Ed Roth opened a pinstriping and paint shop in South Gate, California, in the 1950s and sold airbrushed T-shirts on the side. "Big Daddy" Roth's grotesque cartoon characters, like Rat Fink, were embraced by hot rodders. Roth soon built cars of his own with names like "Beatnik Bandit," "Mysterion" and "Orbitron." His designs were made into popular plastic model kits.