1. Custom Belt buckles - The most popular trend is to have a belt buckle completely customized.  This is usually for larger groups, but it can also be created for individuals as well.

2. Western Belt Buckles - Western Belt Buckles will always be at or near the top as this is the original theme that got the belt buckle industry rolling and continues to do so.

3. Skull Belt Buckles - Another popular buckle category particularly among bikers and biker enthusiasts.

4. Silver Belt Buckles - These buckles are far more costly than your average zinc or pewter buckles, however, they are of the highest quality and really look great.

5. Cowboy Belt buckles - Cowboy belt buckles are the top sub category of the western theme.   Thanks to historical cowboys as well as modern day cowboys for keeping this industry thriving.

6. LED Belt buckle - LED belt buckles allow you to have a personalized message the scrolls across your belt like a stock market ticker tape.

7. Texas Belt Buckle - When Texas belt buckles make the top ten list of coolest belt buckles for 2007, you know how many belt buckle consumers that there are in the state of Texas.  The State of Louisiana is a close second in being a connaisseur of cool belt buckles.

8. Rhinestone Belt buckles - Belt buckles that contain numerous rhinestones are very popular because they look cool and they really stand out from a fashion standpoint.   These buckles cost a little more than your average buckles, but not a lot surprisingly.

9. Batman Belt Buckles - Batman belt buckles are increasing in popularity even without a lot of on screen hoopla.   These belt buckles just look really cool and let the world know that these consumers are huge batman fans.  Note: Superman belt buckles were not far behind batman belt buckles, they just didn't make the top ten.

10. Belt buckle pipe - This is a particular type of belt buckle that is actually a working tobacco pipe.   Other consumers refer to this as the "pot belt buckle".

This top 10 list of cool belt buckles changes all the time, but this will give consumers an idea of what the coolest buckles are for 2007.  

10.

Rodeo Events 2007-2008

Rodeo is a traditional folk North American sport with influences from the history of Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) and American cowboys. Rodeo events include:

• the rough stock events bull riding
• bareback bronc riding
• saddle bronc riding
• the timed events steer wrestling
• team roping
• calf roping
• the rarely seen steer roping
• women's barrel racing
• breakaway roping
• goat roping
• pole bending

The participants include cowboys, cowgirls and also rodeo clowns or bull fighters. It is believed that rodeo was born in 1864 when two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met in Deer Trail, Colo., to settle an argument over who was the best at performing everyday ranching tasks. That gathering is considered to be the first rodeo and it started the evolution of the true American sport.  Rodeo first appeared as an exhibition Olympic sport at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 The oldest and largest sanctioning body of professional rodeo is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) which sanctions around 700 rodeos annually. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is a recent organization dedicated to Bull Riding and puts on a number of events. There are also high school rodeos, amateur rodeos, and rodeos for women. Some colleges, such as the University of Montana have a rodeo team. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is responsible for the College National Rodeo Finals. Also available is the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA). This organization offers internationally competitive rodeo to high school students.

Cowboys and Rodeo fans proudly display their cowboy belt buckles and western belt buckles with true pride.   Rodeo belt buckles are part of the history of the rodeo and go back all the way to that first rodeo in 1864.

LED belt buckles also allow individuals to make any type of statement they desire and the scrolling LED affect is much more visual and attention grabbing then everyday buckles.   These LED buckles are great conversation starters, and hopefully the message being displayed is viewed as favorable and not something that provokes an "ass kicking".   This all being said, what are some of the features to look for in an LED belt buckle.    The list below shows what to look for when purchasing an LED belt buckle.

• The ability to store multiple messages
• The length of the message in characters (good ones allow up to 256 characters or more)
• The number of speed levels (speed your message displays)
• The number of brightness levels
• An accessible ON/OFF button
• Is is easily programmable and can you switch between messages easily
• There should be an instruction manual
• Batteries should be included

There you have it!  Arm yourself with this list when shopping for a high quality LED belt buckle.  Obviously, the more the features, the higher the price.

Every state has it's things to be proud of, and here are just a few of things that make a Texan proud to be Texan.

• Huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest.
• Breathtaking mountains in Big Bend.
• Shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.
• World record bass from places like Lake Fork.
• Mexican food like nowhere in the world, even Mexico.
• Texas is larger-than-life legends like Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Denton Cooley, Michael DeBakey, Lyndon Johnson, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
• Huge herds of cattle and miles of crops.
• The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans NFL football teams
• The Dallas Stars NHL hockey team
• The Dallas Mavericks NBA team
• The Texas Rangers MLB baseball team
• Texas college and high school football
• Texas is skies blackened with doves and leases full of deer.
• Texas is the best bar-b-que (BBQ) anywhere.
• Texas is a place where cities shut down for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football and many streets a deserted during church.
• Texas is beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies.
• By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag.
• The Texas capital is the only one in the country that is taller than the capital building in Washington D.C.
• Texas Belt Buckles

These are just some of the plethora of things that make Texans say "I'm proud to be a Texan!"  To show your pride, feel free to talk about what it is that makes you proud, wave that Texas flag high, and put on your favorite Texas belt buckle.

". . . Look! this flesh how it crumbles to dust and is blown!
These bones, how they grind in the granite of frost and are nothing!
This skull, how it yawns for a flicker of time in the darkness,
Yet laughs not and sees not!"

This quotation is kind of depressing in some ways, so why our fascination with skulls?  I remember growing up on a farm and uncovering some bones and showing my siblings and parents.  I was fascinated by these bones and trying to determine what the bones and skull where from.   Different groups of people, take bikers for example, dawn all sorts of skull paraphernalia on their clothing and belt buckles.   Many bikers indicate that they wear skulls to show the world that they are not afraid of death.  They are not "creeped" out by skulls, they embrace them.   Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) are another group of people  who claim to not be afraid of death because Jesus has redeemed them from hell after death so there is no reason to fear death.    To Christians, the symbol of not fearing death is the cross.  

So the next question is: if you are not a Christian and not a biker: what is your fascination with skulls?  Maybe you have no reason, maybe you just think skulls look kind of cool.

Skull Belt buckles                       Cross belt buckles

"One other thing, and I know it's going to come on more and more when I say something about it.  I did say, and the reason I said it, that I could come in here and coach and have helped the team get better wherever I've been, and I did say Mr. Fix-It," Wade Phillips said. "But I am getting tired of people demeaning me about it, and I know you can go ahead and do what you want to do, but, you know, I'm just being honest about it. It may be deserved, whatever, but I don't appreciate it, I can tell you that.   So at the end of the year you can write what you want to write, put that on me, but it's not going to be on my gravestone, I can tell you that."

I'm glad he mentioned that because I've noticed the media taking advantage of Phillip's "nice guy" demeanor.  I believe the media views Phillips as some sort of redneck.  Even after winning the first three games, Phillips took pot shots from the press about how poorly the defense played and that "Mr fix-it" wasn't fixing the defense after all.   Phillips soon found out the the press wasn't laughing with him, they were in fact laughing at him. 

Thanks a lot local Dallas press!  Just when Dallas Cowboys fans were starting to get some real valuable information out of a head coach for a change, you've gone and ruined it.   Phillips will now have to be very careful with his comments and not provide the in depth information that he was providing in his daily press conferences.  As a Dallas Cowboys fan for a long time, it is easy to see that Wade Phillips is doing some real positive things for this team and he is no redneck.  I don't know I can say the same thing about the local press.

Okay, Okay.  I realize that it's only September 24, 2007 and only the third week into the young NFL season.  Perhaps, its a tad early to "crown" the Cowboys as Super Bowl champions, but as a die-hard Cowboys fan, you just can't help but feel excited about this 2007 Dallas Cowboys football team.   Tony Romo has certainly silenced a lot of critics who said he hasn't faced any top notch NFL defenses.   Well; how about putting up 34 points on the NFL's best defence in the Chicago Bears.   31 of those points came in the second half, where Tono Romo and Terrell Owens put on a "Pitch and Catch" passing clinic.   Although T.O. was kept out of the end zone, his 185 yards receiving and key third and fourth down grabs really helped the Cowboys maintain momentum and win the game.

You have to give a ton of credit to Jason Garrett, the rookie offensive coordinator who put T.O. in motion out of the backfield to allow Tony Romo to get some very important pre-snap reads of the Bears top ranked Defense.   Chicago's D certainly shut down the Cowboys running game of Marion "The Barbarian" Barber and Julius Jones for the first three quarters until the oversized, underappreciated Dallas offensive line wore down the Bears defense allowing Barber to break off a long run that led to yet another Barber touchdown.

The Cowboys Defense also showed more life with the return of "should of have been a pro-bowler" Terrance Newman.  Although Newman only played on nickel and dime downs, his presence certainly seemed to give the rest of the Dallas D some much needed confidence.   Key interceptions and a key strip of the ball by rookie nose tackle Remi Ayodele (brother of Akin) really kept the momemtum with Dallas and Henry's nice pick-6 pretty much sealed the deal and sent many a grizzly bear fan into hibernation.  

