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.

SIGNED KOSTOPOL WARRIORS

Do you like signed things?  I do.  How about from a famous artist who has three Emmys in their possession   Well, that sounds interesting.  How about if this artist is Gary Baseman and things bearing his signature historically go up in value?  I think that's a yes.  Also, his paintings sell anywhere between $7.5k - $35k.  I think that's a double yes.

The Loyal Subjects loves to give the gifts that keep on giving.  In this case;  Gary Baseman's Kostopol Warrior.  Signed!  Some with original art/doodles!  This is huge.  This is worth buying.  This is taking a piece of pop art home with you permanently.  What a deal!  So I bet you're asking yourself, "well, how do I get this?"  Easy.  Buy a Kostopol Warrior on www.theloyalsubjects.com and you'll probably be lucky enough to be one of the few people who gets an actual signed Kostopol Warrior.  I wish I had one =.(

Even though I own the company, I'm sure I'll have to wait just like everyone else to see if I can score a signed Gary Baseman piece.  Please FATES, look upon my meek existence mercifully and bless me with good fortune!  I think I'm trying to apply the "Secret".  I just asked the Universe for one.

How about you?  Will you ask the Universe for one?  If you do, the Universe will say in a large omnipresent voice "GO TO www.theloyalsubjects.com AND PURCHASE A KOSTOPOL WARRIOR.  GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO SUCCEED AND YOU'LL MAKE NEW FRIENDS."  I love that omnipresent voice.  It's so powerful.

Good luck!

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!"

JOE LEDBETTER'S RAINBOW BURGER BUNNY!

There's something to be said about art meeting appetite.  I believe this to be true for this particular project.  The whole twisted idea converging several points of cognoscente imagery, creating an interpretive narrative, all the while maintaining this unique delectably appetizing and fascinating art d'object.  Be it deliberate, serendipity or just a beautiful coincidence, we believe Joe was able to touch on real key chords of human pathos on this bad boy.

I personally would love to eat the screen every time I see this image.  It's amazing how powerful those Pavlovian concepts are.  Joe was able to combine a perfect color pallet to sync beautifully with this unique concoction.  Yum!

All these superlatives and adjective driven jargon aside, this one is a bute and we only made 25!  Available for $500, standing 13" tall with interchangeable layers and packaged in a beautiful wood box, with a foam bedding and a silk screened top.  It doesn't get much better.  I'm thinking these guys will move faster than glazed donuts at Krispy Kreme in store give-away.  I hope that many of you can complete your collections now!  Enjoy =)

Available - Thursday, Sept 13th at NOON PDT @ www.theloyalsubjects.com