Gallery: Pins

Pins have been a mainstay of our table / shop since the start; we try to debut at least a few new designs at every Artist's Alley we attend. Em designs just about all of our pins. So far, we've made them in two sizes, 1.25" and 2.5".

Some of our older styles are only represented by mockups, since some have been discontinued and we haven't gotten pictures of them "in the wild."

Jump to type: Anime / Games / Other

Click the thumbnails for larger photos (in most cases).

	Anime Designs: DOOM, Free Rukia, Don't make me use my bankai..., Zanpaku-to Envy, Kwned (Bleach) Size: 1.25" Notes: Our five Bleach pins so far cover the Substitute and Entry/Rescue arcs, for the most part. As for DOOM, seriously, for those of you who read the Bleach manga in its English release - start counting "DOOM" sound effects. Once you notice it, you can't un-notice it. Moving on...
	Design: My other girlfriend is a persocom (Chobits) Size: 1.25" Notes: Hint: don't point this out to your actual girlfriend and laugh unless you know she'd think it's funny too. We aren't out to cause interpersonal strife.
	Design: CLAMP are my master (Various) Size: 1.25" Notes: Rather than playing off the "Whedon is my new master" meme as the Miyazaki pin (below) did, this one mostly touched off grammatical debates. We intended to play off the ambiguity of the mass noun, but by the same token, that is one of those things that separate the US and other English-speaking countries... so step into that minefield at your peril, I guess.
	Designs: How Do You Like Them Apples?, Kira's Kids (Death Note) Size: 1.25" Notes: Bad pun, on the first one. "Kira's Kids" grew out of the thought that Kira was rather well thought of by the populace in Death Note, so it makes sense that telethons would be launched in his name.
	Design: Eureka/Renton Moon (Eureka 7) Size: 1.25" Notes: This is cute, and I haven't even seen this show yet. It's one of Em's favorites, though, and she designed the pin.
	Design: Prince Yuki Fan Club (Fruits Basket) Size: 1.25" Notes: These pins were modeled after the badges worn by the obsessive Prince Yuki Fan Club in Fruits Basket. They even have the faceted edge (faux-faceted, anyway), which doesn't show up too well in this photo.
	Design: The Laughing Otaku (based on Ghost in the Shell) Size: 1.25" Notes: This pin parodies the Laughing Man logo with a ^_^-genki face and the inscription "I thought what I'd do was say random Japanese words to sound cool."
$Math is Fun$	Design: Math is Fun (Gundam Wing & Saiyuki) Size: 2.5" Notes: Both of these fandoms use number codes for their 'shipping based on the characters' names. Ergo, bad joke. Blame this one on Sarah.
	Designs: Two versions of Who the Hell Do You Think I Am!, Gurren Lagann Skull (Gurren Lagann) Size: 1.25" Notes: Three variations on more or less the same theme here, with the Skull and Sunglasses versions of the quote and the flaming skull by itself.
	Design: SOS Brigade (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) Size: 1.25" Notes: Though none of us had seen the show yet (we went on to do so later), the weird, and, as it turns out, unearthly SOS logo made for a fun pin design.
	Designs: NERV Employee of the Month; Vote Gendo Ikari in 2008; Shut Up, Shinji! (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Size: 2.5" for Employee & Vote; 1.25" for Shinji (go ahead - feel insecure about THAT, too) Notes: Needless to say, the Gendo pin has been retired, but first we will note that it's not impossible under the Eva chronology.
	Design: Ouran Host Club Faithful Client Association (Ouran High School Host Club) Size: 1.25" Notes: Frequent fainter miles? Squee Squad Saturdays? Whatever the promotion, I'm sure it results in more profit.
	Design: (clockwise from top) Bun-Bun/Usa-chan, Beelzenef, Ouran Crest (Ouran High School Host Club) Size: 1.25" Notes: Our first three Ouran pins: Bun-Bun, Beelzenef, and the Ouran crest. We also did an Ouran crest pin in the 2.5" size.
	Design: Luna (Sailor Moon) Size: 1.25" Notes: An all-black pin with Luna's doe-eyed kitty face.
	Design: Duellist Roses (Revolutionary Girl Utena) Size: 1.25" Notes: Sarah's idea, natch: roses in the representative colors of the various Utena duellists. Clockwise from top left: black (Black Rose Duellists), green (Saionji), blue (Miki), orange (Juri), yellow (Nanami), and pink (Utena). Not pictured is red (Touga), of which we were sold out at the time.
