Around 5 years ago in October 2018, the main vein of the #bootlegbart project ( its instagram account & Facebook) were removed with no appeal. Emails were sent no replies were received & that was that. A copyright claim from lawyers representing Fox got the job done.
At the time I was gutted & felt it was an unfair move. I was proud of the “E-Museum” I built & was a joy to have a community of 52K all involved from around the world.
The hashtag #bootlegbart didn’t exist before this project & creating a place where people could share their memories and finds meant a lot to me. There was a small “mueseum gift shop” (shopify) that sold no more than your average eBay account but that got the shut down too.
I thought & still do think it’s important to document/archive this subject, (luckily the twitter account has been able to continue this whole time).
I’ve grown as a person since then, time moves on, I’m a Dad now with 2 beautiful sons with the same gf whose now my wife. The instagram account @bootlegbart (that started in 2014) will stay removed I imagine & that account & the fun had is now nostalgic…
So I’m not here to try & recreate any magic, (I’ve seen other insta accounts trying to do that even using the bb avatar)
I would rather take a look back at the project & it’s archive & hopefully be allowed to share some more of that “90’s memory / global phenomenon” that was B o o t l e g B a r t.
P.S. whenever I felt the project was misunderstood, being duplicated, recieving negativity I would see the positive comments like some of the ones pictured & it would make it worth while.
If you’re still reading, thank you (drop a don’t have a cow 🐄 emoji)✌️🙏 Leo aka #bootlegbart
A belated Happy New Year to you the followers who have stuck around. Instagram sure is different from 10 years ago. Hope you are well & prioritising family & your health & making positive movements.
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Here’s a photo (from my now modest collection) for an interview with the great @lady.cult back in 2018
Link in the bio. Drop a don’t have a cow 🐄 emoji if you finished reading. ✌️ Leo (aka BootlegBart)
“Banned In The USA” -2 Live Crew, Black Bart shirt.
Never seen this shirt other than this image, have you?
#bootlegbart
Credit: unknown seem to remember it was from someone’s school year book.
(please DM me if you know so I can update)
“Summer 1990, NYC. Note my Black Bart Simpson t-shirt riffing on Snap’s “The Power”. It’s now permanently on display at the Museum of Cultural Appropriation in Washington D.C.” - Dain Fitzgerald
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Image Courtesy of Dain Fitzgerald
(@DainFitzgerald on twitter)
@iamtramainstewart - “The year was 1989 or 90 and it was a Christmas present from my mom….Memphis, Tennessee was the location in historic Orange Mound. I’m a big bart Simpson fan and I loved the black Bart sweatshirt….this is one of my favorite childhood pictures.”
