Yes, the robot dogs in Musk and Zuckerberg masks are real—and they really “poop” pictures. But some of the wildest details don’t fully check out.
If you’ve seen the clips from Art Basel Miami Beach, you’re not hallucinating. Beeple’s new installation, “Regular Animals,” stars flesh-toned robot dogs in hyper‑real celebrity masks that roam, snap photos, and periodically tip back to eject printed images. It’s a spectacle—and a pointed jab at who controls our feeds. But the internet’s most shareable details? A few need correcting.
The most interesting truth first: they sold out fast at six figures
- Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) brought “Regular Animals” to Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 as part of the fair’s new Zero 10 digital art section. The bots sold swiftly to collectors. Artnet reports 10 dogs (each an edition of two) at $100,000 apiece. Art Basel | Artnet
What you’re actually seeing inside the pen
- The robots wear masks of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol—plus two Beeple lookalikes. CNN Style via ABC17
- They patrol, photograph the crowd, then “poop” prints styled to the persona on their face: cubist for “Picasso,” pop for “Warhol,” and so on. CNN Style via ABC17
- Some prints include a code to claim an NFT, aligning with the fair’s digital focus. Art Basel
And those unsettlingly lifelike masks? They’re by Landon Meier of Hyperflesh, Beeple’s frequent collaborator on this look. Page Six
What the piece is saying—and why the faces matter
Beeple told multiple outlets he’s pointing at a power shift: it’s not artists framing how we see the world anymore, it’s platform owners and tech moguls. Zuckerberg and Musk, via Meta and X, shape what billions scroll every day; Picasso and Warhol stand in for the old gatekeepers of cultural taste. Page Six | CNN Style via ABC17
Verified vs. hyped: what we confirmed and what needs salt
What we verified
- The installation is real, at Art Basel Miami Beach 2025, within the Zero 10 digital art platform. Art Basel
- The lineup of faces is accurate: Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Picasso, Warhol, plus two Beeples. CNN Style via ABC17
- They roam, take photos, and “poop” printed artworks styled to the mask persona. CNN Style via ABC17
- NFT component exists: some prints come with NFT claim codes. Art Basel
- Prices and sales: bots sold out, with Artnet citing $100,000 per dog, editioned. Artnet
- Mask maker: Landon Meier (Hyperflesh). Page Six
Needs context or has conflicting reports
- How many dogs? CNN’s narrative features seven figures; Artnet reports 10 dogs (each an edition of two). Both can be true, but the count differs by source. CNN Style via ABC17 | Artnet
- Zuckerberg print colors: The original article calls out a red‑and‑black “Zuck” print. Other reporting says Zuckerberg’s series skews blue, “Metaverse”-like. The styles are distinct; the exact color claim is shaky. AOL
Reported, not fully verified
- The cheeky “excrement” bags—including the line about “uncontrollable erections”—appear in Page Six and echoes elsewhere, but we didn’t find a primary source photo or official text. Treat as unverified merch lore for now. Page Six
- Precise print/NFT counts (like “1,028” total or “256” with barcodes) show up in Page Six; Art Basel only confirms that “some” prints include NFT codes. Art Basel | Page Six
Likely incorrect or contradicted by better sources
- “Bezos’ bot didn’t print art”: Page Six suggests Bezos’s robot wasn’t producing prints. On‑site coverage describes the pack ejecting prints, and does not single out Bezos as an exception. Consider this claim disputed. Page Six | CNN Style via ABC17
A quick rewind: what the original got right—and where we correct it
- Right:
- Beeple’s “Regular Animals” at Art Basel uses robot dogs to “poop” art prints.
- Masks include Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Picasso; they’re hyper‑real and made by Landon Meier.
- Some outputs tie to NFTs.
- Corrections:
- Add Warhol and Beeple masks to the lineup; it’s not only billionaires. CNN Style via ABC17
- Sales and scale: the robots were quickly sold to collectors, reportedly at $100,000 each. Artnet
- Bezos bot not printing: treat as doubtful; stronger sources show the pack producing prints. CNN Style via ABC17
- Zuckerberg color claim: the red‑and‑black detail is uncertain; other reports say blue. AOL
- “Excrement” bag warning and exact NFT counts: colorful, but not independently verified. Page Six
How we verified this
We cross‑checked Art Basel’s official preview, on‑site reporting from CNN Style, market data from Artnet, and the more tabloid‑leaning Page Six story. Where a claim appeared only in Page Six, we labeled it “reported, not verified.” Where sources conflicted—like the Bezos bot behavior and Zuck color palette—we favored primary or on‑site coverage and flagged the dispute.
Sources:
- Art Basel overview of Zero 10 digital art and Beeple’s installation: https://www.artbasel.com/stories/zero-10-digital-art-ai-platform-art-basel-miami-beach-2025
- CNN Style on‑site reporting (syndicated): https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-style/2025/12/04/at-art-basel-elon-musk-andy-warhol-and-jeff-bezos-reimagined-as-robotic-picture-pooping-dogs/?utm_source=openai
- Artnet sales report: https://news.artnet.com/market/at-miami-basel-dealers-notch-seven-figure-sales-digital-art-draws-crowds-2723568
- Page Six interview/details: https://pagesix.com/2025/12/03/society/beeples-regular-animals-has-billionaire-robots-at-basel/?utm_source=openai
- Color context for Zuckerberg prints: https://www.aol.com/articles/markets-shift-collectors-change-art-193519430.html?utm_source=openai
Why this matters
Beyond the viral clip, “Regular Animals” lands a sharp point: algorithms and the moguls behind them shape what we see, buy, and believe. Watching a Zuckerberg‑faced robo‑dog “poop” an image feels absurd—until you realize it’s a tidy metaphor for the endless feed we can’t stop consuming.
Bottom line: The dogs are real, the prints are real, the sales are real. Enjoy the theater—but take the racier bag text, the exact print counts, and the Bezos‑bot rumor with a grain of salt until stronger evidence emerges.