In the current art scene there's a favorite artist of mine named LISA PETRUCCI who creates her work with her own little characters. They are sort of modeled after a classic vintage 1960's toy called "Liddle Kiddles". Kiddles were tiny little dolls made by Mattel that had a super cute persona. Their "world" was extra super-happy! Everything in that world was bright & cheerful, filled with joy. Lisa Petrucci's art captures that "feeling" but every now & then her characters are slightly kitschy or sexy, making them kinda funny. She also has sort-of a trademark thing she does where she paints the graphics on a thinly-sliced piece of log. She leaves the bark around the edges giving it a earthy feel. They're kinda tacky or low brow but that's the point she's trying to make. Here's a really great example of an art work she just did recently that features one of her cutesy characters in a Batgirl Costume.
