About Us

Fatty Pancake brings new artwork on fun and fabulous products to those who find reptiles, amphibians, and other "creepy crawlies" positively endearing. By capturing that charm unique to each species, we wish to replicate the quirky, curious, and downright cute behaviors which have enamored us reptile lovers from the beginning.

Whether you are a current, former, or pining-to-be owner of a reptile, we support your love and desire to share this unique passion with the rest of the world. Each product is designed by artist and fellow reptile enthusiast Melissa Hitchcock in her quest to introduce new art into the community. Whether it’s humorous or serious, simple or intricate, the wide range of designs provide diversity for all types of owners looking for a variety of merchandise.

So slither, crawl, or sprint your way to our catalog! Don't see a design with your preferred beloved species? Don't fret! Sign up on our mailing list to see what new work is on the way!

¿Qué inspiró el nombre?

En resumen, era un apodo que se le dio a uno de los dueños del dragón barbudo llamado Sienna.

Sienna's Story-The Original Fatty Pancake

Sienna was a motley little bearded dragon found on a craigslist ad that looked like she had been through a lot. Her nails were over grown, she had a giant cyst on her face, and more importantly, she looked utterly ready to give up on life. After rescuing her, Mel slowly worked to bring her health back up.

After a month of intense rehab, Sienna was strong enough for undergo the surgery to remove the facial cyst obscuring her vision. During the operation, the vet felt lumps inside the lizard's abdomen and requested to do an X-Ray. When the results came in, what the vet discovered was rather alarming! Sienna's reproductive tract had, at some point, ruptured due to a blockage which prevented her from laying any developed eggs. This tear caused them to leak into her body cavity and explained why she looked so overweight while hardly weighing anything. After removing all the eggs, the vet spayed Sienna in order to prevent further complications and her new road to recovery began.

And recovered she did!
Sienna rebounded very quickly! She put on healthy weight, relearned how to hunt her food again, and her energy levels shot through the roof. However her skin was so stretched from all the eggs stuffed inside her that it never shrank to normal size. Every time she went to lay on her basking spot, her stomach would ooze out like pancake batter poured on a gridle; earning her the nickname, fatty pancake!

After surgery, the cycst along with several odd black scales were sent off for a biopsy. Sadly, the results returned a positive diagnosis of melanoma. This did not slow Sienna down and for three full years, she lived a warm and wonderful life. Unfortunately her cancer did metastasize and began impacting Sienna's quality of life. After many vet visits and all options were exhausted, the hard call was made to give Sienna her dragon wings.

Mel dedicated her store in honor of her little Fatty Pancake.

¿Dónde estás basado?

Nuestro pequeño estudio está ubicado justo a los pies de las Montañas Rocosas en Colorado Springs, Colorado. ¡Una verdadera joya de lugar cuando se trata de inspiración para el trabajo que hacemos!

About the Artist

Graduating from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration, Mel has worked primarily as a Technical Illustrator while pursuing other creative illustration both independently and with clients. She loves the natural world and all it's quirky, bizarre creatures whether they lurk beneath leafy undergrowth or soar through the skies; but her true passion was found with reptiles.

Some of her fondest memories were finding and drawing garter snakes that set up residence in a rock garden next to her childhood home in Colorado. Most of the snakes became accustomed to handling over the years and would often just sit quietly until placed back near where they were caught.

Outside painting, Mel also enjoys other crafts and has done woodworking, resin casting, needle felting, leatherworking, metal crafts, and jewelry making. While bouncing back and forth is normal, so is the presence of one of her beloved Bearded Dragons as they explore the art room.