Interview with Thaddeus Coates, Artist and Character Designer

Thaddeus Coates (a.k.a. Hippy Potter) is a Brooklyn based illustrator, animator, and art director whose work lives at the intersection of storytelling, nostalgia, and bold character design.

Thaddeus is speaking at CreativePro Week 2026, which takes place June 29–July 3, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. We thought it would be fun to get to know him better with some Q&A.

You’ll be speaking at CreativePro Week for the first time this year. What excites you most about joining a new creative community and meeting people face-to-face?

Really excited about this and to connect with a new creative community in person and have the kinds of conversations that only happen when people who love design and storytelling are all in the same room.

Your session is called Fun, Fast, and Fearless Illustrator Workflow. A lot of creatives struggle to balance speed, play, and experimentation. How do those ideas come together in your own workflow?

I think the beauty in finding your stride in design and in execution is that when something works for you, and you have a system in place, there’s a lot of room for play. My workflow is really about giving myself permission to try unexpected ideas quickly, make mistakes, and stay curious.

In addition to your digital work, you create toys. Toasty was your first plush character. What inspired you to turn a piece of toast and egg into a lovable toy?

Toasty started as a fun little character sketch that made me smile. Then I realized that he had taken on a life of his own and so many people loved him. People seen him as a universal character of comfort and I loved that, something soft, expressive, and nostalgic that could make people feel happy the moment they saw it.

You illustrated Toasty, created the plush toy, and designed the packaging. Did Illustrator play a role throughout the entire process, and did your creative approach shift for each?

Illustrator played a huge role throughout the entire process, from developing Toasty’s original character design to creating the packaging and production-ready artwork for the plush toy.

Your work feels emotionally generous and optimistic. Where do you personally recharge or find inspiration when you need it most?

I find a lot of inspiration in the moments where I’m able to connect with my community and my family. Through conversations and share experiences, it really drives me and inspires me to create new fun and exciting things. Optimism for me isn’t pretending everything is okay. It’s choosing to leave a little light on anyway.

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