Little Fatty.

Remember the fat china guy whose face got photoshopped into all those movie posters? Here he is: Qian Zhijun, a Chinese gas station attendant.

A chubby-faced Shanghai gas station intern known as "Little Fatty" has reached the heights of Internet fame in China thanks to cheeky Photoshop artists who are turning the 100kg youth into a pop icon.

It all started three years ago when Qian Zhijun, then 16, was attending a traffic safety class and someone snapped a picture of his rotund, rosy-cheeked face.

His suspicious-looking sideways look at the camera soon made its way on to the Internet. That picture of "Xiao Pang" (Little Fatty), as he was soon named, has since been morphed onto other iconic visages including the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe and other well-known celebrities. It has also spawned Web sites, blogs and numerous fan clubs.

"I like it when they put me on the body of heroes, such as Russell Crowe in Gladiator," Qian said. "But I hate it when they place me on the shoulder of naked women or when the touchup job is terrible," he said.

Qian, who now attends vocational school and works part-time at a gas station, discovered his fame when he walked into a cybercafe and came face to face with himself.

Links: Taipei Times | Reuters Articles