I had the idea a while ago that it would be stupendously cool if there was a way for nonpareils to signal one another on the sly, in real life. You know how sometimes you see somebody on the street & you think, ‘I bet we have things in common’? But life is weird & hectic & sometimes you’re too shy to say anything, even though you’re thinking so hard about whether they like cupcakes & shoe shopping that you almost walk into traffic.

iCiNG has grown a lot since its inception. We’ve had over 4,000,000 (yes, four MILLION) people come through since we started. When you consider that the country I grew up in, New Zealand, has a total population of 4,000,000, it’s enough to cause the eyes to widen. Even better, loads of those people have stuck around — & you’re one of them! While you all have different browsing schedules (some of you visit every ten minutes while others do one big catch-up at the end of the week) & ways of interacting with the community (some of you talk our ears off in the comments while others are content to smile at the screen), you are all part of the whole. You are all nonpareils, beloved by me & the community, sweet mirthful cuties with lots of sass & brilliance.

Our community is so vibrant, so talented, so mind-blowing that it seems ridiculous for us not to connect in person & really get to know one another. Who can honestly say “No thanks” to more fun, more friends, more excitement?

I started to think about how, in comic books, when Batman was needed they’d flash that Bat-Signal. He could see it from anywhere & instantly, he knew he was wanted. I thought, man, it would be so cool if all nonpareils had a secret symbol so we could signal one another!

& so… I present to you…

What are iCiNG Treats?

We’ve linked arms with a slew of mind-bendingly amazing young creative talent, all of whom have been feverishly slaving over notebooks, twirling pencils & splashing inks in the quest to conjure fabulous things into being!

These geniuses have combined their love of aesthetics with their adoration of iCiNG, & are all thrilled to be able to offer unique pieces of art created specially for the iCiNG community!

I’m so delighted to have them on board, but I must warn you… the artists involved are so marvellous that there is a high chance of joy-induced seizures!

So you know what this means, don’t you? OUI! Every month we will be highlighting a magnificent new artist for you to fawn over & enjoy!

Think of it as wearing a secret spy signal. It signifies your official nonpareil membership, & serves as a grand salute to anyone else familiar with the cupcakes, carousels, TiLTs & other facets of the iCiNG Bowl! You’ll be wearing an amazing piece of art by a hot up-&-coming artist, as well as supporting & strengthening the iCiNG community.

Enough gabbing! This way to iCiNG Treats!