About
From doodles to award-winning animation
Naolito is the creative universe of Nacho Arjona: illustrator, animator, filmmaker, and the mind behind “The Cute Side of Life”. Based in Malaga, Spain.
The beginning
A t-shirt contest changed everything
In 2009, Nacho Arjona won a t-shirt design contest on Pampling. He had always wanted to be an illustrator but never believed it was possible. That first win proved otherwise. He started submitting designs to Threadless, Redbubble, TeePublic, and every platform he could find.
What followed was a decade of building: pop-culture parodies, humorous “Before & After” comics, cute avocado families, and nostalgic gaming references. The Naolito style was born. By 2016, the “Villains Need Love” series went massively viral, featured across BoredPanda, DesignTaxi, and hundreds of blogs. The Kickstarter art book funded in just 4 days.
Naolito grew to over 1.1 million followers and sold designs on 14+ platforms worldwide. The brand went from screens to shelves, with products in physical stores across Spain, Belgium, France, and Italy.
The pivot
Lockdown closed the shops. It opened a studio.
When COVID hit in 2020, Nacho had to close the physical retail locations. Instead of waiting it out, he picked up Blender and taught himself 3D animation, studying tutorials late into the night. Within months, the first animated tests caught the attention of Netflix and Peak, who commissioned character animations.
The illustration brand had become an animation studio. Naolito Animation Studios was formally established in Malaga, with a team handling end-to-end production: concept, character design, modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, and compositing. All built on Blender and open-source tools.
The Netflix collaboration became a yearly tradition. Then came Amazon, PlayStation, Nestle (with their Nesquik “Before & After” mug collection), Pilot Frixion, San Miguel, and more. In 2024, “Homework”, the Kickstarter-funded debut short film, premiered at over 100 festivals, won 20+ awards, and was preselected for Spain’s Goya Awards.
Trusted by global brands
From illustration commissions and product licensing to full animation campaigns.
- Netflix
- Amazon
- PlayStation
- Nestle
- Pilot
- Peak
- San Miguel
- BenQ
Journey
Key milestones
2009 — The spark
Nacho discovers t-shirt design through Pampling and Threadless. First contest win. Naolito is born in Algeciras, southern Spain.
2012 — Going viral
Illustrations start gaining traction on DeviantArt and social media. Featured as “Artist of the Week” by design publications.
2016 — Villains Need Love
The pop-culture villain series goes massively viral across BoredPanda, DesignTaxi, and hundreds of blogs. Kickstarter art book funded in just 4 days.
2018 — Physical retail
Naolito products hit physical shelves. Stockists in Barcelona, Granada, Vigo, Jerez, and stores across Belgium, France, and Italy.
2020 — The pivot to animation
COVID lockdown. Physical shops close. Nacho teaches himself Blender and pivots to 3D animation. First commissions arrive from Netflix and Peak that same year.
2021 — Homework & the book
Kickstarter-funded short film “Homework” raises 22K EUR from 718 backers. “The Cute Side of Life” book published by Lunwerg / Editorial Planeta.
2022 — Blender Conference
Invited speaker at Blender Conference in Amsterdam. Talk: “From illustration to animation”. Naolito Animation Studios formally established in Malaga.
2024 — Festival circuit
“Homework” premieres worldwide: 100+ festival selections, 20+ awards including Best Animated Short at Festival de Cine de Malaga. Preselected for Spain’s Goya Awards.
2026 — Disney+
Deal signed with Disney for original animated content on Disney+. The biggest milestone yet.
Retail
From screens to shelves Stockist locations
Naolito products live in physical stores across Europe. From Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter to Rome’s Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the illustrations that started as digital files now sit on real shelves in real cities.
The merchandise operation spans 14+ online platforms (Threadless, Redbubble, TeePublic, Pampling, Displate, and more) and a direct-to-consumer store at naolito.com. T-shirts, metal posters, art prints, notebooks, and two published books.
Spain
Barcelona, Granada, Vigo, Jerez de la Frontera
Italy
Rome
France
Carpentras
Belgium
Huy
- Threadless
- Redbubble
- TeePublic
- Pampling
- Displate
- NeatoShop
- OtherTees
- naolito.com
How we work
Open-source tools, studio-quality output
Built on Blender
Full 3D pipeline on open-source software. Modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering. No license barriers, total creative freedom.
End-to-end production
From script and concept through character design, animation, and final delivery. One team, one vision, no handoff gaps.
Character-driven storytelling
Every project starts with character. Personality, emotion, and humor are baked into the design from day one. That’s the Naolito DNA.
Malaga, Spain
Let’s make something together
Looking for character animation, brand content, or a creative partner for your next campaign? We’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch