The man behind the laughter

He grew up in Maryland where he was known as David Smith, but this
self-taught artist is better known as Gypsy -- the creator, director,
writer and animator of satirical cartoons

featured on
WorldNetDaily and taking the nation by storm thanks to the attention his work has received on several cable TV news networks.

This 15-foot statue was sculpted for the animator's premiere of Walt Disney World's "Hercules."

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Many Americans are already familiar with some of Smith's work, though they may not be aware of it. Some of his creations are sculptures of Disney characters, which grace the famed Walt Disney World theme park. In fact, he is the only outside artist used by the clandestine company. Self-employed for the last two decades, Smith also contracts with Time Warner -- the conglomerate that owns Six Flags theme parks across the country -- and Viacom.

A commercial artist, Smith has created special effects for Universal Studios, Fox and others. His portfolio includes various prosthetics he's developed to create life-like aliens and aged characters.

Alien prosthetic created by Gypsy Smith for 20th Century Fox.

Now living in central Florida, Smith formed Paladin Productions eight years ago, through which he contracts his tremendous talent. But sculpting is not the limit of this artist's genius. Smith is also a musician who, from the ages of 18 to 25, professionally composed and recorded with his band. Most recently, Paladin was expanded to include Flash animation -- yet another outlet for the artist's creative abilities. Now with his own personal studio, he records the music for his cartoons.

But how did this musician, composer, sculptor and special effects creator enter the world of satirical cartoons?

"Like anyone else, I have my opinions," Smith says. He attributes his political bent to his grandfather, who also inspired Smith's professional name, Gypsy.

Smith's grandfather was a semi-professional boxer in the Washington, D.C., area known as "Gypsy" during the Great Depression. He was undefeated from about 1934 to 1940, Smith explained.

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This model of Cinderella's castle by Gypsy Smith was photographed over 7,000 times -- more than any model in Walt Disney World history -- for the celebration of the theme park's 25th anniversary.

Almost one year ago, the 39-year-old artist created

CrossCircuit.com, the website containing his hilarious bits of Flash animation. Though the theme-park business is in its annual "down" time, Smith has kept busy over the last couple of months with his cartoons, which have been a big hit with WorldNetDaily readers.

Smith's cartoons have also been a favorite among major news networks such as Fox News Channel and MSNBC. Both cable networks have aired some of Smith's most popular bits, including

a "report" by WND Chief
Executive Officer Joseph Farah on Florida's presidential election.

"What's Gypsy's secret?" asks Farah rhetorically. "He's funny, insightful and extremely talented. He writes the material, plays the music, performs the voiceovers and creates the animation. That's versatility. That's creativity. We're extremely gratified to be working with such a class act."

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