What are the little robot-looking figures in Philadelphia crosswalks? Behind the mystery of ‘stikman’

PHILADELPHIA - Look down while crossing a street in Center City and you may spot a small, robot-like figure staring back from the pavement.

What are the figures in Philadelphia crosswalks?

The figures are called stikman — written in lowercase and spelled without a "c."

They are the creation of an anonymous street artist who was born in the Philadelphia area and has spent decades placing art in public spaces.

Although the figures are often compared with robots, the artist views them as little men made from sticks.

In a 2020 interview with Philadelphia street art website Streets Dept, the artist explained that the name’s jagged appearance helped communicate the idea of sticks. The artist does not use a public name and instead refers to himself, when necessary, as the artist behind stikman.

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How stikman began

The artist’s interest in public art dates to the 1960s, when he began painting words around his suburban Philadelphia community as a teenager.

The character that eventually became stikman was inspired by a plaster mold the artist found at a Philadelphia flea market around 1989 or 1990. The mold contained the impression of a humanlike figure that appeared to be formed by the spaces left after sticks had been removed.

The artist installed the first stikman in Manhattan’s East Village in 1992. That original version was made from unpainted basswood, and the artist produced about 50 figures during the project’s first year.

Over time, stikman appeared in metal, cloth, glass, plastic, stickers, book pages and other materials.

When did stikman reach the pavement?

The artist began experimenting with figures embedded in road surfaces in 2003.

He told Streets Dept that the pavement pieces were intended to alert people that smaller wooden stikman installations could be nearby. The artist first experimented with sidewalks but found streets more visually interesting.

The tiles have since become some of his most recognizable work, particularly the pieces placed in crosswalks where pedestrians can discover them while moving through the city.

Stikman outside Philadelphia

The project is not limited to Philadelphia.

The artist has installed work in cities and towns across the country while traveling and walking through different communities. He told Streets Dept that only a very small percentage of the installations were placed by a limited group of trusted helpers.

Despite stikman’s reach, the artist has maintained close ties to Philadelphia. Asked why he remained connected to the city, he told Streets Dept: "It’s in my blood."

The connection to the Toynbee tiles

Stikman’s pavement pieces are created using the same type of medium associated with Philadelphia’s mysterious Toynbee tiles, according to Streets Dept. The artist said, however, that his approach and intentions were different.

Toynbee tiles are plaques embedded in roads that generally carry a cryptic message connecting historian Arnold Toynbee, Stanley Kubrick’s film "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the resurrection of the dead on Jupiter.

The tiles began appearing in the 1980s and have been documented in Philadelphia, other U.S. cities and parts of South America. Their origin and complete meaning have never been conclusively established.

Philadelphia also maintains an online map showing documented Toynbee tile locations, although many older examples have been damaged by traffic, removed or covered during roadwork.

Why the artist remains anonymous

Mystery is a deliberate part of the stikman project.

The artist told Streets Dept that the character represents an unknowable presence without a stable form or personality. He described his work as "small, wordless visual poems for the eyes."

The placement is also part of the artwork. The artist has discouraged people from removing pieces and instead recommends photographing them where they are found.

That means the best way to experience stikman may be the simplest: Keep walking and remember to look down.

Philadelphia