A recent design gig for FamilyFun Magazine has me very excited about merit badges.  They're often a perfect little combination of recognition and aesthetics, and I just love 'em.  In this post I share my new design for the Backyard Fun Badge and offer up a few other lovely merit badges from other artists and craft shops.

Backyard Fun
I was delighted to be asked to design the first of ten "Badges of Fun" for FamilyFun Magazine's latest issue.  They're working with a number of different designers to create a series of artful badges that kids can download, cut out, and attach to a poster that tracks their progress. To earn this first badge, you can play twilight games, have a backyard camp-out, or make yard art. Kids of all ages allowed!

Here's the final badge design - crafty and whimsical!

More Fresh Merit Badge Designs
Lee Meszaros crafts beautiful merit badges of her own design and sells them in her Be Proud Etsy Shop.  She offers more than sixty (60!) different designs at $25/ea (with a nice certificate). Each badge has its own sweet phrase and illustrated imagery. They really are wonderful. Lee's merit badges are silk-screened, hand-painted and then embroidered.

A few badges from the Be Proud collection.

Mama Merit Badges are another creative twist on the same theme with a more modest price point ($5/ea) but far fewer designs (13) from which to choose. Amy Bowers created this off-beat series of badges to recognize the very hard work that is parenting - the "daily duties that alternately feel like drudgery, brave political acts, and absurd performance art."

Disorderly Goods created a set of twelve (12) creative merit badges for "excellence in life." Here are my three favorites.  Others depict unusual things like molecules and inkblots.

And finally, here's a mosaic made out of thousands of scout badges by the Northern Star Council.  Watch their time-lapse film below:

Vintage Merit Badges are Incredibly Collectible
You can often find the perfect badge for someone you know amongst the thousands of vintage scouting badges available on eBay. Here's a quick look at what's available now:

United States Australia Austria Belgium Canada France Germany Ireland Italy Netherlands Spain Switzerland Great Britain

Best Match Items Ending First Newly-Listed Items First Price + Shipping: Lowest First Price + Shipping: Highest First

VINTAGE BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGES & PATCHES JAMBOREE 1950's no regatta MNTS 22 LOT $51.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 9:52:06 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Boy Scouts Stange Eagle Medal Patch Pin Presentation Eagle Scout Kit $79.00 End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 15:00:25 PDT Buy It Now for only: $79.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Vintage 1960s BSA Boy Scouts Of America Troop Sash w/36 Badges Merit N Carolina $24.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 17:00:44 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vtg 1950s AIRMAN or AIR MECHANIC Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada White Back $13.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 19:26:09 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vtg 1950s CANOEMAN Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada Canoe White Back $10.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 19:30:47 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

VINTAGE BOY or GIRL SCOUT SASH WITH FIFTEEN BADGES & PATCHES & AWARDS $20.00 End Date: Sunday Jun-16-2013 18:41:30 PDT Buy It Now for only: $20.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Vintage 1960's Kansas City Boy Scout Sash w Badges Patches Mohawk District $14.99 End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 8:16:04 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

ViNtAgE BOY SCOUT LOT MERIT BADGES 2 1950 JAMBOREE PATCHES & DIARY $19.27 (4 Bids) End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 13:48:11 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Girl Scouts Sash w Merit Badges Patches, c.1940's - 60's? - Wichita, KS $10.00 (5 Bids) End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 14:18:54 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Boy Scouts Stuff Collector Guide inc Uniforms Patches Merit Badges Etc $31.50 End Date: Tuesday May-28-2013 1:07:25 PDT Buy It Now for only: $31.50 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Vintage Air Scout Aviation Merit Badges & More - Rare!! $180.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday May-24-2013 11:00:35 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Boy Scouts Sash, 40's 50's; 5 Square Patches, 4 Pins, 18 Merit Badges $12.51 (3 Bids) End Date: Friday May-24-2013 12:27:20 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Do you know of other sources for creative merit badges? Do you have a great story to tell involving badges you've given or received? Post a comment and let us know about it!