Jersey City, NJ native Brian Donnelly adopted the moniker KAWS when he was still in high school in the early 90s - and curiously enough, it has no actual underlying meaning. He just thought it sounded cool. (You might say he chose it just be"KAWS".)

He began his career as a graffiti artist by creating "subvertising", for which he would impertinently but humorously paint over billboards on benches, bus shelters and phone booths, in locations from New York to London to Tokyo and beyond.

Yet as a dedicated pop culture aficionado, he would later begin to draw upon familiar and iconic characters for inspiration, adapting them to his particular brand of sly, cheeky humor. In fact it was his 1999 sculpture 'Companion', a clever riff on Mickey Mouse - but with X's for eyes - that brought him his initial burst of fame. A significantly enlarged version would eventually float in the 2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

All images courtesy of SFMOMA

Macy's executive Amy Kule explained at the time that, "KAWS has embraced and redefined pop culture imagery to create new meaning and interactions with established works. [It] brings a unique visual aesthetic to the lineup of giant character balloons that will help bring accessible, contemporary art to millions."

And indeed, various versions of 'Companion' have since been installed in public spaces as far flung as Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, Australia, making him a genuine global art superstar.

Fast forward to today, and his wildly successful traveling exhibit 'FAMILY' has already been viewed by more than 20 million people at major museums around the globe. It opened at its current home, San Francisco's SFMOMA, November 25 - and will still be showing through May 3. But for those not able to travel to the Bay Area before then, SF locals Sarah Woofter and 9-year-old Mila starred in these wonderfully engaging video "reviews" on Instagram - which can make you feel like you're actually there.