Button Up for Record Store Day: April 16

Founded in 2007, Record Store Day is “the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.” Many artists choose that day to make special performances and release limited edition vinyl, CD, and promotional products— it’s like Christmas morning for vinyl lovers and super fans.

This year’s Record Store Day falls on April 16 and includes special releases from Radiohead,  SubPop Records, and a Frank Kozik limited edition vinyl figure. The Busy Beavers are psyched about the White Stripes reissue from Third Man Records— limited quantities will be available on red and black swirled vinyl!

Looking for a unique way to promote your band or record store this April 16? Try buttons! You can include a 1-inch button as a freebie on a limited edition vinyl record, put your band’s cover art on a square button, or promote your record store. Shop now at busybeaver.net.

Custom Buttons: Have You Seen the Bronx Zoo Cobra?

Custom buttons are a great way to spread the word about your lost dog or cat, but what about a missing venomous snake? In an effort to help the Bronx Zoo recover their fugitive cobra, the Busy Beavers have put together a set of custom 3-inch buttons. Take a look:

And since the snake is on the lam, we’ve referenced the cobra’s tweets to create composites of possible disguises:

According to the rules of Twitter, I think I’m supposed to announce a multi-city comedy tour now. Right @ConanOBrien & @CharlieSheen? [Bronx Zoo's Cobra/Twitter]

Taking the Sex and the City Tour!!! I’m totally a SSSamantha. #snakeonthetown [Bronx Zoo's Cobra/Twitter]

Donald Trump is thinking about running for president?! Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. Where is Trump Tower exactly? [Bronx Zoo's Cobra/Twitter]

In front of the diner used in Seinfeld. Niiice! They’re real and they’re spectacular. #myfangs #snakeonthetown [Bronx Zoo's Cobra/Twitter]

The Bronx Zoo cobra is considered armed and dangerous. Well, not armed— snakes don’t have arms. But if you see it, please alert your local mongoose.

Need custom buttons for your lost pet? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

LCD Soundsystem Buttons Up for Farewell Show

What better way to celebrate LCD Soundsystem’s last show ever than with a set of custom 1-inch buttons? Check out the three stylish, black and white buttons the band ordered just in time for their farewell performance this Saturday at Madison Square Gardens. Can’t make it to the Garden? Watch the performance live online at pitchfork.com.

Need custom buttons for your band? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

Museum Monday: Basil Wolverton

Perhaps best known for his work at MAD magazine, Basil Wolverton was a Mid-Century artist best know for his humorously grotesque drawings.  “If you were a preteenager in the 1950s and had precocious friends or a with-it dad, it’s a good bet you knew the cartoons of Basil Wolverton,” states a 2009 New York Times article. Wolverton’s drawings embodied the “sick-and-proud humor” of MAD magazine and were considered a “virtuoso exercise in bad taste, made all the weirder for being so meticulously executed.”

Pictured here is a selection of buttons from the 1965 LEAF “Fink Buttons” edition featuring Wolverton’s artwork. Currently housed at the Busy Beaver Button Museum, these art buttons are a coveted collector’s item.

Retrospective: Wisconsin Film Fest Buttons Up

Busy Beaver Button Co. and the Wisconsin Film Festival have a long history together; we’ve been supplying the fest with custom 1-inch buttons since nearly the beginning. We recently talked to Meg Hamel, director of the fest, about why Wisconsinites love their buttons “as much as getting hot popcorn with real butter.”

“The Wisconsin Film Festival gives away 8,000 buttons during our five-day festival and we could easily hand out more! Volunteers and festival attendees show up with their collected buttons pinned to book bags, jackets, etc. We now use shoelace-style name badge lanyards for our volunteers because everyone likes the wider lanyards to hold their button collections.”

“I like being able to hand out buttons in line to customers waiting to get into films. It’s nice way to hang out with everyone attending the festival. We run out before the end of the festival but that helps keep the buttons coveted. If we ever tried to produce a film festival without our buttons there’d be a riot. Everyone expects and loves them.”

The Wisconsin Film Festival begins next week in Madison. For ticket info go to wifilmfest.org.

Want to start a collectible button series for  your organization? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

Chicago Zine Fest Buttons Up

Do you like DIY, independent media, and nifty buttons like the 1.5 inch square button featured here? Then be sure to catch this year’s Chicago Zine Fest! The fest, which begins tomorrow, aims to highlight the talents of self-published artists and give independent artists a chance to interact and swap skills. So grab your stapler and head downtown March 25-26!

For times and locations go to chicagozinefest.org

Need buttons for your upcoming fest? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

Enter to Win! Kitty Wigs + Busy Beaver

Enter for a chance to win a copy of Glamourpuss, custom kitty buttons, and gift certificates from Busy Beaver Button Co.!

Purchase buttons through BusyBeaver.net and use coupon code KittyWigs2011 at checkout to enter for your chance to win. By using coupon code KittyWigs2011, you will receive 10% off your Busy Beaver Button Co. button order AND be automatically entered to win. Limit 1 use per customer. Coupon code is valid March 23 – April 23, 2011.

One winner will receive a copy of Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs by Julie Jackson, photographs by Jill Johnson and a Kitty Wigs button.

Five winners will receive a gift certificate for 25% off your next purchase from Busy Beaver Button Co. and a 4-pack of Kitty Wigs buttons.

Winners will be chosen at random and notified on April 25, 2011. Questions? Email orders@busybeaver.net

OhNo!Doom Buttons Up

Spotted at C2E2 over the weekend: FluffyBooBoo sporting a glow in the dark one inch button. Officially released on March 18, these chomping plush toys are now available for sale at OhNo!Doom.

Need custom buttons for your fluffy friends? Order now at busybeaver.net.

Playbutton: Future of Band Merch

courtesy of playbutton.co

“Why just play a record when you can wear it too?” asks Playbutton upon entering their website. In a world of band-branded t-shirts, hats, and even snuggies, Playbutton brings an innovative new product to the merch table: button-shaped MP3 players. On sale now at Opening Ceremony, you can purchase custom buttons featuring songs by Vampire Weekend, Björk, Matthew Dear, and more!

Want to create your own innovative buttons? Shop now at busybeaver.net.

Biz Advice from Busy Beaver’s Christen Carter

Christen Carter and staff brainstorming innovative button ideas

Christen Carter’s advice for small business owners? “Think about where you want to be a year from now. Write down the things that will get you there. Set deadlines, and do them.” Sound advice from a lady who’s been kickin’ butt-ons in the business world for over 15 years! To read Carter’s full interview with the DIY Business Association go to diybusinessassociation.com.

Looking for a unique way to promote your indie business? Buy buttons! Shop now at busybeaver.net.