The iconic “Hi How Are You” mural has become a popular destination for Austin locals and visitors to the point where restaurants are naming themselves after it (Thai, How Are You?), but did you know the wonky-eyed frog has a name? Creative genius Daniel Johnston calls him Jeremiah the Innocent, and he isn’t the only character Johnston has come up with.

Artist, musician and Austin local Daniel Johnston created Jeremiah as album art for his 1983 self-made cassette tape “The Unfinished Album”, and as Johnston started to gain media attention, The Sound Exchange record store commissioned the musician to recreate Jeremiah on their wall 10 years later.

Johnston’s work hasn’t only been recognized in Austin but on a national scale as well. Kurt Cobain fashioned Jeremiah the Innocent on his shirt during the promotion of Nirvana’s 1991 album “Nevermind,” and Johnston has collaborated with skateboard and clothing brand Supreme on numerous collections.

The once-aspiring cartoonist utilizes his drawings to not only accompany many of his songs but also to relieve the internal struggles he faces in everyday life. His messy symbol-heavy sketches reflect his method of dealing with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and purging his inner demons, along with creating music.

Other characters Johnston created besides Jeremiah include Casper, Polka-Dot Underwear Guy, Joe the Boxer, Sassy Fras the Cat and an assortment of monsters, ducks, naked cut-off torsos and superheroes.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2006, Johnston addressed why he wanted to become a creative artist in the first place.

“I saw all the families and all those guys — even my own father — working in the factories and these places, working a real job, you know? And I said: ‘Hey, how am I going to get out of that? How can I escape that? I’ve got to be an artist. I’ve got to be famous,” Johnston said.

Nothing can stop Johnston from drawing, even the law. In 1988 he was arrested for drawing the Jesus fish symbol inside the base of the Statue of Liberty. There have been many ethical dilemmas with profiting from Johnston’s work because of his mental instability and the fact that some of his drawings sell for more than $1,000 a piece, but this doesn’t stop Johnston from handing out his drawings for free to whomever he wants whenever he feels like it.

Even though Jeremiah the Innocent has gained the attention of a much larger audience than anyone probably expected — to the point where souvenirs have been reproduced of him — Johnston still represents the one-of-a-kind, original image that Austin prides itself with.

Currently, Johnston’s drawings are being exhibited at the Verge Gallery in Sacramento, California, while he resides with his parents in a small suburb in Texas.