US), in US dollars
Retail prices seen in November 2026. Full bar equals $3,100.
My arithmetic: the set of four works out to about $766 per print, around 12% less than a single print. Source: Castle Fine Art.
Price chart: other retail and dealer prices, in pounds
Listings seen in October and November 2026. Full bar equals £3,000.
Many TAG Fine Arts listings, including Gone Bart & Lisa and Gone Mickey and Minnie, are marked sold out.
Where to buy
| Channel | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| whatshisname.co.uk | Signed, numbered editions | The artist’s own site, with certificates of authenticity |
| Castle Fine Art | Gone prints, framed sets | UK and US stores |
| SOHO ART, TAG Fine Arts, Fairart | Sculptures and prints | Dealer prices differ from the artist’s |
| Auctions (Invaluable, Julien’s, Catawiki) | Secondary market | Check estimates versus results |
I found no artist-issued authentication guide beyond the certificate that accompanies editions. Check that a piece is signed, dated and numbered, ask for the certificate and compare the edition size with the artist’s own page. Be careful with unnumbered “limited editions.”
Chart: what the auction data suggests, in US dollars
Full bar equals $4,000. These are summary statistics and one old interview figure, not a price list.
MutualArt’s page showed only a few sold lots. It also reports that 94.6% of lots sold above estimate, but it does not state the sample size, so I do not rely on that figure.
What the numbers say
There are no company financials: Whatshisname is an individual artist selling through his own site and galleries. What the data does show is a gap between channels. Gone prints are $869 to $3,063 at a retail gallery, but four Gone prints were estimated at only £200 to £300 at a July 28, 2026 auction, and a red resin PEEpek had an estimate of $100 to $200 at Julien’s on March 10, 2026. Estimates are not results, I did not collect hammer prices, and the auctioned works may be earlier, larger-edition pieces, so I draw no conclusion about market value.
| Metric | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual revenue and profit | No | Not published |
| Edition sizes | Yes | For individual works, e.g. 50, 100, 190, 200 |
| Auction estimates | Yes | £200 to £300 (Gone prints); $100 to $200 (PEEpek) |
| Hammer prices | Not collected | Estimates only |
How it compares
| Artist | Base | Signature | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whatshisname | London | POPek balloon dogs, Gone silhouettes | This guide |
| Yayoi Kusama | Tokyo | Polka dots, infinity rooms | Kusama guide |
| Takashi Murakami | Tokyo | Superflat flowers and characters | Murakami guide |
| Yoshitomo Nara | Tokyo | Wide-eyed children | Nara guide |
Questions
Who is Whatshisname?
Sebastian Burdon, a Polish-born, London-based artist born in 1982.
Is Whatshisname a clothing brand?
No. He is an artist known for prints and sculptures; I found no clothing line.
What is POPek?
His series of balloon-dog sculptures that parody Jeff Koons.
What is the Gone series?
Shadowy silhouettes of cartoon characters, shown as prints and paintings.
How much does his art cost?
A small sculpture is about £197 and a framed Gone print $869, with sets up to $3,063.
How do I check authenticity?
Look for a signed, dated and numbered edition with a certificate of authenticity.
Is there financial data?
No. Only individual work prices and auction estimates.
Janet Arklis
Janet Arklis is a fashion writer at Street Iconic. She covers streetwear brands, designer collaborations, sneaker culture and Japanese fashion, with a focus on how a label’s history, ownership and design choices shape what ends up on the rack. Her guides trace where a brand came from, what it sells and what it costs, and she flags anything she could not verify.
Research support: AI tools working from public sources. Sources are listed at the end of every guide.
Keep reading
Yayoi Kusama
The polka-dot artist behind infinity rooms.
Yoshitomo Nara
Japan’s wide-eyed pop painter.
Youtooz
Collectible figures made for fans.
All brand guides
Browse every Street Iconic brand explainer.
Sources
- Whatshisname: About
- Whatshisname: Art
- Castle Fine Art: Gone 2026
- Castle Fine Art: Whatshisname
- Invaluable: auction listings
- MutualArt: Whatshisname
- TAG Fine Arts: Sebastian Burdon
- Artsy: artist profile
- Campus: interview
- Lot-Art: POPek Gold Chrome Porcelain
- Fairart: Anatomical Balloon Dog
- Dope! Gallery: Whatshisname
Street Iconic is independent and not affiliated with Whatshisname or the galleries named. Prices change; figures were checked in October and November 2026. Auction estimates are not results. See our Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure.
