Known for converting some of the more pop culture obscurities into novelty items, ThinkGeek started out pretty small before snowballing into a into a fan boy juggernaut. About a decade ago founders, Willie Vadnais, Jen Frazier and Scott Smith were just selling t-shirts and stickers, but now they specialize in items like the replica of the Flux Capacitor from Back to the Future, a Jedi robe and this holiday season’s most highly anticipated gift item, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag (above) … from the planet Hoth, people. Gawd.
Yesterday I spoke to ThinkGeek’s mouthpiece, Shane Peterman, about the Tauntaun among other random shit in their shop.
With all the fan boy shit that’s already out there in the marketplace, how were you guys able to go full force in this oversaturated novelty item universe?
I think a lot of the stuff that’s out there is made by people that don’t really "get it," and are just trying to cash in on a culture that they see opportunity in. I think we’ve got a damn good grasp on the geek culture since we’re all a bunch of geeks, and we’ve got enough brains here to come up with some really awesome products, like the Aliens facehugger plush toy, and enough common sense to know when something is just a little too geeky.
What are your top selling items and why?
All of our interactive shirts, like the Drum Kit and Guitar Shirts, are doing really well. There’s an appeal in something that’s more than just a shirt, not to mention they’re just fun as hell. The BuckyBalls are a really good seller for us, too, but those things should probably be classified as an addictive substance.
What’s the most Jewish thing about Star Wars?
Spaceballs.
You manufacture quite a lot of geeky shit, too.
At this point we’ve got, like, 40 items that we make ourselves. I could list them all, but it goes without saying that the one we’re all looking forward to the most is the Tauntaun sleeping bag. That’s been a nearly year-long process that we’re super stoked to see finally being ready.
What items failed in development and why?
A few ideas were thrown around for April Fool’s Day joke products, and I was bummed they didn’t end up making the cut. A Didgeridoo Hero video game would have been hilarious, but we’ve had a few samples of products sent our way that were just total crap. For the most part though, once something moves beyond the idea stage and goes in to development, it’s getting made. We’re a stubborn bunch, and will figure out a way around whatever little obstacles come up.
How come I can watch television on my phone, but something so simple as a hoverboard hasn’t been invented yet?
Dude, I’ve been wondering the same thing. We’ve got gigantic hovering boats but not a hovering skateboard. Total bullshit. I’ll see if we can get on that.
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