Rhode Montijo

Rhode Montijo (born September 7, 1973) is an American children's book author and illustrator best known as the creator of Pablo's Inferno, Cloud Boy and co-creator of the Flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends.

Career Raised in Stockton, California, Montijo is most known for being one of the creators of the award-winning comic book series Pablo's Inferno, about a little boy's descent into the spirit world in Mexico. Montijo originally gained attention for being one of the creators of the Mondo Media animated internet series Happy Tree Friends, one of the earliest YouTube viral sensations and subject of a 2006 television series.

Prior to co-creating Happy Tree Friends, Montijo also worked as a Character Designer on two other shows also made by Mondo Media, like Thugs on Film and Piki & Poko: Adventures in Starland.

After a car accident in 2006, Montijo set out to pursue his life-long passion in creating children's books. His first children's book published was the acclaimed Cloud Boy in 2006 by Simon & Schuster, about a little cloud boy who creates the shapes that are seen in clouds. Starting in 2007, Montijo illustrated a series of eight chapter books titled Melvin Beederman Superhero, written by Greg Trine and published by Henry Holt Company. In 2009 Montijo self-published and distributed Skeletown, a Dia De Los Muertos / Day of the Dead-inspired story of a town populated with skeletal inhabitants. In 2010, Montijo created The Halloween Kid about a mysterious masked boy who becomes the defender of Halloween. In 2012, production began on a half-hour animated holiday special based on The Halloween Kid with animation by Sanzigen Company in Japan, with Montijo directing.

After 13 years of production, the animated adaptation of The Halloween Kid finally premiered on October 22nd, 2025, via David Choe’s Youtube Channel.

In 2012, Montijo began a new children's chapter book series titled The Gumazing Gum Girl!, published by Disney/Hyperion, about gum-obsessed Gabby Gomez who accidentally turns into the sticky/stretchy superhero Gum Girl. In 2015 Montijo did the character designs for the Amazon Prime children's animated pilot, Knickerbock Teetertop, about the smallest kid in Wonderpine Mountain who yearns to be a great adventurer like his grandfather. Montijo has also provided character designs for Laika Pictures and Warner Brothers Animation.