There are two things (among a list of others) that The Blot loves, random t-shirts and cupcakes. So when I first heard about the indie clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes up in Boston, MA, it was a no brainer I was going to dig their shirts. You see, while the store may look just like a bakery, there are no real cupcakes…just the coolest, funkiest shirts in the northeast. I’ve been telling myself for a year now that I wasn’t going to buy one until I walked into their flagship store, but since I’ve still never been to Boston I’m thinking it’s time to cave in and order a few.
Johnny Cupcakes was founded by Johnny Earle and started out as a joke back in 2000 when he decided to start making t-shirts as a side business. (link) By 2001 he was selling shirts out of the back of his 89’ Toyota Camry and the rest, they say, is history. The clothing line’s logo is a riff off of the traditional skull & crossbones symbol, replacing the skull with a cupcake. Like the logo, most of the company’s clothing line “uses cupcakes as the prominent feature…often replacing iconic symbols with cupcakes.”(link) According to the Johnny Cupcakes website, the company is adding a third store (and their first outside of the Boston area) in Los Angeles later this year, somewhere near Kidrobot’s LA store. (link)
While I definitely dig the traditional Crossbones shirts the most, I have to say I love their take on the Boston Celtics logo. As you all know I’m a sucker for shirts that riff on sports teams and their logos, so I think I’m going to have to pick this one up when I finally place an order. Since I’m an alumni of the University of Alabama, I might also have to get a Houndstooth Chef Crossbones t-shirt to honor the late, great Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
So, if you’re looking for some new shirts to add to your closet and can’t make it up to Boston, then definitely check out the Johnny Cupcakes online store to satisfy all of your cupcake cravings!