It looks like the folks at Found Item Clothing aren't the only people in the t-shirt recreation business. Rad Racing may only do one tee, but it's probably one of the best ones that I've ever laid eyes on. If you couldn't figure it out by now, it's Cru's tee from 1986's BMX classic "Rad". For some, the term "classic" is a bit of a dubious one. But it's the only movie to ever feature bike dancing, which has to count for something.
So break out your Haro, load Real Life's "Send Me An Angel" onto your mp3 player and rock Cru's shirt. Maybe you'll luck out and find yourself a Lori Loughlin look alike before she goes and gets her meathooks into an Uncle Jessie. One can only hope...
$15.95 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110965610293469218|W|P|Rad Racing|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I don't like a lot of hacker tees for the exact same reason that I don't like a lot of Lovecraft insipred tees. Namely, most of it looks like it was done by a mildly retarded 4 year old with a copy of MS Paint.
But my inner h4x0r is chuckling and taking a sip of Rockstar after peeping this hoodie from Little Gamers. It may be because I have a soft spot for zipper hoodies, but it's more likely that it's because it's just really well done.
$39.95 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110962189012652007|W|P|1337|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."H.P. Lovecraft "The Call of Cthulhu"
In all the time I've spent surfing around the internet, I've never been able to find a Lovecraft inspired tee which I could say that I honestly like. Some tend to look either second rate or a bit amateur while others have great designs that suffer from poor implementation.
Then along comes Mike Napoli, who was nice enough to send us a link to Kthulhu Kitsch. While every other design of theirs sums up everything that I don't like about H.P. Lovecraft shirts, Arkham Aquarium does a nice job of shutting me the fuck up. Technically, it isn't even really a Lovecraft related shirt. I mean, it's not so much a Cthulhu tee as it is a squid tee, really. But since we already ran a squid related shirt this month, it'd be great if you could grant us a bit of a liberal license. I mean, it's a really nice shirt that I don't want to wait til March to post. Even if March is roughly two days away...
$15.95 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110940035365379711|W|P|Arkham Aquarium|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Even though I'm a hoplessly goofy cracker, I still love the hell out of hip hop. There's just something about it that moves me in a way that other types of music never could. The swagger and bravado of Jay-Z... The gritty reality of NWA... The politics of Public Enemy... The tragedy of Tupac and Biggie...
I may have grown up on punk rock, and I may lift my spirits with techno, but hip hop is my gospel. Even if I do come from a middle class suburban household, I still hear the message. Everyone, except for maybe the ultra rich, wants to rise above where they're at. It's Manifest Destiny. The roots of hip hop are instilled with that vibe. Even if the current wave of artists are less concerned about the message and more concerned about record sales, its spirit is out there. Let's just hope someone remebers what to do with it when it's rediscovered.
Global Roots was made by the fine folks over at 0rigin in conjunction with Jeff Chang to help promote his book "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation". It's a quality shirt, and the book looks like a quality read. I'll have to burn some of the credits I've earned at Amazon and pick it up.
P.S. Props to numlok for the heads up.
$25.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110928598647475136|W|P|Global Roots|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Gordon McLean is a good chap. You see, he was nice enough to send along a link to UrbanMedium. Actually, I've had them bookmarked since BoingBoing posted a link to their [now sold out] Chetrooper design.
This tee features a delightfully cheeky b-boy take on R2-D2. He's rollin' hard with a can of spray paint and a ginormous jam box that's surely got LL Cool J in the deck. R2 don't front and he's prepared to show the Empire that he means business. So, uh, w0rd.
Christ. I'm such a stupid white boy sometimes...
$20.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110919694951575081|W|P|DJ-D2|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
If you weren't already aware, rock landmark CBGB may be forced to close due to a rent increase when their lease is up in August. Open since 1973, CBGB has played host to the likes of The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, Blondie, The Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Dead Boys, Social Distorion and The Damned. I could go on and on with all the influential bands that have passed thru their doors, but my carpal tunnel is begging me to keep it brief.
Since it seems to be topical t-shirt week here on Preshrunk, reader Chris McKenna pointed us at this classic CBGB's tee. For all y'all in the crowd who want to exude a little Bowery pride, this is the perfect little number. What's more, since we're pointing directly at CBGB's store, they're getting the maximum ammount of profit per sale. And with their rent allegedly creeping to $40,000 after Augugst, they're going to need all the money they can get...
$20.99 | Credit | URL|W|P|110914143057265958|W|P|CBGB|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
The old school gamer inside me is in love with this tee from Mintmango. I can only assume it's inspired by the outstanding Space Invaders public art project. Especially since the design has more of a mosiac feel than the classic pixely goodness.
10 Points.
£20.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110914006358871607|W|P|Invader|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
In honor of Hunter S. Thompson, I spent a good deal of time yesterday trying to find a vendor hawking a decent Gonzo tee. Most of the stuff that I found consisted of poorly done iron-on transfers and Sesame Street related merch.