What is really exciting about this Dallas team is their ability to overcome adversity.  Playing away from home in hostile enviroments, heat, injuries, penalties, end zone celebrations, big plays; it seems that nothing can get these guys down.   Cowboys fans are also excited about the potential of Greg Ellis coming back on the field as well as speedy wideout Terry Glen and newly acquired Tank Johnson by mid season.   These key players will just add more depth to an already dangerous Cowboys team.  

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point that the headline of this article could very well turn out to be a reality come February 3, 2008 in Arizona.  For more information on the upcoming superbowl, check out http://www.nfl.com/superbowl . 

Also, don't forget to check out all of our Dallas Cowboys belt buckles.  Wear your's to Superbowl XLII.

An interested fact about the television show is how it finally came to an end.   The live-action “Batman” show was aired by the ABC Network in 1966.  ABC was struggling in the ratings battle when ABC producer, William Dozier introduced the telivision show.  He liked the idea of a hero with comic book origins since most adults in the 60’s had recollections of reading comic books when they were young.   At the time, Batman was third in comic book popularity, behind Superman and Dick Tracy.  Since the top two comics were not available, ABC bought the television rights to Batman.  ABC spent a ton of cash producing the show. One report quotes $800,000 to build the Batcave set alone.   ABC obviously did not buget very well, as the show continually went over budget.   After 120 episodes (3 seasons), ABC put the show into syndication.

The little known fact is that NBC showed some interest in purchasing the rights to the show but killed the idea when they found out the ABC has already dismantled the expensive Batcave.  NBC was not about to sink a huge amount of money rebuilding the set, and thus Batman the telivsion series died in the great Bat "Cave in" of 1969.

But as we all know, Batman survived this setback and moved on two major motion pictures and other television spin offs. 

 If you're like us, we think you will enjoy our Batman belt buckles. 

The popularity of the belt buckle has risen and fallen, but has recently gained popularity in Western countries such as the United States and Canada.  Ornamental belt buckles have become very popular as many different styles and themes have been manufactured.

Belt buckles have become more popular as a fashion than as a practical clasp for fastening two ends.  Belt buckles often attach to a regular buckle and are decorative in nature.

The popularity of western belt buckles has really kept the belt buckle industry thriving as modern day cowboys and western living enthusiasts have snatched up the many styles of western belt buckles that have become available.  Cowboy belt buckles, rodeo belt buckles, bulls and bull riding buckles are very popular in western markets in the US and Canada.

Belt buckles as an extension for gadgets has also invigorated the belt buckle marketplace.  From belt buckles that house your iPod Nano to LED belt buckles that allow you to display a scrolling text message, these extensions of the typical belt buckle have fueled their popularity.

The trend towards personalization has also infiltrated to the belt buckle industry and marketplace.  Customized belt buckles, LED Belt buckles, Name and monogram belt buckles all add the personal touch and allow individuals to make a statement.

Belt buckles also serve as a personal badge. There are literally hundreds of belt buckle types from licensed batman buckles to buckles of your favorite animals, make of automobile, sports team or rock band.

To give you an idea of the variety of unique belt buckles, we recommend you check some out on the Internet.   Belt-buckles.net is an online retailer of belt buckles and carries a wide selection of buckles, many of which have been mentioned in this article.  Happy belt buckling!

LED Belt Buckle

The new design LED Belt buckle.  This buckle combines both the blue and the white LED buckles into one.  LED buckles are the hottest trend this year. Seen in numerous music videos, this buckle is popular with all ages.  Put any message you want and watch it scroll by on your belt buckle. Change the message at any time on your own. The buckle is very easy to use and has the following features: Stores up to 6 messages 256+ characters per message 9 Speed levels 9 Brightness levels ON/OFF button 3 buttons at the back for easy self programming, switching between messages. Instruction manual included Batteries included

Spinner Belt Buckle

This is one of the best selling spinner belt buckles of 2007.   It is  a high quality 2 tone chrome belt buckle. This spinning revolver buckle resembles a .44 caliber magazine.   Spinner belt buckles are very popular among young people and are often seen at hip hop club scenes.   Unlike traditional or vintage belt buckles, spinners are quite fashionable and come in a variety of shapes and sizes and themes.

 As mentioned earlier, these are just two popular belt buckle styles in the "cool belt buckle" arena.  You can find hundreds more online at websites like www.belt-buckles.net.   So if you want one of the coolest belt buckles dawned around your belt, check these out now.