Los Angeles icon Mister Cartoon is best known for his contributions in the tattoo, fashion and art worlds, but his interests reach beyond those areas. Specifically, the renowned tattoo artist is a self-proclaimed “car addict”, and his love for vehicles has culminated with the launch of his own signature line of premium car care products, called Sanctiond.
Toons, as he’s called by close friends, invited a select group of media, friends and family to his Downtown Los Angeles offices (dubbed SA Studios) on Wednesday (March 28) to give everyone a closer look into the launch of his new venture … one he calls his “dream project.”
“Mister Cartoon Sanctiond” is a collection of 15 products (with more to come), including car wash, waxes, polishes, spray detailers, interior cleaners and conditioners, and a trio of innovative tire shines. All products were developed to exceed the stringent expectations of automotive painters and collectors, with each merging hand-drawn package design with cutting edge product formulation.
“Cars are extensions of our personalities. Our customers are committed to making their vehicles more than just their rides. Cars are part of who they are,” Cartoon explained in a statement. “I’m grateful I now have the ability to turn this passion into something everyone can experience. By combining my love of cars, culture, and lifestyle, I’ve created a product I’m proud of.”
Cartoon has teamed up with automotive industry veteran Atticus Firey in the venture, who acts as CEO and co-founding partner. Firey helped leading car-care line Meguiar’s experience its greatest growth period in the early to mid-2000s while at the helm and transformed it into a global brand, before it was acquired by 3M in late 2008. With Sanctiond, he’s look to build yet another line from the ground-up and is excited about the opportunity to work with the L.A. icon.
“Sanctiond is the answer to retailers looking for new consumers and revived energy in this category,” Firey said. “There are millions of people being overlooked by current brands, because they’re not the typical car enthusiasts. Yet, they are fanatics about their cars. I’m inspired by Cartoon”s passion for this community and our team’s ability to reach individuals through every aspect of a shared lifestyle.”
While addressing media on Wednesday, Cartoon discussed his extreme passion for cars, and touted Sanctiond as a “dream project” he’s been working toward all his life. Unlike past collabortions — including works with Nike, Vans, Live Strong, and MetroPCS, among others — he gets to enjoy the perks of launching his very own brand, and having complete control from start to finish.
“My passion and love for cars, basically got us where we’re at now, where I started muraling cars. Through apparel, and doing the shoes and all these different collaborations, I learned a lot about branding and marketing, and today, this is my dream project,” Cartoon said during a press conference. “This is my greatest collaboration if you ask me, because it’s more coming from the inside out. This is something I’m gonna be a lot more in control of. Even though my collaborators are very open minded — they let me do I wanna do — this is something I can be more hands on with.”
Through Mister Cartoon’s well-oiled network of filmmakers, celebrities, artists, musicians, car guys and other influencers, Sanctiond is poised to become a THE authentic car care brand birthed from Los Angeles. Celebrities such as actress Mena Suvari, DJ Skee, jeweler Ben Baller, drift racer Daijiro Yoshihara, MMA fighter Josh Barnett, Monster Energy drift driver Buttsy Butler, and others were on-hand for Toons’ launch event.
Sanctiond products are slated to hit stores nationwide and online starting April 2012. For more info, visit Sanctiond.com.