I thought to check eBay earlier this morning [hoping to at least find a shirt for myself] when I came across the anti-culture store. They've done up a really lovely silkscreen of the classic Gonzo fist clutching a peyote button. What's more, all of their tees and hoodies are printed on black stock, go as big as 3XL and start at $13.00. I know we don't normally link to eBay, but in this case we're making a exception.
$13.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110902801904369245|W|P|Gonzo|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
I applaud Glarkware for being so quick out of the gate with this one. I think they brought these shirts to market faster than the "I Stole Brad" ones. And those got slapped with a cease and desist so fast that they had to refund everyone's money and fold up shop.
But anyway, if you find this shirt funny, you may want to buy it while it's still topical. You'll get at least 3 to 5 wears out of it before your friends [and random people] stop laughing. Then you can file it away in a drawer to let the proper ammount of irony incubate before throwing it back into your wardrobe rotation. This tee very well could be the "Don't Have A Cow, Man" of the 00's.
$20.00 | Credit | URL [via]|W|P|110902418501251428|W|P|Paris Made Me Change My Number|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
If you were anything like me when you were young, you wanted to beat Ralph Macchio's ass. Not because he was the Karate Kid, but for making you think that sanding a deck, waxing a car and painting a fence would teach you kung fu.
I spent the Summer of 1984 waxing, painting and sanding everything I could. I had grand aspirations... I was going to be the scrappy quiet kid who stood up against the school bully. When the big fight finally happened during the first week of school, I got my ass handed to me. On the upside, my parents house and car looked great.
As much as I hate "The Karate Kid" for pumping me full of false hopes, I do like this Cobra Kai tee. Even if "Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy." does remind me of America's foreign policy.
Update: Ryan Pitts notes that 80stees.com is also selling the shirt. You know, for those of you in the U.S. who don't feel like paying for shipping from London...
£17.99 | Credit | URL|W|P|110875836715561062|W|P|Cobra Kai|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
One of our readers dropped us a note to let us know that the Mozilla Store is offering their Firefox tee for 25% off the regular price. Well, at least until tonight at midnight, Eastern Standard Time.
But even if you get at this after the sale is over, the shirt is still worth it at its full price. A lion's share of the proceeds from the shirts go back into the Mozilla project. In turn, they keep cranking out some of the best and most user friendly open source software on the planet. Besides, the Firefox logo is one of the only icons on my desktop that I'd wear on a shirt.
So unless you're one of those kooky Microsoft zealots, go buy yourself a shirt and support independent software development.
$12.70 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110866792837361214|W|P|Firefox|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Anyone catch Scrubs last night? If you did, you may have spotted the shirt that Zach Braff's character Dr. Dorian was wearing. It was a nifty little number with four little drawings of origami across the front. Both the girlfriend and I were in lust... Me with the shirt and her with Zach Braff.
J. Hazelip liked the tee so much that he scrounged thru pages upon pages of Google results to find it. I love it when our readers do the work for me. Makes my job a whole lot easier.
After looking over their site, it looks like a few of Crowded Teeth's designs have been worn by Scrubs characters. I can totally understand why. Crowded Teeth makes tees that are fresh, fun and not too cliche heavy. It's really refreshing to see people doing something new rather than cashing in on whatever the hot trend is at Urban Outfitters.
$20.00 | Credit | URL|W|P|110859855592347786|W|P|Origami|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Q. In "Shaun of the Dead", what does it say on the shirt that Yvonne's cousin Tom is wearing?Congrats Jonathan! And to everyone else who sent something in, we're sorry we don't have enough prizes for all of you. Thanks for playing!|W|P|110854677605876604|W|P|Hang Tags - 02.16.05|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
A. I [heart] Pussy
A lot of the designs at Stolen Shirts are a bit too over the top for my tastes. Maybe it's just that I'm tired of the whole random paint splatter over a silhouette design trend. Look, once Comedy Central starts doing it, it quits becoming cool. Even if they are the network that brought the world South Park.
So maybe that's why I like their Birdy design so much. It doesn't try to be anything more than a pale blue bird on a brown t-shirt. It's not superimposed over a 70's clip art sunset, or in the middle of a whole bunch of clashing vector art. It just is.
Sorta zen, isn't it?
$22.00 | Credit | URL|W|P|110849674373020332|W|P|Birdy|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Despite running beautifully designed graphic tees all the time, we still have a big crush on plain black tees with a clever quip across the front.
MadJoe's "I Have Political Enemies" is a perfect example of one of those kinds of shirts. It pretty much says everything it needs to in four words and gets out of your way. Also, it's nice and nonpartisan. So it works as much for Markos Moulitsas Zúniga as it does for Matt Drudge. Although after looking at the rest of the shirts on MadJoe's site, I bet a douchebag like Drudge would get his panties in a wad...
