One side is a perfectly pleasant view of cuddly characters beloved by children worldwide.

But turn over these models of Super Mario, Hello Kitty and My Little Pony and you get a glimpse of a side of them you’ve never seen before – their insides, to be accurate.

Artist Jason Freeny decided he wanted to give the much-loved figures bones and organs after following an interest in anatomy – but says he does not set out to shock.

Autopsy turvy: Hello Kitty

‘Children love the anatomies,’ he said. ‘Fear of seeing the insides of living things is a learned response. The kids get really excited when they see them.’

Shop-bought vinyl toys are cut away to expose their hollow insides, into which organs and bones made from polymer and epoxy clays are inserted.

Finished items sell for up to £1,300 and can take between a few days and several weeks to complete.

New Yorker Mr Freeny said: ‘There is no real deep message behind it, at least not on purpose or at the start.’