From the Desk of the Liquid Engineer

As a rule, I generally avoid Hot Topic stores, though I can’t say exactly why. Just some sort of instinctual aversion. Or it may be that their prices are exorbitantly high and for the most part I’m way out of the target demographic. Be that as it may, they do have some cool merchandise related to the new Transformers movie. Not too cheesy and well-made looking. So I went looking around and found that they do in fact have a lot of stuff I like (mostly retro merchandise). I thought it might be fun to share some links to some of my favorite stuff. Just ’cause I can’t get any of it right now doesn’t mean somebody else doesn’t have some disposable income they’re looking to spend on some cool gear. (On a slightly strange note, they also seem to carry a variety of grindhouse film-related merchandise. Right next to the disturbing Hello Kitty hot pants. The fact I think this is only slightly strange probably says something bad about my mental state.)

And while we’re talking about these so called “hot pants,” who are they trying to fool? I have briefs bigger than that. And don’t tell me they actually mean for these things to be worn as underwear, because they advertise their undergarments as undergarments. I think this is part of my instinctual aversion: this is not the kind of clothing I would want my theoretical child wearing, and that’s exactly who it’s marketed to. Unless there’s a large demographic of 20-30-somethings that want Bambi and Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty on their crotch that I don’t know about. I probably don’t want to know.

I’m also quite frankly stunned at the huge amount of merchandise related to Disney’s Bambi.

Anyhow, on with the geeking out over cool shirts below the cut.

[tags]hot topic, shopping, grindhouse, hello kitty, bambi, transformers, bumblebee, disney, kermit, kermit the frog, darkwing duck, nintendo, legend of zelda, triforce, mario, mega man, princess peach, link, animaniacs, pinky and the brain, flcl, lord canti, canti, futurama, bender, ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, splinter, tmnt, evil dead, ash[/tags]

Warner Brothers Toons:

• Pinky and the Brain tee. One is a genius, the other’s insane…
• Animaniacs: Yakko, Wakko, and Dot tee. Not my favorite picture of them, but it’s still a cool shirt. Does knowing exactly what episode this was taken from make me too much of a nerd? Probably.

From Transformers:

• Bumblebee tee. One of two items on this list I’m actually close to buying.
• The prequel graphic novel for the new movie looks really cool.

Disney:

• Darkwing Duck tee. I want this. Badly.
• Kermit the Frog is awesome. He’s also a Disney product now, which surprised and disturbed me.

Nintendo (at this point, yes, I know my inner geek is showing):

• Triforce Necklace
• Legend of Zelda Gold Tote. Shaped exactly like the original gold special edition NES cartridge. I kinda want this, but I’ve worked hard, and no longer fall victim to my compulsion to buy useless (for me) shiny things. Still, shiny.
• Tanooki Suit Mario tee. The nostalgia. It tingles.
• Classic Mega Nan Ensemble tee. Okay, who am I kidding. I want this too. And you wonder why I bemoan the overpriced-ness of their stuff.
• Mario Block tee. Iconic. Can’t think of anything else to say about it.
• Princess Peach tee. I remember when she used to be called Princess Toadstool. Ah, memories.
• Mario and Yoshi tee. Still iconic. Not nearly as much, though.
• Link and Bushes tee. Unfortunately, it’s actual folliage, and he hasn’t discovered that El Presidente is actually Gannondorf. Drat.

Misc.:

• FLCL Canti Skeleton tee. Trying to explain FLCL is beyond my abilities. If you don’t know who this is, well, you’re probably better off. I’ve watched FLCL three times and when I try to figure it all out my brain still ends up trying to escape out my ears.
• Futurama Bright and Shiny Bender Figurine. This is really cool. If I were any less financially disciplined, I would be bankrupt by now.
• Snoopy Flying Ace tee. Awesome.
• Classic Ninja Turtles Cartoon Spinter tee. The only person in the history of the universe who will ever be able to pull off fighting evil in a pink bathrobe.
• Evil Dead: Ash tee. I’m not sure how many millions of brain cells I lost watching this movie, but I would gladly sacrifice them again. There’s something magical about a department store salesman with a chainsaw grafted onto his arm fighting evil hordes. Perhaps dark magic, but still.

And I’m sure you’ll all be happy to know that’s it. Peace out.

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