VEGGIE BURGER BUNNIES COMING TO KRLA!

Hey hungry folk!  Especially  those who are looking for some protein substitutes apart from our beloved animal kingdom - boy, do we have the right patty for you!  Introducing the 12" tall, stackable Veggie Burger Bunny!  Exclusive to Kidrobot and only 40 of these suckers grilled, boxed and made to order!  These delicious anthropomorphic yet animal friendly mutant hopping veggie burgers (does that sound right?) are definitely a must have for any J Led collector.  We say that about all J Led's releases, but seriously, right?!  They (Veggie Burger Bunnies) are made from wood, beautifully decorated and packaged in a nifty wood create with a sliding cover door.  Only $300.00!  I do say ONLY, because these are delicious works of art and where on earth can you get something so unique, so original and well crafted for $300.00?  Worth every penny.

Here are the details - The Loyal Subjects will be on hand with artist Joe Ledbetter at the Kidrobot LA store (KRLA for the NASDAQ fans) Friday, June 1st between 6-8p.  A certain allotment of Veggie Burger Bunnies will be made available for the event.  The rest can be purchased at the other Kidrobot retail locations on June 7th.  A democratized release! 

Also available will be a brilliant Joe Ledbetter x Kidrobot print (edition of 50) aptly titled 'NICE BUNS'.  And boy, how!

See you all next Friday, June 1st!  Let's enjoy a good ole fashion art cookout featuring your friends from The Loyal Subjects, Joe Ledbetter and Kidrobot!  Weeee Howdy!

BUCKINGHAM WARRIOR GOES HOME

On the eve, before the Buckingham Warrior ships out to our supporters, customers and retailers - I get to stand back and reflect about what a fun life we all have and how insignificant are our troubles that we choose to own? 

When I first started working on the Buckingham Warrior (a project that has been earned through mindfulness, labor, care and patience), I thought "Wow, what a great design!  This will definitely work!"  I was concentrating on the nature and spirit of manufacturing a collectible.  The design turned me on and I thought our customers would be excited to see this unique character come to life.  Fortunately, it seems they are.  However, it was a "B" to "C" concept; a great idea that fits right in with our brand identity, and complex enough to create conversation, ultimately landing in customer's hands.  It turns out the project, in spirit, is much more complex, much more layered and emboldened with a righteous spirit.

Gary Baseman is unique.  He has been a pioneer in our community, a feverish personality, a champion of our realm.  His fabric is art.  He also is woven to certain strands of great and significant circumstance.  Events which reshaped the lives of many, desperately wounded the world community and events so atrocious, they are deprived of any semblance of light.  Gary's parents are immigrants from Poland.  A country that was destroyed by Nazi Germany, preempting WWII.  Gary's father was a local fighter.  A man who took up arms, not part of any great or greater army but as a civilian fighting for respect and thwarting an evil injustice.

The Buckingham Warrior is the allegorical representation of his father.  Along with it, a mythology adhering to his father's legacy.  

Recently, Gary stopped in Rome.  He created a provocative mural in an area known as Q44 (The Quadraro in 1944) - an area where thousands of liberal minded civilians were rounded up by the Nazi and fascist soldiers - either killed or sent to camps.  Gary's powerful image of the Buckingham Warrior, a character infused with the spirit of righteous intent and protector of his fellow brothers and sisters, stands as both watchmen and reminder.

I'm proud to have contributed just a small bit to the memory of Gary's father and to those who suffered nameless.  I say this with pure humility and respect.  The Buckingham Warrior is a true and unveiled hero - even if just for all of our imaginations.

Available @ www.theloyalsubjects.com

POOL TOYS AND HYDRATION - BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

Spring is upon us.  I love Spring.  It's a prelude to Summer.  Summer is my favorite season.  I couldn't imagine a world without summer - the renewal of life, the radiant sunshine, pool parties, surf trips, beach days, long days, warm nights...  What fun.  What memories.

I think we (TLS) subconsciously make seasonal product.  I do.  It might not be deliberate but it sure seems that way.  Case in point - the Joe Ledbetter Water bottle - in time for Coachella, Spring, the renewal of activities, Beach days and your general all around hydration needs.  It's perfect!  And it's so cool.  Only $20.00 on www.theloyalsubjects.com and ready to ship now.  It's reusable, washable, aluminum - with a really cool screen printed graphic.  I want 10 for myself, unfortunately, I started a business to sell my wares, not hoard them.  Thus, I offer it with great humility and concern for your hydration needs, and, with an equally great conscious for your eco conservationist sensibilities.  Boom!

