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!

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE! SO PUT ONE ON!

TRANSFORMERS - "jeek juke blop o beep"

Onomonopia.  Words that literalize sounds.  TRANSFORMERS was a lot of that for me.  And I'm sure for you too.  That little consecutive series of noises which spelled out the mechanism for these alien life forms as they unveiled themselves to each other.  We spent countless hours on the playground mimicking that noise.  Didn't matter what we were doing.  Could have been surfing, playing basketball, baseball, skating.  Whatever.  All of it.  We applied the "jeek juke blop o beep" to almost every activity from 10 years and on.  I still hear it.  I secretly still do it.  I loved TRANSFORMERS as a kid.  I mean, LOVE!

I remember Sears being the TRANSFORMERS outlet.  One of them.  Whenever I walked into Sears with my father or mother, I went straight to that section.  It was sensory overload.  The same feeling that I got when I went into a baseball card shop.  Everything smelled, looked, tasted and sounded like dessert.  Frosty, sweet, decadent, heavenly, beautiful.  Too many adjectives.  An overwhelming feeling of positive possibility wrapped in boyhood appetites.  If my father caved and bought me a TRANSFORMERS figure, it's as if everything good in the world had been condensed into this object which I could hold.  I remember the red packaging for the Autobots.  The Purple for the Decepticons.  Eventually the lime green for some of the new Decepticon characters.  I was attracted to purple.  I found myself collecting more Decepticons.  Not because of affiliation, just because of the color.  The window box and those figures tucked snug inside.  Wow.  That was love.

I had STARSCREAM, SOUNDWAVE, SHOCKWAVE, TRAILBLAZER, JAZZ, RATCHET, OPTIMUS PRIME...oh man.  I loved MEGATRON.  He was a gun.  He was so cool.  If you had OPTIMUS PRIME you might as well owned a Pete Rose Rookie card.  Caste systems developed based off one's TRANSFORMERS collection.  This was serious business.

I can remember the die caste parts.  I loved the shape of the faces.  The uniquely expressionless faces.  They were perfect.  Like greek statues.  Expressionless but powerful with all the ideal, chiseled neo classical profiles.  They even had Roman noses.  Like they were Gods of some sort.  And then the Transforming - oh man, that was mind blowing.  I loved JAZZ,  I love those car doors that swung open and how the legs locked into place with the fold down die cast feet.  He was perfect.  A long time friend of our family came over to our house one night.  Consequently I was playing with the TRANSFORMERS figures.  He had asked to see the toy.  It was JAZZ.  He took it.  He was an adult, he didn't understand the nuances.  The imagination was essential.  Some adults lose that part.  They try to intellectualize what is purely creative.  You can't do that.  He looked at JAZZ, tried to force parts into parts.  He broke JAZZ.  I was bummed.  He did not "have the touch".

I can write about this for hours.  TRANSFORMERS and myself have connected memories.  They always will.

Now, I make TRANSFORMERS collectibles and other items.  Can you imagine?  It's like being the Third Base Coach for the Dodgers.  WTH!  Amazing.  I wish I had these tees when I was a kid.  I would wear them.  Not just because I made them but because I would wear them.  We make what we like.  I love all of our creations.  The TRANSFORMERS is like turning TLS into Wonka Chocolate.  Absolutely mind blowing.  I am the first to wear these tees (pic below).  I love them.

T-Shirts are available now @ www.theloyalsubjects.com for $25.00.  Shipping inside US is FREE!  Character designs by the ever so talented Les Schettkoe.  Sweet!  It's exciting to see your dreams come true, even more exciting that I have great people who are participating in this adventure with me.  Thank you Hasbro and thank you, all the TLS customers, for making this a reality.

"Autobots, Roll out!"

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.