Creator of 'The Happy Merchant,' the world's most recognizable antisemitic meme, dies at 71

Nick Bougas, an American cartoonist and filmmaker who created racist and antisemitic illustrations under the pen name A. Wyatt Mann, has died at 71, according to a report by VINnews. Bougas, who was born in Savannah, Georgia, gained notoriety in the late 1980s and early 1990s for cartoons published in media outlets associated with white supremacy.

The most recognizable work attributed to him is 'The Happy Merchant,' a caricature of a Jewish man with exaggerated facial features, a beard, and a hand-rubbing pose associated with greed. This caricature eventually became a well-known meme online representing Jews and can be seen in many comments on Twitter and TikTok. His associates confirmed that Bougas was behind the cartoons, even though he himself never publicly admitted it.

The Anti-Defamation League and other organizations described 'The Happy Merchant' as a central hate symbol that later spread across social media and became one of the most common antisemitic memes on the internet. Beyond illustration, Bougas directed cult documentary films, including the Death Scenes series hosted by Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, as well as the 1993 profile Speak of the Devil. He also created illustrations for underground magazines, collected true crime memorabilia, and compiled archived audio clips of celebrities during his years in Hollywood.