Next - Gary Baseman's wildly famous alter ego, TOBY.  We turned him into a very cool Jeff Koonsian like inflatable.  And he's huge.  T H I R T Y S I X I N C H E S T A L L.  I've been told that's big.  It is.  Be the coolest at the pool - what better pool condiment than a very cool, famous art object that floats?  And, it's 20% off from now to the end of Coachella on www.theloyalsubjects.com.  Bad A$$.  

Let's all heed great concern for each other's cool points and health.  Get on the bus, we have some good gets on the way to your destination!

THE LOYAL SUBJECTS COACHELLA (tiny) CAPSULE COLLECTION!

I started in music.  I played drums for nameless bands.  Seemingly forever.  But a "fun" forever.  Eventually, after a day of music fits and tantrums, I thought of an idea - "Let's create characters like the Lil' Homies but instead of 'Homies', they'll have Mullets.  I'll call them Mullet Heads!"  That's a good abbreviated and condensed way of describing how I plunged into this industry.  Music has always been my first love.  The arts.  The arts are my love.  But music permeates.  I still play, just not on stage.

I remember heading out to Indio a decade ago.  Even before that, I remember Pearl Jam playing the Polo Grounds.  It was an "F" You concert, flipping the bird to Ticket Master.  Pearl Jam escaped the long Ticket Master grasp and headed beyond their reach - thus the Polo Fields in Indio.  That show(s) proved that concerts worked at that location.  Cut a few years later (post Lollapalooza culture festival explosion), Goldenvoice - the genius micro promoter outfit which had a hand in every punk rock show extending from San Diego to Santa Barbara from the mid 80's on - held a concert in the desert.  It was amazing.  My friends and I had a great time.  For the next few years we named the show "Rock and Roll High School Reunion".  It seemed that every musician that I had met along the way (and vice versa) was at the show.  It was great.  It still is great.  Bigger.

All things being said, that feeling and those people were my family.  Those were amazing times.  That's why I jumped at the chance to have my own micro product offering in the famous Coachella Boutique.  A sure shot from the mainstage to the back of the venue.  Couldn't miss it if you tried.  

I knew that Joe Ledbetter would be the perfect fit (no pun intended) for the T-Shirt.  And he is.  Joe's mascot, Mr. Bunny pitches the perfect concert going narrative - a fun time, a little delirious and knocked off the planet.  Brilliant.  I then had the idea to create a map - like the ones at Disneyland.  Although I wanted to use the genius collage and "all things connected" universe as demonstrated by the brilliant Jon Burgerman.  He knocked it out of the park.  The poster is almost 6' wide and printed on archival paper (this one definitely goes up in a frame).  It's a true treasure map, illustrating famous facets of Coachella lore past and future.  Take a real close look.  There are some amazing nuggets that I'm sure a well versed Coachella-ite will recognize.  So that is where we stand.  Unfortunately, both pieces are only available at the show but fortunately, you'll have to go and have the time of your life to have access to them.  Not too bad a predicament. 

BURGER BUNNY INFLATABLE!

When I was a kid, maybe three or four years old, I had these full length heather blue Mickey Mouse Club pajamas (with footies and all - possibly even the trap door butt).  The "footies" had this rubber texture that adhered to the bottoms.  I guess three year olds need some good gripping traction.  All things being said, I had a matching inflatable Bop Bag, which was Mickey Mouse, and advertised the good ole' MMC.  I loved that bag.  It looked cool.  I loved the texture.  And it was fun to punch.  

Perhaps that's our fascination with these inflatables.  As Freud said, "Childhood Regression".  Better yet, perhaps it's more like Jeff Koons in nature.  Challenging perceptions of what is functional, mundane, obvious, interpretive - and what is art.  A physical piece, in a physical space, where the actual object itself incorporates an identity and oscillates energy.  I think it's both.  Regression Art?  Can that be a movement?  Although we are progressing?  All things here said, it's worth the discussion and bottom line, these objects are amazing in a physical space.  They literally transform a space into sculpture gardens incorporating fun, energy and aesthetic.  How cool!

When Joe first introduce the Burger Bunny through his well known Mutant Bunny Series, I knew that design had layers (no pun intended).  It was satyr, parody, clever, objectionable and embracing.  The image has great color contrast and is a narrative of a 1000 words.  What a perfect idea.  We had to blow it up.  So we did!  Into a 62" inflatable which bops if you punch it.  A sand weighted base keeps it in place.  This piece is an objet d'art.  All encompassing.  And it's only $99.00 at www.theloyalsubjects.com.  Only 300 Made!

We hope that you enjoy!

JOE LEDBETTER'S T-SHIRT EXTRAVAGANZA! AND WATER BOTTLE?

