CDC-approved Trip with Toby

With cases of COVID still rising in some areas in the United States and around the world, many continue to stay safe and delay leisure travel, especially since major restrictions are still in place for international travel.

For those homebound yearning for vacation in another place besides home, we’d like to take you on a CDC-approved trip with Toby and Gary Baseman.

Baseman’s famous Toby character, born out of paintings and drawings, emerged as a 3-D pleather figure in For the Love of Toby in 2005, and has since has traveled around the world. “Created as the keeper of one’s secrets and one who loves unconditionally, Toby is game for touristy sightseeing,” says Baseman.

Baseman first photographed Toby’s travels during a visit to the Sistine Chapel in 2005, with Michelangelo’s masterpiece as the background. “I took Toby to the Sistine Chapel to introduce him to Michelangelo. I snuck a photo. That same evening, the Pope dropped dead. This was the first time I had experienced the power of Toby. Since then he has always been at my side,” says the artist who has documented Toby’s travels in thousands of photos celebrating life and different cultures around the world—major themes in his work.

Together, they have traveled around the world, making new friends, always open to new flavors, languages, and experiences in unfamiliar places. Baseman says, “Toby helps disarm strangers, opening dialogues with humor and curiosity.”