HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm travelling about 100 mph on a high speed train through the Northern part of France.  Reflecting on this year and dreaming about the possibilities that wait ahead in 2013.  I love this modern age in times like these.  When I was 15, I couldn't imagine the connections I would make by 38.  It's amazing.  This planet is amazing.  Being connected.

Reflections - 2012 was a big year for The Loyal Subjects.  A big year for growth, personally and business wise.  We began looking at our business in a different light.  Organization, connecting, image, vision, growth, expansion - all items we are defining.  2013 will be the beneficiary of our planning from the latter half of this year.  I finally get to accent the great properties and identities that captured my imagination; Transformers, G.I. JOE and Mr. Potato Head.  Each of these magical properties define certain periods of my life.  They are DNA, endemic, a very integral part of my creative development.  I am extremely excited about building out our brand with these fantastic characters and worlds.  

We produced a mountain of releases in 2012 - Large scale Sam Flores' Kid Dragon, Gary Baseman's Buckingham Warriors, Joe Ledbetter's Burger Bunnies, Mr. Bunny, our apparel line, Transformers, G.I. JOE, Laurie Lipton prints, Skate Decks, TLS x Coachella merchandise, art for Tender Greens restaurants, Inflatables and vuvuzelas for Diplo and Major Lazer!  Somehow I feel that we're just scratching the surface.  We travelled to the Philippines, Hong Kong and New York for special TLS events, releases and signings.  We had Sold Out releases at Designer Con.  Again, we're barely scratching the surface, that's what makes the prospects of 2013 so exciting.

What we learned in 2012 we will apply in 2013 - better customer service, a new website, more product, continuation of our high quality, limited edition collectibles, better shipping prices and increasing our brand profile so those who believe in us and those who support us can be proud to wear, follow, collect the TLS brand.  We promise to increase your experience and hopefully we can capture your imagination.

Here's to the triumphs of 2012 and here's to the growth, education and continued pursuit of being better for 2013 and beyond.  Carpe Diem.

A special thank you goes out to Joe Ledbetter, Gary Baseman, Sam Flores, Alex Pardee, Tara McPherson, Laurie Lipton, FriendsWithYou, Les Schettkoe, Sket-One, 123 Klan, Jon Burgerman, Jeremyville, Greg "Craola" Simkins, Erik Oberholtzer and the Tender Greens Family, Han Cholo, Truant Media, The Service Company, Royal Interactive, Guy Logan, Diplo, Mad Decent, Teamwrk Management, Melissa Fox,  Bruce Gedminas, Jim Crawford, Brandee Leonard, Jonathan Bird, Hasbro, Elizabeth Miller, Nancy Braga, Sharon Swanson, Susan Romero, Michael Verecchia, Secret Fresh, Big Boy Cheng, Yoyamart, Stephen and Gena Gerbier, Minty Fresh, Joel and Isabelle, Giorgia Ledbetter, Colette, Jed Carter, Tony Thaxton, Merch Graphics, Emam Abed, and all of our vendors, retailers, customers, supporters, followers and family!  It takes a Village.  We are thankful.

If I don't see you in Amsterdam on the 5th then I will see you soon!  For now, it's back to the French countryside.  Amazing if you think about the footsteps that have covered this land.  Unreal.  

Happy New Year.  Health, Wealth and Happiness to all of you!

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT...

...AND I FEEL FINE!

Jan 5th.  Amsterdamn.  Minty Fresh.  Get it.

FREE Christmas T-Shirts!

What's more Awesome than Awesome?   Not much.  It's hard to trump Awesome.  BUT, there's a close second.  It's Awesome's nephew and he goes by the name of FREE.  Free, since carrying the same DNA, is next to Awesome.  Genetic rules say so.  Now that you've had a crash course in genealogy that wasn't ripped from ancestry.com, I say you're about ready to get your FREE on!

"How" do you ask?  Easy.  Make a purchase for $50.00 and get a FREE, AWESOME CHRISTMAS TEE!  It's so awesome that my Caps Lock button just broke writing that!

You can also buy the Christmas T-shirts for $25.00 if nothing else is striking your fancy.  I find that hard to believe though - we sell Transformers, G.I. Joe, Joe Ledbetter and Gary Baseman products on our webstore.  These are all much needed and highly collectible items coveted by just about everyone who is anyone and whom has a collection of anything of some importance.  That's right.  The gauntlet has been dropped.  Put away your "Meh" and "Eh" (too whiny and negative) and head face first into Awesome's bossom.  Go for it!

