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Eric Zipperer
Project type
Bondo Fish
Bio
Eric Zipperer (1956-2026) has been known as 'the Bondo Fish Dude' for over 40 years in the Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM areas. He typically wintered in Austin and spent summers in Santa Fe and would sell his Bondo fish on busy roadsides from his 1968 VW van. He was fiercely independent and free-spirited. Making Bondo fish was his life's work and a labor of love. Several people have commented that Eric really embodied the 'weird' in 'Keep Austin Weird'.
His fabulous fish look large and heavy but actually weigh only about 4 or 5 pounds. They are constructed from a chicken wire frame, covered with papier mache and Bondo to make it more durable.
Eric passed away this summer, and these are some of his final creations. As of October 2026, only about 20 are left.
