Ted Cruz Is Paul Blart, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin (On Instagram)

Few would mistake Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz for a matinee idol or a rock star (with the possible exception of the folks at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference).

But one photoshop artist, with a twisted sense of humor and a well-developed sense of irony, has been grafting the Texas senator’s face on some familiar pop icons. The images are circulating on Twitter and Instagram, under the creator’s handle @dongfuture.

“So many people I follow have been making fun of him for a while now and it suddenly hit me that his face is perfect for Photoshop,” said the artist, who declined to give his name. “Easily recognizable, weird, creepy, everything you need, really.”

That Cruz is a target of this type of political satire reflects his emergence as billionaire Donald Trump’s most serious rival, after primary wins in Kansas and Maine. And dongfuture isn’t the only one doing it; one guy is raising money for Planned Parenthood by selling t-shirts that claim Cruz was the infamous Bay Area serial killer, the Zodiac. (Ed. note: Ted Cruz is certainly not the Zodiac.)

Without further ado, we present a new take on “House of Cards” fictional scheming president, Francis Underwood:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/706560832314802176

Or Van Halen lead guitarist Ted Van Halen:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/706371662724202496

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are, um, unrecognizable in the new face of Ted Zeppelin:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/705887230779215873

Or consider Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Ted Sheeran:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/705898935475240961

The new “Top Gun,” Tom Cruz:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/705960578502660098

A strangely menacing version of the cinematic Mall Cop:

https://twitter.com/dongfuture/status/706168838459514885

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Explanatory journalism is a public good

At Vox, we believe that everyone deserves access to information that helps them understand and shape the world they live in. That's why we keep our work free. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$95/year

$120/year

$250/year

$350/year

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $120/year

Yes, I'll give $120/year

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via