Piecing together a t-shirt line embiggens the same spirit, similar in approach, in creating probabilities and permutations with a set of unassigned numbers.  Which design, which shirt cut, which sizes, etc.?  Logarithmic.  Having good designs encourages the process.  When approaching a line we consider the most important aspects; Do we connect to the images?  Is this the shirt that I would wear?  Does this shirt feel good?  In the case of Joe Ledbetter, there are very few images that we don't connect with.  Joe has a rich character narrative in a fantastic world - a world generalizing, emphasizing and exaggerating human qualities focused in a playful anthropomorphic universe.

Joe's designs are perfect for this basic canvas.  

Our t-shirts are the outfitting bridge from the shelf, floor, wall and ceiling of your collection, in your living spacing.  We hope that you think so too.  TLS and Joe Ledbetter are proud to present the first of the Joe Ledbetter designs, available now on FAB.COM for $22.50 a shirt, both Men's and Women's.  As an added bonus, we have included a reusable aluminum water bottle (for you eco conscious heroes) for only $16.00.  The sales ends Sunday so happy shopping and thanks for the support!

TENDER GREENS x THE LOYAL SUBJECTS x JEREMYVILLE

Back to basics.  In everything.  There's an idea that pairing down all visceral human experiences to a positive inertia develops intellectual and spiritual growth.  A sort of deconstructionist theory - where every idea, notion and action is broken down into the purity of the "moment", and either enjoyed, consumed or displayed for the betterment of that moment.  In hopes of building steps to a better and enlightened future - (all the while) conceding to rules of conscious conservation.  There seems to be hints of action towards these moments and certainly men and women giving examples, leading the way.  Understanding and exploring the "human condition" as it relates to our ideas, our place in the universe and our future existence and this plays out indefinitely through art, food, culture, and so on.

The Loyal Subjects recently had the opportunity to work with a conscious and forward thinking company - a restaurant group named Tender Greens.  Tender Greens restaurants in Cliff's Notes: Tender Greens provides a full sensory experience - taste, feel, smell, hear, see.   Most importantly, Tender Greens provides a quality dining experience - delivering  fine dining eats in a relatable, social environment.  Relatable in price as well.  What uptight establishments deliver in the $20 and $30 range, Tender Greens is delivering in the $10-$12 range.  

Conscious, moving away from "widget" like distributors and suppliers, Tender Greens core philosophy surrounds the "Farm to Fork" ideal - fresh goods pulled from the ground in the morning and arrive on your plate that afternoon.

They are a great company with an excellent product.  TLS was contacted by Tender Greens (Heidi Wahl - Marketing and Events planner) to possibly collaborate; "installing art that reaches and speaks to their core and casual customer".  We, knowing and working with all sorts of brilliant artists, knew exactly who to go to for this job.  We contacted Jeremy from Jeremyville - Jeremyville has a rich narrative with clever associations and a "glass-half-full" motif.  He's perfect for the job.  And he was!  Jeremyville knocked it out of the park.  Here are a few pics from my iPhone of some of the brilliant art that is hanging on the walls at Tender Greens.  We were happy to work hand-in-hand with some great people and it looks like we had some great results.  Please visit them on Second Ave. in Santa Monica (next to the Promenade), as well as their many other locations.  *Sorry for the blurry pics.  I will definitely swap them out for some better ones at a later date*.

 

GARY BASEMAN'S BUCKINGHAM WARRIOR

The phrase "Art Toy" is interesting.  I remembered when it was coined.  It was Jim Crawford, Co-Founder of StrangeCo who first brought the term to life.  He did it because he was having a difficult time generalizing what we do.  It's art but it isn't so exclusive or inclusive.  It's a toy but it isn't really played with (to an extent) and it's less broad in notion.  So, he came up with a term that could describe what we do in pure dumb simplicity that is dually genius.  Art Toy.  And there it was.  It was a perfect term describing StrangeCo's product line since much or all of it derived from 2D art - be it paintings, fine art or pop art in much the "indie" realm - relatively what is considered "non-licensed" to those accustomed to stocking shelves with large evergreen brands like Star Wars, etc.  We all adopted that term - believing, what we do is a combination of art, design and product.  Specifically, product derived from art springing from similar wells - painters, fine artists, pop artists, etc. - both, in a scholastic, meaningful sense and a playful, less emphatic and didactic sense.  Cut to the chase.  Gary Baseman's Buckingham Warrior is a perfect example of 'Art Toy' in scope. The project is a non deliberate gesture in familiarity - picking up with The Loyal Subjects where the brilliant Critterbox left off.  If you don't remember Critterbox, you should.  They were brilliant in their approach.  The pieces were big, beautiful and had depth.  The Buckingham Warrior certainly has these inherent traits.

