In 1995, most ten year old boys dreamed of growing up to be firemen or jet pilots. But young Don Ed Hardy had the wild idea of becoming a tattoo artist. He saw his calling in the mystical images of pierced hearts, flaming eyeballs and bloody skulls. After graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute, hardy rejected a scholarship to Yale University to pursue his childhood obsession: tattoos. Today, he is revered as the godfather of modern tattooing as well as a respected painter, author and publisher.

Hardy took tattoo imagery from the shadowy fringes into the bright lights of the fashion world. His signature has emblazoned clothing worn by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger and has been seen on Saturday Night live and 30 Rock. Ed Hardy; Tattoo the World is a trip through the phantasmagorical mind of this visionary artist, his phenomenal rise to cult icon and the evolution of his vibrant personal art.