Mini Maniacs stands out among the cottage industry sprawl of SoCal parent t-shirt companies. For one thing, they make more than t-shirts, and for another thing, the t-shirts they do make are actually unique. They may bring back troubling memories for grandma and grandpa down in Huntington Beach, who thought all those nasty punk-rock days were long gone, but hey, that's the price of uniqueness.
Unlike a lot of cutesy poseur-y baby stuff labeled "punk" or "rock," Mini Maniacs' plaid bondage bib and bondage blanket have a rare authenticity. They're for kids who learn to slam before they learn to walk.
But the real find is the awesome museum-quality collection of mid-80's punk concert flyers from Orange County and LA. [Someone needs to thank grandma for not throwing that box away, Maniac.] You can get them screened onto a black or white bodysuit or t-shirt for a measly $18 or $20, respectively. I guess we know what I liked in high school...
Mini Maniacs, at the cooler-named punkerdunker.com
Scans of the Contra Costa article, which originally ran in the LA Times
They're also available at Grometville, LA's super-cutest baby store.
*OK, they're not Onesie (R) brand, they're Onesie (R)-like, and just because they were once punks doesn't mean they don't respect trademark law. I'm sure the creators of these flyers and the bands depicted are all getting fat royalty checks from Mini Maniac, so relax and shop for your token suburban anarchy momentos with confidence that the status quo is undisturbed.
hey i,m having a brain fart can,t remeber the old orange county bands I used to listen to