Out now from Badge Bomb,  the new Frank Kozik “1984″ button box.  Filled with 24 anti-everything designs.   Check ‘em all out  at www.badgebomb.com/kozik

Ring Ring….  “Hello Mrs. Ghahremani,  this is Lauren,  can susie come over to play?”

We’re super excited about the new BoyGirlParty box over at Badge Bomb, stuffed full of 30 Susie Ghahremani originals. All the button designs are brand new and available on BadgeBomb.com, or from Boygirlparty.com in the near future.

Monday, we’ll be setting this up in Las Vegas at POOL Tradeshow for Badge Bomb’s booth (we’re in booth #805 nudge nudge). We hired the folks down at Sirrocco Labs in Los Angeles to build us this cardboard 3/4 scale rendition of the city of Portland. Okay, maybe 3/4 scale is a bit of an exaggeration, but my math doesn’t take away from how sweet it is.

Keep an eye out for their new movie “Red Moon”. Yes, the submarine cockpit featured here is also completely made out of cardboard. We can’t wait to see it. Maybe it really will play at the Laurelhurst Theatre? One can hope.

These Spanish darlings finally have their own button box thanks to popular demand!!! Each box contains 200 one inch buttons featuring the “retro pop” art of Naranjas Chinas. Pick one up here

Here’s a look at the first of 4 new button boxes coming your way this spring from Badge Bomb!   The Yummy You box is filled with buttons featuring highly detailed photos of the crocheted creations of Twinkie Chan!  Keep an eye out for a whole line of scarfs, accessories, and savory stuff by Yummy You clothing. Boxes are in stock and ready to ship. Pick one up for your store here

Check out this translation of Retard Riot’s latest review in Sydsvenskan:

With a fantastic imagination à la Bosch Lyon gets his nourishment from popular culture, news flow, contemporary society, international politics and doomsday prophecies. Noah Lyon ”Look at All Your Stuff”

Galleri Thomas Wallner, Malmö, Sweden through May 27
Noah Lyon’s drawings are like graffiti-covered walls. Bright colors call you in to take a closer look; in the multitudes I’m drawn to “All Your Stuff”. A man, or is it a bird, in a wheelchair is chewing, like Moloch, on a naked figure, who is expelling gas in anticipation of death, while another guy without a head slinking away with a turd on his shoulders. Some poor wretch is flushed down the toilet, and a miserable bastard, trapped in an orange bag, is vomiting from his torture. The colors of U.S.A. are shining through like a dirty rainbow. The doomsday horn is blowing.
Figure is added to figure, scene added to scene, one image next to another, in a color scale that would do credit to any Concretist. With a fantastic imagination à la Bosch Lyon gets his nourishment from popular culture, news flow, contemporary society, international politics and doomsday prophecies. Full to the brim. It is important to say everything, all at once. Then he can leave the words and thoughts to the beholder. Implicitly he is offering his world, what does yours look like? ”Look at All Your Stuff” is the name of the exhibition!
The pressure in Lyon’s imagery is kept high by the small format. Sometimes down to mini size. Then they are small picture buttons that are also put together into “button paintings”. The effect is stroboscopic; quick punch lines about his world.
Alongside the image fury Lyon shows more conventional paintings. Loaded with air, light and dreams of a sort of American mythology. The painting “Pyramid Me” is just a small picture of a man in a cowboy hat in front of a wall that has been sewn together; the seam resembles a pole with a small owl. Within, I hear Hank Williams’ tragic dreams and painfully beautiful music!
Lyon’s images collide in a way that would have put André Breton in ecstasy.
- Thomas Millroth, art critic - Sydsvenskan April 30, 2009

Get some of Noah’s art on his rad one inch buttons - available from Badge Bomb!

Badge Bomb recently kicked it with Tesha Beaudry, creator of “Cute Institute,” for a quick interview about her artistic inspirations and, of course, her love of buttons.

-What does it take for Badge Bombers to enroll in The Cute Institute?
Not more than 2 dollars; the price of a badge!

-What classes would I need to pass to attain a Master of Cute Arts?

For my students to get that far, they need to be hard working and loyal pupils for many many years. Having a sweet tooth always helps!

