Old Scratch AKA Original Beast Design
What is, "The Old Scratch"?
Old Scratch[]
The Old Scratch is a photo that may be found in various places online, and you may have been wondering who this "Over The Garden Wall" monster is. "Old Scratch" is an old pseudonym, most often used in the 19th century, for The Devil. This is the first character design that would later become The Beast.
History[]
The first villian created for the Tome of the Unknown bible was a diabolical, but cartoony-looking, figure named Old Scratch, inspired by the devil-character motif often found in American folklore and literature. Sometimes this character was meant to be frightening, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown,"[1] while other times he was just a mean-spirited but hapless dope who was easily tricked by the hero of the story. This exact text found in The Art of Over the Garden Wall book.[2]
More info about Old Scratch, including concept images, can be found in The Art of Over the Garden Wall.
References []
https://www.owleyes.org/text/young-goodman-brown
https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3000-616/Art-of-Over-the-Garden-Wall-HC