TrustoCorp x Obey Cereal

Work Summary & Collector Notes

TrustoCorp x Obey Cereal is a 2013 sculptural collaboration between the TrustoCorp collective and Shepard Fairey, taking the form of a physical cereal box for an invented "OBEY" flavor. The piece merges TrustoCorp's tongue-in-cheek, parody-product aesthetic with Fairey's classic Andre the Giant imagery, and includes interactive bar codes that work when scanned. It was produced as a First Edition object numbered 10, distributed through TrustoCorp's signature "reverse shoplifting" method by placing the boxes in real Los Angeles supermarkets for finders to claim. The work sits at the intersection of street intervention, consumer-product parody, and OBEY branding rather than a conventional framed print.

Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 10. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Collaborations and pop culture for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.

Historical Context

In the artist's words / from the release record:

“Our friends at TrustoCorp are back to their old tricks again. Known for their street interventions and “reverse shoplifting”, the collective is once again visiting stores and placing their products into the natural shopping environment. But, this time they’ve enlisted some help from some other artists. First up is a collaboration with Shepard Fairey where the new flavor of Trusto Cereal is the “OBEY” flavor – which combines their own signature tongue-and-cheek artwork with Shep’s classic Andre The Giant imagery. Expect little touches such as interactive bar codes that actually work when scann

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned sculpture / object

Release date

2013-04-05

Release-date note

Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.

Series

Collaboration

Medium and materials

Sculpture.

Edition details

First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 10.

Signature and marks

Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.

Documented History and Meaning

History note: Shepard Fairey's OBEY / Andre the Giant campaign began in 1989 and grew into a long print and public-art practice; this page treats that as career context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition.

Meaning / interpretation: In the artist's or release record's own words: “Our friends at TrustoCorp are back to their old tricks again. Known for their street interventions and “reverse shoplifting”, the collective is once again visiting stores and placing their products into the natural shopping environment. But, this time they’ve enlisted some help from some other artists. First up is a collaboration with Shepard Fairey where the new flavor of Trusto Cereal is the “OBEY” flavor – which combines their own signature tongue-and-cheek artwork with Shep’s classic Andre The Giant imagery. Expect little touches such as interactive bar codes that actually work when scann. This can be read as the documented intent for the work; no additional endorsement is assumed. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.

Release context: The saved catalog lists 2013-04-05 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Collaboration in the saved record.

Authentication, Presentation and Provenance

Original presentation

Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.

Authentication note

Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.

Provenance note

Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Obey Giant. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.

Sources and Verification

Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added

1. Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, date, edition, dimensions, medium, release price, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
2. About — Shepard Fairey / OBEY GIANT — Obey Giant · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official OBEY GIANT artist biography and career context; it is not an individual-edition record.
3. Shepard Fairey — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
4. Shepard Fairey (Q1142847) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.