Hey Guys,

Sorry we have been out of touch lately on the blog, the butcher and myself have been in the process of moving and haven’t had the time to update it as of late. The move in process has taken it’s toll for sure but the new place is lookin sweeeeeeeet and can’t wait to have a “Cribs” episode for ya’lls when everything is set up! I’ll try and keep updating as much as I can on twitter so you can see what we’re up to there. Thanks for all the love lately on the mid season jams you guys have been killllan it! Can’t wait for the spring line to drop def gonna like what we have in store for yah. Be easy peeeps.

Your boyeee,

The Chef

Collect3d just put together a nice blog post about our newest vinyl release, Chef Barski. Amazing feeling to be posted among the likes of Frank Kozik and Kid Robot!

TOYSREVIL had a nice write up about Chef Barski as well!

Besides being our latest toy, Chef Barski has even more meaning to me… he was my first teddy as a kid. “Barski” (photo above) was originally a gift that my father gave my mother. It was then passed onto me when I was a baby. I think having a teddy made me a lot more creative… I always imagined he was real. I think around when I was 15 (when it wasn’t cool to have stuffed animals anymore) I didn’t want to put him in the closet cos I was afraid I’d hurt his feelings!

Also, we have been receiving a lot of compliments on the Chef Barski packaging. I am very proud to say it was actually done by my girlfriend Martha! She’s currently studying Graphic Design in her final year at University. She has never been one to look for attention but I feel credit is certainly due… Martha did an amazing & professional job. 

Lastly, our good friends at IAMTHETREND wrote a review on our new winter drop! These dudes rule and make sure to check them out on Justin.tv.

I think this drop will give you a very good sense on things to come. The Chef and I have been working really hard to bring out the best. We won’t serve burnt toast.

xx,
thebutcher.

Anyone else go to Jamba Juice? I have been a fan for years now. I love my smoothies!! I usually get the “Aloha Pineapple” and last time I was in there, they gave me a free pizza since it was a Wednesday promotion!

I highly recommend it if you want some natural energy!

xx,
thebutcher.

The Butcher

… was the only mouseketeer on the “Mickey Mouse Club” to be removed from Disney property by security. 
… once hid in a waste bin at the San Diego zoo in order to spend the night with the animals.
… has a collection of wigs so his hair is constantly in-trend.
… had been diagnosed with “seeing in animation” at age 13.
… notes his only loss ever as being to “The Activia Challenge”.
… is amazing.

This past weekend Martha and I went to the Tim Burton Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City. The walls were covered with sketches from his personal collections and there were also props from his movies.

There was no photography permitted but I had to get a photo of the actual Edward Scissorhands suit worn by Johnny Depp! 

As you can tell, I was obviously hiding the camera when I took photos of the Jack Skellington heads! Tim Burton has always been an inspiration of mine but actually being at the exhibit only further instilled that with me. Despite failing with his initial position at Disney, Burton pushed to succeed and wanted to do so by keeping his style whether if it was different from what everyone else was doing or not. Everything he does is meticulously, from animation to mannerisms etc, and is all planned out in sketches and notepads. It is all a personal reflection of Tim Burton and his vision.

I am sorry I did not get too many photos but I hope it inspires you to go to MoMA to see for yourself. I know after all I wanted to do is go back to the hotel room and just wanted to sketch for hours!!

xx,
thebutcher.

*This pic has nothing to do with the post, I just have my own inspiration poster lol.

I read an awesome article this early today during my morning ritual of having a cup of coffee and a bagel. It was an interview with Rob Dyrdek done by INC. Magazine. I think it’s great to see someone like Rob thrive in the entrepreneurial world because he is what all the young entrepreneurs inspire to be. He is 35 and has created an empire of his own. He has numerous business ventures that go from clothing to toys, to hit television series. He loves what he does and although he is a practical jokester he’s very business savvy and seems to have his hand in everything. The place where the magic goes down is the “Fantasy Factory” which has to be one of the most gnarllly work environments out there. Having a unique work experience allows the creative juices to flow as all of his employees are very relaxed and love coming to work each day. I think that is a very important aspect of business because if you don’t love what you do and aren’t passionate about your projects, the work is obviously going to reflect that. Rob is very inspirational in the fact that he followed his dream of skating but didn’t want to stop there. He took on new challenges and continued to thrive. I love his charisma and he is certainly one of the people I look up to when thinking of where I want to be in 10 years. Here’s a link to the article: http://bit.ly/ddUkRJ

Your boyeee,
The Chef

My pug, Mei Ling, had her 7th birthday yesterday! Every year her special day is celebrated with her own private hamburger patty cake. We put a lit candle on top and believe it or not, she actually blew it out (we told her to “speak”)! I love this dog, she’s the best little companion anyone could ask for. She actually was a source of inspiration for our Pyknic Puggy Love t-shirt. Happy Birthday Mei!

xx,
thebutcher.

How Important are US Postal Service Stamp designs to you?

Totally random question but I find myself wondering this. Today I was in line at the local Post Office and there was this woman who had to review each and every stamp design… from Black History Month, The Simpsons, to Gary Cooper. From the array of available designs, none seemed to quite satisfy this snob’s stamp tastes. She had the postal worker stumbling to try to find the perfect set of stamps, which held up the line!

Is is just me or does the design on a 44 cent stamp not matter? I really couldn’t care what was on it… it could have the case of The Martin Lawrence Show and I wouldn’t mind! I mean, who really inspects what stamp is on the letter? I just look at the TO: and FROM: fields! I never have looked at what stamp was on it and even if I did… I certainly wouldn’t use its image as a reflection of the letter’s sender.

Just a “what’s grinding my gears” of this long week. Lets worry about more important things like the death of fashion genius Alexander McQueen, the US government’s problems, and suffering in Haiti. 

xx,
thebutcher.

Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, and Julian Farino, the masterminds behind Entourage, have teamed together to make the east coast version with “How to Make it in America”. The show follows two 20-somethings who are living in New York City trying to stick it to the man and live the American Dream. One of the main characters is a graphic designer and another is actually Kid Cudi!

Show reminds me of The Chef and I when we first started… “hustling” at the malls, handing out inkjet printout flyers trying to get some sales, and attending events to get more exposure. I remember all the ventures in the business that we tried out, that may not have necessarily worked, but certainly was a part of the learning process. Get into this show.

xx
thebutcher.

If anyone lives in the Northeast, they certainly know about the snow. We just had a storm over the weekend that left a couple feet of snow and now, four days later, we’re about to be hit with another snow storm.

Once word hits, the people just rush out to the grocery stores. You’d think it was Y2K again! I have never seen a complete aisle totally cleared out until today. Not one package of chicken available for purchase. I still cannot believe it. 

I made sure to stop by the Activia aisle. Okay sozzz they may not have their “own” designated aisle but I thought I’d pick up a few cases and take this challenge the commercials/The Chef are always on about. I will be snowed in for the next couple days anyways. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I highly recommend the Odwalla Superfoods! Its tasty and is good for you. Don’t mind the green, smoothie look to it :]

xx
thebutcher.