Instructions:

1. Make purchase
2. Get free t-shirt
3. Email info@theloyalsubjects.com for size, color and design preference.
4. Tees are Unisex
5. Be Happy

www.theloyalsubjects.com because we do Christmas right!

G.I. JOE "A REAL AMERICAN HERO"

I remember my first G.I. JOE experience.  I was in grade school.  We went to a little Catholic Elementary school down in Laguna Beach, CA.  It's still there.  St. Catherine's, St. Nicholas.  Sometimes my father would come pick us up after school.  When he would, chances were he was swinging us by this store which had $.15 Ice Cream.  We would anticipate it.  It was heaven.  A ritual which helped to define great memories during that period of time in our little lives. 

In the store there was a pegged rack that spun like a Lazy Susan.  A pegged carousel.  The pegged carousel was usually home to the multiverse that was Star Wars.  This too was heaven.  One day the Star Wars figures were no longer there.  There were these new figures,  G.I. JOE.  I grabbed one.  MAJOR BLUDD.  My father agreed to buy it for me.  I went home, took that figure straight to the microuniverse that was our backyard and created the fabric which would later define that imagination emporium, eventually becoming the battle ground for a very real G.I. JOE vs. COBRA conflict.  I was obsessed.   I wanted every character, every vehicle, every weapon.  I loved this universe.

Can you imagine 30 years later getting the keys to this car?  Being able to build out our G.I. JOE universe?  This is unreal.  A dream come true.  Truly a mindblowing experience to have the rights to flip through the entire character catalogue  developing our ideas of how we aim to compliment this epic world, this epic brand.  And here we are.  A year in the making.  

Finally, we present to you - THE LOYAL SUBJECTS x G.I. JOE.  Available now for preorder on www.theloyalsubjects.com .

Designed by Les Schettkoe.  

We wanted to create an accessible and highly collectible version of this brilliant universe, with the fingerprints and accents of the vinyl community.  What better way to bring this whole puzzle home than a 3" Blindbox mini series!  Keep you guessing but chances are, the figure you pick will have it's own place on that coveted mantle footprint which houses the best of your collection.  Keep building your character catalog until you get the whole SERIES 1 COLLECTION!  There are chase figures too.  Three of them!  Chase 1 - 1/24.  Chase 2 - 1/48.  Chase 3 - 1/120.  The chase figures are K I L L E R.  The boys (and future girls *cough* - leak?) will come in a 16 count display.  Buy the display too, all 16 pieces!  We're offering this as well on www.theloyalsubjects.com.

So who are the characters?  DUKE, SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW, COBRA COMMANDER,  ZARTAN, DESTRO, GUNG-HO and SNOW JOB.  Each character comes with their signature weapon(s) and accessories.  Get this - the characters have those old school pegged holes on the bottoms of the feet and in the back.  What for?  Interchangeable back packs and equipment!  ZARTAN even comes with another FACE.  

R A D ! ! !  It's all in the details =)

So, are you guys in?  Are you joining sides?  Let's get busy!  YO JOE!  Because "Knowing is half the battle".

$12.99/ea

MR. BUNNY #2

Following up on the madness of a 24 hour Bunny love fest!  That was cool, right?  I'm fairly certain everyone was able to grab what they wanted.  If not from our site, from the host of amazing and awesome retailers who we love to call our polyamorous life partners.  We heard some very kind kudos being thrown out to the divine Rotofugi and My Plastic Heart.  It's great that the base  supports the pillars because without the pillars and without all of you, we're lost at sea.  We certainly feel challenged to create better pieces and we're definitely trying to evolve with all of your tastes.  Hopefully we all sail up stream together, in this case, to a Chaos Bunny paradise masterminded by Joe Ledbetter.  

Happy shopping, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and let's turn this motha out!

Pssst.  One last thought or tid bit of insider info.  There's a Bunny who jumped ship.  Last we heard he sailed off over the great Atlantic to a very liberal European port town to have a little fun.  Keep it Fresh.  Keep it Minty.  We may have to follow the trail.  Might get lost ourselves =)  If we do, don't bother sending help.  We'll be swimming mightily towards greener pastures.

www.theloyalsubjects.com

INFLATABLE LIFE

It's working.  Our beautiful, Koonsian Creatures are suddenly making appearances everywhere.  Aren't they perfect semi inert creatures?  I love them.  An inflatable life.  A joyful life.  A hopeful life.  Art in space and art that interacts.  