The Buckingham Warrior in Cliff's Notes:

The Buckingham Warrior is a deer named Buckingham.  An unusual deer.  He has three legs.   This three legged deer lives in the Wolyner Forest.  He is a living organism in symbiosis with the greater and vastly expansive mother to all...Nature.  Life is ideal.  Until the idyllic inertia was disrupted by a malevolent and greedy man.  This man (the Land Baron) saw the forest as a rich resource ripe for exploitation.  He and his henchmen marched into this otherwise peaceful domain and without conscious or compassion, started to destroy the forest.  Buckingham refused to submit to this painful reality.  He stood his ground and fought back.  In his struggle, Buckingham was decapitated by the evildoers.  In an act of other-wordly defiance, the deer grew several heads back, replacing the decapitated head.  Buckingham was unmovable in his righteous stand. 

The story itself is anecdotal, a fable in feel but the sentiment is rich in metaphor.  The story was inspired by Gary's own father who was a Holocaust Survivor.  The Buckingham Warrior embodies the spirit emboldened by strong value sets; Freedom, Respect, Dignity, Fairness, Bravery - and to a larger scope, including the delicacy of our own ecology.   Buckingham is a hero for the ages.

The first edition is Buckingham as the the deer living peacefully in the Wolyner Forest.  The figure boasts several points of articulation, accessories and the rich color palette that is signature to Gary Baseman.  The figure is packaged in a closed 4C box with a satin finish.  A gorgeous piece. 

The Buckingham Warrior will be available Wed, Feb 22nd 2012 at NOON PST on www.theloyalsubjects.com and select retailers for $115.00USD.  Edition - 400.

VALENTINE'S DAY LOVE!

Valentine's Day - a day to show those who you intimately care for, just how much you care.  So goes the tradition.  I haven't read up on the entire history.  My assumption is Valentine's Day is a positive emotion.  Not just another gift giving day, but a day where the gifts that you give carry weight.  Gifts that are true expressions - thoughtful, fun, emotionally connecting, romantic and so on. 

I have a few gifts up my sleeve.  I'm also making available a few gifts for those budget conscious, star crossed lovers.  Serious, our Valentine's Day Love Fest in dollar amounts is less than a dozen roses and more than a helium balloon.  Both gifts include stories and DNA that all sprang from True Love.  Magnus and Friday - A true love story.  I know, I was there when it happened.  To make things even more bizarre, the real Magnus and Friday love story happened in Rome.  After Joe created the story (on a walk around the Circo Massimo - the track Ben Hur made famous), we walked into a Basilica and low and behold, this exact Basilica had St. Valentine's skull (relic).  Unbelievable.  I'm not making this up.  It's as true as the day is long.  So, Magnus and Friday are truly dipped in St. Valentine's tender magic - literally! 

Alex Pardee's Walrus Rider is a true love story too.  It's about a stud of a young man who had the best legs in town.  The girls fell ga ga over this lad's lengthy stems.  One night, while this young man was sleeping, some beast came in and stole his legs.  Can you imagine the nerve of some people?  Well, the little dude was pissed.  He lassoed a Walrus and went looking for vengeance.  All because of love.  Love for his legs and the attention he received from the Betties.  

So, this Valentine's Day - ask yourself - are you a stud?  Are you the perfect girlfriend?  You should answer, YES!  I am!  And by committing to this affirmation, it only makes sense for you to get on over to TheLoyalSubjects.com and pick yourself up a $50.00 Walrus Rider which includes a 8" x 10" signed print from Mr. Pardee himself and either version of the Magnus and Friday sets for $40.00 each!  Serious, does it get any better? 

Happy Valentine's Day!

KID DRAGON CONTEST!

Interaction is what it's all about, right?  Well, I want YOU to interact with us!  So here's the pitch:  All of you crazy photographer/shutterbugs out there - I want you to use your artful eye.  By doing so, as long as you follow the easy steps which I'm about to explain, one of you will receive a generous prize from TLS.  What is the prize?  Why, it's Joe Ledbetter's Pico and Wilshire and Buff Monster's Destroyer!  A prize worth $245.00!

What do you need to do?  Easy!  Walk into the Kid Robot LA store and take a picture (or pictures) of the Kid Dragon - it's 5' tall, long, crazy looking - can't miss it!

  Then:

1. Go to a computer
2. Like The Loyal Subjects on Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheLoyalSubjectsCo
3. Post your artful pictures on our Wall
4. We will randomly select a winner for the Grand Prize
5. Be Stoked!

How easy is this?  As easy as burning toast!