	Designs: 42-42-564, EAT, DWMA Honors Student (Soul Eater) Size: 1.25" Notes: This Soul Eater trio includes Death's phone number on a fogged mirror, Soul's EAT pin, and some bragging rights.
	Design: Miyazaki Is My Master (various, really) Size: 1.25" Notes: This pin and the CLAMP pin (above) were inspired by a meme that went around at that point, but the Miyazaki pin outlived that inspiration. It's just too universal a sentiment.
	Games Design: Who's Your Daddy (BioShock) Size: 1.25" Notes: One of our more "fanart-y" pins; we're quite proud of it.
	Design: Arrow (Dance Dance Revolution) Size: 1.25" and 2.5" Notes: I think the DDR arrow became one of the instantly recognizable icons of fandom, ultimately. It might be Stockholm Syndrome after hours of perfecting one's moves, but however it came about, everyone still recognizes it.
	Design: I ♥ My Mabari Warhound (Dragon Age) Size: 1.25" Notes: Furthermore, my Mabari Warhound is smarter than your honors student.
	Design: dood! (Disgaea) Size: 1.25" Notes: Fact 1: Sarah logged 174 hours on her first play-through of Disgaea DS. Fact 2: Em cosplayed as a Can I Really Be the Hero? Prinny. Fact 3: Both of these took place after we made this pin. Still.
	Designs: Hello My Name is Gary, Vote Dave for President (Fallout 3) Size: Gary is 2.5", Dave is 1.25" Notes: Our two Fallout 3 pins revolved around names, as it turns out: a Hello My Name Is sticker from the clone-filled Vault 108, and a campaign button from the extremely tiny Republic of Dave.
	Designs: Fight/Magic/Item/Run, Midgar Sector 7 Neighborhood Watch, Will Work for Gil, Pimp My Chocobo (Final Fantasy / Final Fantasy VII) Size: 1.25"; Fight/Magic was also made in the 2.5" size for a while Notes: Four pins connected to FFVII, and no mention of Sephiroth. Is it too easy, or did we just not think of anything? Here's what we do have.
	Design: Frocobo (Final Fantasy XIII) Size: 1.25" Notes: This one went through a couple of designs before this one, but the general idea was the same. Baby chocobos are irresistible, you know.
	Design: Elf needs food badly (Gauntlet) Size: 1.25" Notes: A one-off from Gauntlet. Plus, cons revolve around food and money, so we can relate.
	Design: I Rock (Guitar Hero) Size: 1.25" Notes: Proclamation of awesomeness + horns + grunge style = this pin.
	Designs: Harvest Moonie, Cow (Harvest Moon) Size: 2.5" (Moonie), 1.25" (Cow) Notes: We just made up the name "Harvest Moonie" - I don't know whether any HM fans actually call themselves that. It's set against a wall of text about the things one tends to do in a typical game-day. The Cow is just the Cow.
	Designs: How disturbing...; Prince of All Cosmos; My, Earth really is full of things (Katamari Damacy) Size: 1.25" and 2.5" Notes: The two quotes come from the King of All Cosmos, naturally - "How disturbing..." was his reaction to each of the cousins.
	Design: Heartless (Kingdom Hearts) Size: 1.25" Notes: This one was unexpectedly popular, early on. We retired it from "active rotation" after a couple of cons, but it was an early mainstay.
	Designs: Pills Here!, I Hate Cons, I Hate Pins (Left 4 Dead) Size: 1.25" Notes: Three L4D pins, with the phrase that escaped into internet memedom and two proclamations from Francis. (Yes, the irony is intentional.)
	Design: Yellow (LocoRoco) Size: 1.25" Notes: YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY! Yoooooooooooooooy!
	Design: Shepard. Wrex. (Mass Effect) Size: 1.25" Notes: Sometimes the very, VERY minimalist ideas really work.
	Design: Who 'da Man? (Mega Man) Size: 1.25" Notes: Can't go wrong with old school.
	Design: Amaterasu Face (Okami) Size: 1.25" Notes: Rather like Okami, this one didn't get a lot of attention at first but grew to be a favorite. And I'll stop torturing that metaphor now.
	Design: Brush Strokes (Okami) Size: 1.25" Notes: This set depicts three of the brush strokes from Okami: sun, slash, and wind.
	Design: Chie's Pins (Smiley, Dexy & Lexy / Calocy & Junecy, I Heart Exercise) (Persona 4) Size: 1.25" Notes: This is one of these cases in which our pin- and stuff-making endeavors dovetail nicely with the source material. These are Chie's pins, cosplay style.
