Knitted dolls to painted portraits: Meet Street Cat Bob’s most dedicated fans

From London to Tokyo, the story of Street Cat Bob and James Bowen has touched the hearts of millions of people around the globe.

The pair have attracted fans from the 30 countries where their story has been told, whether it be on the silver screen or in the New York Times bestseller, sharing their tale far and wide across social media.

The incredible story of how Bob saved James from drug addiction and homelessness has been turned into fan art, knitted dolls and other devoted designs to pay tribute to the duo.

Bobite Ester Inga Oppermann, from Hanover, Germany, has painstakingly recreated the pair in threaded form with Bob taking his customary spot on owner James’ shoulders.

Dedicated fan Ester even recreated the former Big Issue seller in various times throughout his life, including back when he wore the famous red tabard around the time that he first met his partner in crime Bob.

The pussycat portrayals do not end there, with other die-hard fans opting to bring the film stars to life with a brush and canvas.

Steadfast supporter Irfan Mahardhika, from Indonesia, has done just that with his depiction of guitar-toting James walking down the street with Bob in tow.

The high-fiving, camera-friendly feline has also been the poster-cat for plenty of moggy merchandise around the film and the books.

Bob’s handsome face has adorned everything from T-shirts and keyrings to German pocket calendars.

And the best-selling books are often found in far-flung places, like this reader having a purrrr-fect time in Bahia, Brazil.

�÷: When James Bowen and @StreetCatBob visited @BIG_ISSUE_Japan. Read more about James and Bob's Tokyo adventures in this week's Big Issue �ǯ�ǵ pic.twitter.com/Z3l2RYVQAA

— Big Issue (@BigIssue) September 12, 2017

• Read more about how Bob and James got on in Japan. This article appeared in Big Issue 1273 which is available to buy at The Big Issue Shop