I hope to get around to a “Greatest Hits of 2014″ post for all of DesignerDaddy.com, but until then this one will have to do. It’s been a while since I’ve posted any SuperLunchNotes, so here’s a Year In Review/Top 14 (give or take)/Best of 2014 thing. It was hard to narrow them down or pick a statistical manner in which to list them, thus I went with a mix of most popular and personal favorites of both mine and Jon’s. Bon Appétit! (Note: click all the smaller notes to view in Big-O-Vision!)
14. GODZILLA
If you’re wondering what a “roar day” is, this is the first note Jon ever requested art directed, including the words. He’s going to be quite the monstrous punster, I’m proud to say.
13. CURIOUS GEORGE
My rough-n-tumble 4-year-old didn’t love this note, but I did. Because it’s something I always want for him. Until he’s a teenager. Fun Fact: This was my 3rd most popular note on Instagram last year, and was also a fan request!
12. DANCE BREAK
I’m just gonna start lumping some of these together so I can include more. Sorry if you don’t like it — my list, my rules. These feature the rhythmic stylings of WordGirl’s Captain Huggy Face and everyone’s favorite dancing superhero, Batman.
11. ZOD
Putting notes with villains on them, I often wonder what the hell Jon’s teachers must think — so I always try to soften them a bit. This being a perfect example, and one of my favorite puns of all time. Also a good excuse to use my gray Post-It Notes!
10. MONDAYS
My son’s a little young to hate Mondays, and I sometimes (secretly) celebrate them. So I guess these are more for Jon’s teachers and all the preschool teachers of the world. Whether you need a giant, cathartic Hulk fist or the deadpan cynicism of Raven to handle the start of a new work week, these are for you.
9. ZOMBIE
Halloween’s always a fun time to do lunch notes, what with the plethora of supervillains and movie monsters to draw from. But my favorite this October was this little fella, fresh off the set of The Walking Dead.
8. STAR WARS
The guys and gals and robots and monsters from a galaxy far, far away make pretty frequent appearances in Jon’s lunches. These aren’t all of them, but they are my three favorites. Expect quite a few more next year.
7. MICHELANGELO
A Ninja Turtle was the first non-DC or Marvel character I begrudgingly put on a lunch note for my son. This opened the floodgates for all sorts of characters I knew very little about, having not grown up obsessed with teen tortoises, Transformers, Power Rangers and the like. And while I still don’t count them among my favorites, I certainly appreciate Jon’s love of them. And also my clever use of nunchucks.
6. AQUAMAN
No list of mine would be complete without Aquaman. Here King Arthur is using his oft-maligned skillset in an attempt to rescue Jon’s snack that day. I’m sad to say he failed miserably.
5. E.T.
I love the simplicity of this — both the illustration and the sentiment. Introducing my son to E.T. was such a sweet moment, witnessing his wonder and delight at seeing this ugly, waddling alien make things spin about the room, bring flowers to life, and admonish his little boy in the same way I often do.
4. HYGEINE
I’ve had the opportunity to integrate SuperLunchNotes into paid campaigns on a couple of occasions, this one for Oral-B being my favorite. It also allowed me to get a (semi) non-threatening rendition of Venom into Jon’s lunch.
3. THE GENIE
This isn’t my best doodle work, but it’s possibly my most inspired. And far and away the most popular on Instagram, posted the day after the tragic death of Robin Williams. My son may not have understood the connection, but it certainly connected for me, and gave me an opportunity to introduce my son to a few of Williams’ wacky, heartwarming characters.
2. HANDY HEROES
Team books have always been my favorite comics, but they’re near impossible to fit onto a Post-It Note. However, crafty dad that I am, I found a way to cram the Avengers onto a note by only showing their hands. This is the only note my son’s current preschool teacher has mentioned to me. She showed it to the whole class, let them name the heroes, and read them the message. That note — as well as team notes I did for the Super Friends and Fantastic Four — resulted in several inquiries from educators, asking if they could print them out and use them in their classrooms. Go team!
1. SNOOPY & WOODSTOCK
Peanuts will always hold a special place in my heart, as they were the first characters I ever attempted to emulate in my drawing. This year I was able to share some of the holiday specials with Jon, and got excited about the Peanuts movie coming out next year.
This note is probably the least stylized of any I’ve done, in that it looks pretty close to Schulz’ original drawings of Snoopy and Woodstock. Yet this one is my favorite because of what it says to my son — that his Papa and I are thankful for him, and that hugging him is the best thing ever.
If you want to see every single one, you know where to go, right? SuperLunchNotes on Instagram! And be sure to click “follow.”
Let me know if you had a favorite you didn’t see here, or if you have any you’d like to see in 2015. Happy New Year!