	Designs: Objection!, Attorney's Badge (Phoenix Wright) Size: 1.25" Notes: One cosplay-style and one referential: Phoenix's badge on the right, and "Objection!" on the left.
	Designs: Employee of the Month, The Cake is a Lie, Are you still there?, You are an excellent test subject, Fling, Energy Ball (Portal) Size: 1.25" Notes: Our array of Portal pins, including warning signs, graffiti, turrets, and corporate attaboys. You know, all that fun Portal stuff.
	Design: (Cube) Love / (Cake) Lies (Portal) Size: 1.25" Notes: A straightforward distillation of the moral view of Portal's world.... or is it?
	Design: Puyos (Puyo Pop) Size: 1.25" Notes: Puyo Pop has been not quite ruined for everyone who has watched or read Genshiken. The Puyos are still awfully cute, though.
	Design: We Rock (Rock Band) Size: 1.25" Notes: If you feel like sharing some of the spotlight with your RockBandmates, here you go.
	Design: Lost Instruments of Rock Band (Rock Band) Top row: Tambourine, Keytar, Cowbell; bottom row: Scissors, Paintbrush, Pencil Size: 1.25" Notes: These incorporate two sets of ideas, really: Lost Instruments of Rock Band - keytar/keyboard was still a few years off when we made these - and Fanart As Rock Band Icons, with scissors, paintbrush, and pencil representing fanart, cosplay, and things of that sort.
	Design: The Pencil is Mightier... (Scribblenauts) Size: 1.25" Notes: We hearted Scribblenauts, as frustrating as the first installment could sometimes be. This led to a little twist on the old aphorism.
	Design: Halo of the Sun (Silent Hill 3) Size: 1.25" Notes: Just in case you feel like having people try to save against your pin collection.
	Design: Goomba (Super Mario) Size: 1.25" Notes: The Goombas did look awfully irritated, didn't they. Maybe after the first one, they all knew what they were in for.
	Designs: Heavy (We mush PUSH leetle cart!), Spy (Gentlemen...), Pyro (MHMPH MNMH MNHPH!), Scout (Woooo!), Sniper (Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet.) (Team Fortress 2) Size: 1.25" Notes: This set started when Em read that the character designs in TF2 were designed to be recognizable in silhouette. Aaaand...they are.
	Designs: Announcer (You FAIL!), Demoman (Oh, they're gonna have to glue you back together... IN HELL!), Engineer (I told ya don't touch that darn thing), Medic (Dummkopfs!), Soldier (MAGETS!) (Team Fortress 2) Size: 1.25" Notes: ...and here are the rest of the classes, with the Announcer to round things out. These turned out to be a lot of fun.
	Design: Wave it in the air like you just don't care! (Wii) Size: 1.25" Notes: It's a simple and timeless sentiment. If you're acquainted with such concepts as "shame" and "self-consciousness," you are cut out for neither busting a move nor playing Wii.
	Design: Yes Wii Can Size: 2.5" Notes: Shigeru Miyamoto created Zelda and Super Mario. Also, we like the bad puns, if you haven't noticed. So, yeah.
	Designs: Old School (Nintendo & Astro Boy) Size: 1.25" and 2.5" Notes: Two designs on the same theme, based on the NES logo and on Astro Boy - so this is approx. 66% gaming and 33% anime.
	Designs: Coffee: Restores 4200 mana over 30 seconds. Must remain seated while drinking; Nerf Warlocks; ?; ! (World of Warcraft) Size: Coffee is 2.5"; others 1.25" Notes: Nerf Warlocks has been switched out for Druids (below), but otherwise this is our WOW set. "Coffee" is one of our wordiest pins, but caffeine and geekery are always a good match.
	Design: Druids Do It Like Animals (World of Warcraft) Size: 1.25" Notes: ...what? Oh, that's not the worst joke you've ever heard.
	Other Design: Ask Me About World Domination! Size: 1.25" and 2.5" (1.25" in photo) Notes: Still a favorite. Em used it as a forum avatar for a while, too. We've got an unusual business plan.
	Design: Burgh Nerd Size: 2.5" Notes: In the Burgh or of the Burgh; either one works.
	Design: Cherry Blossom Size: 1.25" Notes: Pretty, and a reference to the myriad anime series that use cherry blossoms as visual shorthand.
	Design: I am a GOD on the internet Size: 1.25" Notes: Off the internet, nobody knows you're a god.
