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Erik Wernquist is an animator and digital artist from Stockholm, Sweden. He is responsible for the creation of The Annoying Thing.
The Annoying Thing
In late 2003, Wernquist encountered 2TAKTARE.MP3 and was inspired to create the 3D animated character which he felt would fit the sound byte. This character became known as "The Annoying Thing." Wernquist worked on the first animation in his spare time using the LightWave 3D modeling application, and the whole process took about 6 to 8 weeks to complete.
In October 2003 he posted it on his website, turboforce3d.com[1], as well as on the CGTalk forum[2]. The animation was a popular attraction at Erik's website, but the sound was credited to "Anonymous". Eventually, word reached Daniel Malmedahl that his impressions of an engine had been used by a now well-known animation studio. He contacted Wernquist, giving an impromptu performance to confirm his claims. Wernquist was convinced, and gave credit to Malmedahl for his creation.
The animation received attention through file sharing and word of mouth, which Jamba! caught wind of. Seeing the monetary possibilities, they licensed the rights to the character, renaming it "Crazy Frog," and began to market it in mid-2004. Wernquist worked on four music videos for Crazy Frog, but has not stayed with him in any way.
In 2004 Wernquist started working as a character animator for Kaktus Film. He worked on a wide range of animated commercials, TV-spots and music videos. Erik also worked as director of the "Crazy Frog" music video "We are the Champions". He remained at Kaktus Film until late 2006 when he took a break from 3D graphics and animation to work with live action.[3]
In an interview with HitQuarters, Wernquist expressed his displeasure at the choice of name: "If I had known that this was going to be such a big thing I would not have allowed them to use that stupid name. It has nothing to do with the character. It's not a frog and it's not particularly crazy either."
Wernquist Now
Wernquist is currently not working with Crazy Frog. However, his original employers Kaktus Film continued to produce materials with the character, even after he quit and began working freelance. He still occasionally gives his views on Crazy Frog relatable topics.