Johnny Cupcake

A black silhouette of a cupcake with two crossed bones below it on a white background. 

At age 19, Bostonian John Earl took his nickname—Johnny Cupcakes—and created a t-shirt as a joke amongst friends. When he began receiving requests to purchase the t-shirt, he started selling his creations out of his car and on tour with his band. From this, the entrepreneur expanded, creating Johnny Cupcakes in 2001: a clothing company with a very specific design. The aesthetic of the stores are to look and smell like a bakery, with clothing displayed on trays in glass display cases and orders packaged in pastry boxes. The brand's simple logo—a cupcake over crossbones—is very distinctive and the clothier has branched out into other designs and now includes items such as hats, socks, stickers, and buttons. The company is known for their irreverant sense of humor, and has spoofed and collaborated with other popular brands, swapped out logos of other businesses with the Johnny Cupcakes logo, and redesigning characters from video games, television shows, and films. As of 2024, Johnny Cupcakes has eight store locations throughout the United States.