	Design: Happycat / I Can Has Cheezburger? Cat Size: 1.25" Notes: Happycat predates LOLcats by a few years, but that's OK. Happycat is applicable to all manner of internettery.
	Designs: Hentai/Yaoi free for 2 ~~days~~ hours Size: 1.25" Notes: Not so much a statement for/against hentai as it is a riff on industrial signs proclaiming the length of time since someone lost a limb to a table saw.
	Designs: I Blame The Internet/Cartoon Network/LiveJournal/Myspace/YouTube Size: 1.25" Notes: This one started with the AMv community's hysteria over YouTube, and spread to a number of fandom and general-internet targets of ire at the time. This one particularly spotlighted Em's parody skills.
	Design: I do so have a girlfriend! Size: 1.25" Notes: Popular assumptions about nerds sometimes lead to defensiveness. Don't worry, we believe you.
	Design: I eat fangirls/fanboys Size: 1.25" Notes: The fun thing about these ones is their ambiguity, I think - take any side you want, pro or con.
	Designs: I ♥ My Nerdy Kid[s]/Girlfriend/Boyfriend Size: 1.25" Notes: After making a lot of pins riffing on otaku stereotypes, it was time to spread some good cheer for a while. You can do both.
	Designs: Graduate of the Chairman Kaga School of Design (Bring on the Sequins! Where is my cravat?); Allez cuisine! Size: 1.25" and 2.5" Notes: We were big fans of the original Iron Chef, although we aren't calling for the retroactive destruction of all that Iron Chef US holds dear or anything.
	Design: Kanji: Famous, Strange, Villain, Genius, Normal Size: 1.25" Notes: Em's calligraphy strikes again. Go ahead, guess which one was the least popular. Yeah, that one's too easy.
	Design: When life hands you lemons...read them Size: 1.25" Notes: Trivia: One of these pins was the very first thing that we sold at our first convention. Quite the ominous beginning. "Lemon" is long-running (now, perhaps retro) fandom slang for porn, especially textual porn. So, there you have it.
	Designs: Let me tell you about my AMV/fanfic Size: 1.25" Notes: Fans generally don't need an excuse, but here's an excuse just in case.
	Design: Mascot: The Other White Meat Size: 1.25" Notes: ...By this we mean annoying, fuzzy characters on TV shows and such, not the hyper lackeys jumping around the sidelines in giant foam heads at sports games. 'Cause that's just wrong.
	Design: Just wait until my message board hears about this! Size: 1.25" Notes: The increasing obsolescence of message boards in the Facebook age lends this one extra flavor.
	Design: Must Love Dorks / SM ISO 5-7 SFs, aliens ok Size: 1.25" Notes: A little personal-ad-style fun with the late, occasionally lamented harem anime genre.
	Design: No Memes Within 30 Feet Size: 1.25" Notes: Sometimes...at conventions...if only.
	Designs: OMG / WTF? Size: 1.25" Notes: Yep.
	Design: Pimp Mine Steed Size: 1.25" Notes: We also go to ren faires, though we've never "vended" at one. Also, we're easily amused.
	Design: Pittsburgh: Zombie Capital of the World Size: 1.25" Notes: It's true. If you don't live here, you'll have to trust us on this one. Monroeville Mall is an actual place, where some of us went back-to-school shopping for years with no inkling of its cinematic infamy.
	Design: Man cannot live on Pocky alone Size: 1.25" Notes: People, we didn't mean this pin as a challenge.
	Design: IHOP / International House of Pocky Size: 1.25" Notes: Actually, we didn't have IHOPs in Pittsburgh when Em designed this pin. We do now, however. The number of otaku surviving on Pocky and Mountain Dew has probably held steady in the meantime.
	Design: This IS my secret identity Size: 1.25" and 2.5" Notes: One for those folks who don't cosplay or name themselves goofy things on the internet. (What's up with that?)
	Design: Spell check: it saves llves Size: 1.25" Notes: Yep, that's intentionally misspelled. And often overlooked. It's insidious like that.
	Design: Squee! Size: 1.25" Notes: If you're new 'round these parts, "Squee!" is the term (or perhaps onomatopoeia) for a fan's squeal of delight. The "OMGSOCUTE" is implied.
	Design: Put the Subtitles On and Shut Up Size: 1.25" Notes: The raving and posturing in fandom are never going to end, so when in doubt, we recommend this approach.
	Design: Yaoi Math Size: 1.25" Notes: Because it's true. (Full disclosure, Jay and Sarah used a similar joke in one of their AMVs; it's no less true.)