MR BUNNY. #2

$125.00

This Wednesday, Noon PST at 

www.theloyalsubjects.com

Also, check with your favorite retailers for availability -

BAIT, Yoyamart, Rotofugi, Minty Fresh...and more...

Ships before Christmas.

ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

Wow, did that just happen?  Did Elvis really leave the building?  Did we start the morning with almost 100 Lava Bunnies and end up with a bunch of empty boxes, some crusty donuts, a lot of hand shakes and a bunch of smiling faces?  I think so.  I'm pretty sure that just happened.  Nice.  That feels good.  

Conventions are crazy, even the ones in your own backyard.  We're in Atwater Village and Designer Con is in Pasadena.  Maybe a 15 minute drive from our HQ.  Closeness to proximity doesn't matter, it's still chaos.  We're ripping apart the warehouse, bubble wrapping our fixtures, getting our samples ready, making sure our loyal customers are being communicated to, packing up 17' long trucks - it's a massive effort for just a 9 hour show.  And it's only 1 day.  And it's fun!  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  We have Toy Fair coming in February.  A secret release this January in Amsterdam.  Another secret release this coming March in Beijing.  Comic Con in San Diego!  It's nuts!!  And it's all Joe Ledbetter related!  More Nuts!  Side Note - You can never use enough emphatics.  Really, the good ole exclamation mark is king.  Simple, yet effective.  People are intuitive.  Intuition created the exclamation mark.  A perfect union of design and expression.

Enough of the side track crazy train.  Let's talk about Designer Con!  Everyone happy?  I know, not everyone but we will make it our mission for you to be stoked!  It's my goal to make sure that whoever lost out on this round will be included in the next.  We are democratic, we are loyal, you are our subjects and we are yours.  We're one in the same and we know it's you guys who make us tick.  It's you guys who prop us up and believe-you-me, we are grateful to our very core.  We are never lost on that point.  We were excited to meet our friends, familiar faces and new faces, all celebrating the return of Lava Bunny, Joe's first intro into the art toy scene way back, several years ago.  It's great that The Loyal Subjects were able to produce a very identifiable and unique design, one which has resonated with a really great core group.  Even greater, it's amazing the great group of collectors who have connected with Joe Ledbetter through the years. It truly is fantastic and everyone feels blessed to have the support from all of you.  Art with an impact.  Can't get any better, can you? 

Congratulations to all of you who were able to score one, meet Joe and have Joe sign your prized Bunny.  Congratulations to Joe Ledbetter for being fierce, dynamic and truly an all around great guy!  And for kicking so much butt last Saturday!  Let's keep the momentum going.  Word on the street is, there's another Bunny going up on the market.  Something about a leak Monday?  Perhaps it'll be on sale at www.theloyalsubjects.com on Wed?  So I've heard.  Keep them ears and peepers peeled.  we got your back!

jc

MR BUNNY LAVA

Stay tuned...Nov 3rd.  Pasadena.

MEGA FIRE CATS

Mega is a misused term.  Mega this, Mega that.  Mega Savings.  Mega Cola.  Mega Mart.  Enough of Mega already.  Until, Mega is used properly, intuitively, sparing, for the exact moment where the letters M E G A actually mean something when pronounced.  It's as if you're almost afraid to say it.  Just a whisper will do.  With the right intent, Mega conjures Mega.  What is Mega?  Mega is the calm before the storm.  It's the quiet rolling rumble of the earth and dirt beneath your feet.  It's the water rippling, echoing across the surface.  And it grows.  And grows. And grows.  Until you are confronted with MEGA.  You become paralyzed.  Swallowed by Mega's Meganess.  It's too late.  You're a goner.  

M E G A   F I R E C A T!

This is Mega.  Standing 4' tall nearly 6' across (with the flame).  This Mega beast is more than a beast.  This is a mega piece of art. Produced by The Loyal Subjects and created by Joe Ledbetter.  The Fire Cat is one of Joe's prized and cherished characters.  Now, it's a formidable art sculpture and very rare.  The Mega Fire Cat will be releasing into the throws of panic'ed earth in less than 30 days.  There are several color ways; Red (Ed of 7), Ice (Ed of 4), Mono (Ed of 5) and Lava (Ed of 3).  That's right.  Just 19 MEGA Fire Cats.  If you're lucky enough to get your hands on one, you too will finally know the meaning of MEGA!

Available through www.3dretro.com, www.toykio.de and www.baitme.com - happy hunting =).

PS  If you strike out, we have only 1 left.  Coax it out of our hands if you dare.  sales@theloyalsubjects.com.