-Most of your designs seem inspired by a Japanese design aesthetic.  Can you pinpoint any specific moments of your life that inspired you to embrace this style?

One night, after a cupcake too many, I dozed off and I had vision of this cute pirate girl dressed in a bear costume that came to me with an important message: bring kawaii, cupcakes and joy to the world! That was my calling…

-Your mushroom buttons seem very Zen. Are you influenced by Eastern culture beyond the pen and paper?

I don’t consider myself a zen person, but I do seem to have been influenced a lot by eastern culture; I do martial arts, collect kung-fu flicks, have japanese tattoos and love japanese art and fashion….

-Who would win in a fight- a tough Samurai warrior or a brigade of smiley faced cupcakes?

I think the samurai would overdose on the cupcakes- the smiley ones are usually poisonous, so beware!

-Have you ever run across anyone wearing Cute Institute buttons?

Do my friends and parents count?! if so, yes and it makes me very very happy!

-Do you wear buttons yourself? If so, what was the first button you loved to death?

I wear them all the time! My favorite button I made has a closeup of my cat’s face. It was adorable! I put him with the rest of my badges during one of my craft sales for just for fun.  Believe it or not, someone bought it!

-How/where do you wear your buttons?

I tend to lose em’ often if I put them on my purse or hoody…  I’ve decorated some cute ballerina shoes, used them to attach my tops and dresses to my bra (yes, very classy, but practical!), and they work perfectly to replace that missing button on your pants. When I feel sweet, I’ll put on a cupcake badge, if I feel badass, I’ll put on a skull!

-Have you had any problems with fans trying to sneak off with handfuls of your dessert themed buttons?

I caught a bunch of ninjas one night trying to steal my new stash of pins. That didn’t end well!

-Have you had to expel anybody from the Cute Institute? I need to know what heinous acts to avoid- I pride myself on being a model student.

I rarely expel my pupils, so no need to worry!… But, I do not tolerate art theft. Just be original AND be yourself!!! cheers! +____+

Visit Tesha at The Cute Institute!

While participating in this years infamous SXSW Indie Rock extravaganza in Austin, TX, I had my eyes peeled for any festival goers with particularly interesting button stylez.  I figured someone would be thinking outside of the button box at a week-long festival showcasing the newest of new and hippest of hip in the music-verse.  It wasn’t until the final day of the festival that I spotted this beauty at the roller rink show on Cesar Chavez Blvd.

Matt, of Toronto based band dd/mm/yyyy (spoken aloud as day-month-year), doesn’t seem to think one button is enough, or even that the front of a button is what’s important.  To me, Matt’s DIY masterpiece is a “meta-button,” or a button about buttons; by velcro-ing smaller, building block buttons together to form one mega, franken-button, Matt forces us to focus on the buttons themselves rather than the images they display.  Thanks Matt for being so rad!  Check out dd/mm/yyyy’s myspace here. I recommend the “Imagine” video.

We at Badge Bomb are ecstatic that our buttons, button packs,  & button boxes have made it to one of our favorite locals, Carnaby St in London! And not only that, the ladies of the Lazy Oaf shop are the best!

Meet Gemma and Alex of Lazy Oaf, a rad retailer and designer specializing in the cute, bright, & hip designs that Badge Bomb can’t get enough of. Here’s a bit of history about Lazy Oaf from their website:

“This East London based creative label was started by Gemma Shiel back in 2001 with hand screen printed tee’s and a market stall in East London, skip to the present and lazy Oaf is available in over 150 stockists worldwide. 2004 saw the opening of the lazy oaf store in Soho which houses all of the collections and further Oaf oddities sourced from Japan and the US.”

UK Chapter of the Badge Bomb Squad:  keep your eyes peeled for fabulous buttons by Jeremyville, Retard Riot, & Gama-Go at Lazy Oaf.

“London Calling to the Underworld, Come out of the Cupboards, you Boys and Girls…” -The Clash

Check out the Badge Bomb booth up NOW at POOL Trade show in Las Vegas, featuring new button packs and button boxes from Jeremyville, Loyal Army, Retard Riot, Gama-Go, Park La Fun, Naranjas Chinas, and more!

For more info on POOL Trade Show, click here.