$21.00 | Credit | URL|W|P|110842094156460542|W|P|I Have Political Enemies|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Are you one of those people who loves Google? So much so that you wish you could wed it and have superintelligent cyborg children?
No? Is that just me then. Bollocks.
Even tho I'm alone, I know that there are a number of men and women out there who subsist on a steady diet of Google. You can't blame them, really. They do make plenty of handy tools that people are extremely passionate about. Some would even go so far as to say that they actually love Google. If you consider yourself one of those people, you can broadcast your feelings to the world. The fine folks at Nerdy Shirts have whipped up a tee that nicely echoes the oft imitated I [heart] NY design. They've got plenty of other good tees that're worth checking out too, so you ought to give them a look even if Google isn't your cup of tea.
$17.99 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110815461879557386|W|P|I [heart] Google|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
As someone who has burned a bridge or two, I love this tee from Maestro Instruments. I mean, there are just some times where matches won't do and a flamethrower is overkill.
Do note that if you wear this tee, people are likely to think that you're a drama magnet. If you're okay with that, buy away!
$19.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110800456538937780|W|P|Burning Bridges|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Hey D.I.Y.ers, we're back! Did you miss us? We missed you...
If you have a few old t-shirts that you don't have the heart to throw away, you'll probably appreciate this one. The fine folks at ReadyMade Magazine have thrown together a simple set of instructions for how to convert your ratty old tees into pillows. Just think, that Led Zeppelin or I Shot J.R. shirt would add just the right dash of character and comfort to your otherwise plain Ikea futon.
URL|W|P|110799750747711522|W|P|This Old T-Shirt: Pillows|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Recidivist [noun] - Someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior.
If you were to wear this tee in public, it'd probably go over most people's heads. That's perfectly fine. While folks are busy trying to figure out what your shirt says, you can hit them over the head with a sock full of nickels. While they lay on the ground, take their money.
Then, escape to Mexico and burn your t-shirt. It's not as if anyone you steal from is going to remember how to spell recidivist, but it never hurts to play it safe.
$15.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110791136751796215|W|P|Recidivist|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Sometimes the whole of human emotion can be boiled down to a simple internet acronym. Still, none have the range that WTF does... Not only can it convey the shock of a quick surprise, but it can also cover the anguish of bitter disappointment. Let's see LOL have that sort of range...
This hoodie from Split Reason acts as a commentary to all that is happening around you. It also shows that you're the type to wear your emotions square on your chest - in boldface and caps, no less - rather than tuck them away on your sleeve.
Update: Nathaniel Reinhart points out that ThinkGeek has been offering this design in t-shirt form for years.
$37.95 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110789585943928346|W|P|WTF?|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
If Jeff Veen and Ben Brown both recommend a site, it's probably worth checking out. Jeff sent in a nice note almost a month ago suggesting that we check out what the kids at Mule Design were up to. Since Mr. Veen is one of my regular reads, I went there right away. I managed to enjoy what I saw so much that I filed it away in my bookmarks under "must post" and swore that I'd get to it after lunch.
Well, I didn't.
Then, a few days ago Ben Brown, Internet Rockstar sent another nudge my way. This one was a bit more of a specific request that urged me to check out a new Squid shirt. The URL seemed sort of familiar, so I clicked thru. The second I saw the site, I slapped my forehead. So, I hope Jeff Veen doesn't think we're dicks for sleeping on his submission. It's just that I can be forgetful sometimes, that's all.
Anyhow, squids are poised to be the next dominant species on the planet. Seriously, there's more of them than there are of us. The second they learn to breathe air and walk on land, it's over for us humans. The war will be long and bloody, but it will usher in an age of enlightenment and scientific advances. Oh, and pudding. Tasty, tasty pudding.
When that times comes, I will welcome our squid overlords with open arms. You can too with this shirt from Mule Design. After all, it's never too early to start brown nosing. Of course, until that day comes I will smugly eat bucketloads of calamari. Might as well enjoy being at the top of the food chain while I can, right?
$20.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110784861345448406|W|P|Welcome Squid Overlords|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Seeing as how Flavor Flav is one of my all time favorite rappers, I'm a bit partial to this tee by Kiser. Granted, the clock is a bit big. But if you're familiar with Public Enemy's hype man, you'd know that a big ass chain and a big ass clock is the only way to do it up proper.
That's right, you know what time it is. Yeeeeah boooieee... Gah! What the... I don't know why I do that. It just sort of happens sometimes. Sorry about that.
So now Flav starring in one of the most bizzarre [yet interesting] reality shows ever, Strange Love along with Brigitte Nielson. It's an oddly compelling chronicle of the attraction between two complete opposites. When VH1 runs a weekend marathon of it in a month or two, it'd really be worth the mass genocide of brain cells required to watch it.
