I've been promising all my readers out there Good Tickle Brain merchandise for well over a year now, and am finally getting down to business - or, more accurately, getting down to figuring out what is involved in getting down to business. First up is that cornerstone of any self-respecting institution... a t-shirt!
Over the weekend I sent out a survey canvassing popular opinion on such things as t-shirt design, color, sizing, etc., so I could start figuring out logistics. Hundreds of you have responded so far, which is just fantastic! I'm still reading through the various comments you gave me (and I am reading them all, trust me), but at the moment it looks like this design, featuring snapshots from each of Shakespeare's plays, is winning out:
In case you're puzzled by which play is which, I offer you the following hint: they're arranged in alphabetical order, and the multi-part Henry IV and Henry VI have been condensed to one image each.
A lot of you mentioned in comments that you would like to see a black version. (This was not surprising, as we all know theatre-folk live predominantly in black.) I didn't originally offer an option for black on my survey, as the black outlines and arms of my stick figures would disappear completely against a black background, but, after some tinkering with modest white outlines, I think I've come up with a solution that will look something like this:
This is not final yet, but is what I am currently leaning towards, with ladies' and possibly kids' versions as well. There will probably be one or two other color options as well. I'd still love to hear from people, though. If you haven't already done so, please take my shirt survey. Also, feel free to leave a comment on this post, or get in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. I realize that, no matter what the final design is, some of you will be probably disappointed. I just want to make sure that the number of the disappointed is as small as possible!
If this shirt is even moderately successful, there will definitely be other shirts, so all of you clamoring for three-panel play shirts or other designs (such as Smiley Shakespeare) can live in hope. Lots of you also mentioned wishes for additional items such as mugs and pins. Those will be coming too! If you have other ideas for products, please do leave a comment. All your input gets filed away for future reference.
I want to do this merchandise thing properly, so if it's slow getting off the ground, rest assured it's because I'm reading and learning and figuring out how to make the best merchandise available through the best online store possible. Because (cue cheesy line) my readers deserve the best. (Cue groans.)
Also, if you haven't yet, please do subscribe to the Good Tickle Brain e-mail newsletter, which brings my comics directly to your inbox once a week, and also features bonus reviews, recommendations, and social media round-ups not found on my blog!