$30.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110782059315960009|W|P|Flav|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
So, I finally got a chance to watch "24 Hour Party People" over the weekend. It turned out to be a great film charting the rise and fall of Factory Records.
For those of you not in the know, Factory Records was home to Joy Division, New Order, O.M.D. and the Happy Mondays. They were one of the more influential independent labels in the 1980's that helped harbor the electronic sound in Manchester. One could even go so far as to say that they're partially to blame for the rise of techno.
One of the things that made Factory so infamous is that they gave catalog numbers to everything they put out. Ads, flyers, nightclubs, t-shirts and the office cat were all given catalog numbers. To the left is FAC299, a simple black on black tee containing the Factory logotype and catalog number in the fine print. It's a great shirt that's bound to get a question or two out of everyone but the most discerning music geek. Besides, Bluecat is offering free international shipping on any order which ought to make the shirt "worth it".
£16.00 | Credit | URL|W|P|110775837676988750|W|P|Factory|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Okay, one more Valentine's Day related shirt for all y'all and then I'll drop the subject for another year. You Make My Heart Smile is one of those shirts that girls will swoon over.
Part of its appeal is the very basic hand drawn heart. This would probably go over well if delivered to your girlfriend with a handmade Valentine. Crayon and construction paper will work nicely. If you're not feeling creative, you could always print out this one and run with it.
Props to Darice Romero for pointing this one out to us.
$19.95 | Credit | URL|W|P|110748244300682518|W|P|You Make My Heart Smile|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
I'm not sure what exactly it is that I like about this shirt, I just sort of do. There's something oddly endearing about a smiling fridge with wings.
European tee purveyor Manteela is just getting off the ground, but they've really got a bunch of promise. They're using the open design contest model that Threadless made famous, but they shouldn't be considered "just another clone". They're definitely one to keep an eye on.
16,00€ | PayPal | URL|W|P|110747034115257923|W|P|Free Your Fridge|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
I swear that a copy of "Say Anything on DVD" along with this shirt will get you a very happy girlfriend on Valentine's Day. But just giving your girlfriend the DVD and shirt won't work...
That's right, you're going to have to take one for the team and watch the movie with her. I know some of you may write "Say Anything" off as a chick flick, but it's actually a really good movie. Just remind yourself that it's got kickboxing and Don "The Dragon" Wilson in it and you ought to be fine.
$20.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110730462748378422|W|P|Say Anything|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
Next up in our procession of V-Day friendly shirts is the brilliantly simple Pixel Heart tee. Yes, I'm running another shirt from Diesel Sweeties. I hope nobody minds.
I picked this shirt up for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day two years ago. Even though she's not really a t-shirt girl, she fell in love with it. It's the only shirt I see her rock with any regularity, so that should say something...
BTW: If your significant other isn't into red, it's also available in black and pink. Options are always a good thing.
$18.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110730002988256041|W|P|Pixel Heart|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
I figured we'd start the month off right by pointing at a few Valentine's Day friendly shirts. V-Day may be a holiday cooked up by the greeting card companies, but that doesn't mean that you can get away with ignoring it if you're a guy. Even if it is about as signifigant as Arbor Day or Groundhog Day in the grand scheme of things.
But you can get out of buying something extravagant if you know what you're doing. Order one of the shirts we feature today and get your gal some dasies, posies or a sunflower. If your gal won't go for just that, throw a nice dinner on the pile and you should be in the clear.
First up is this number from Little Paper Planes. The design on the shirt may be a broken heart, but that doesn't take anything away from its impact. It's the perfect tee for the indie rock girl or sensitive boy in your life. The red zigzag stitching across the bottom hem is a nice touch that really helps bring the shirt together.
$19.00 | PayPal | URL|W|P|110729893288621718|W|P|Broken Heart|W|P|boogah@gmail.com
it looks like i stole brad doesn't exist anymore. were they sued into oblivion by brad pitt? or perhaps they ran with the money.I hope they didn't bilk any of our readers out of their money. If you were burned by I Stole Brad, we'd like to hear from you. Afterall, there's nothing more fun than a public shaming. + Shane from Crown Dozen asked us to send some traffic their way. Since you can't read Preshrunk all the time, we might as well point y'all their way. They've got some great tee and non-tee related content up that's worth a read. You will give them a look, won't you? + According to our extra special, top secret designer pal, work on our new header graphic is progressing nicely. We're sure you'll all be pleasantly surprised when it's unveiled in the next week or two. + Software publisher Panic has launched their t-shirt store, PanicGoods. Their shopping cart setup is a work of freakin' genius. If you're one of those weirdoes who turns JavaScript off, do yourself a favor and turn it back on for a minute. It's really, really worth it.|W|P|110724825969773119|W|P|Hang Tags - 02.01.05|W|P|boogah@gmail.com