Feed My Coffee Addiction
As horror fans, it seems like there’s no escaping the never-ending addiction to buy stuff that represents our love for the genre. I have an entire room devoted to it. Funko Pops, banners, Jason masks, 1970’s Universal Monsters figures. Does it ever really stop? Hell no, it doesn’t! That’s why I want to share one of my favorite recent horror merch discoveries with you.
I was fortunate enough to happen across the London 1888 booth at Mad Monster Party back in February of this year and meet artist Christopher Ott. He was an extremely inviting guy, taking time to converse with everyone purchasing from the booth. We just stood and talked about horror, listing off our favorites in multiple genres. It wasn’t until I commented on how awesome the designs were and complimented the artist, when Ott told me it was him. Usually vendors are overly anxious to tell you everything about themselves, or pushing to buy more stuff. But, not Christopher Ott. He earned (way too much of) my money with his badass work, not his salesmanship. I loaded up on enamel pins, stickers, patches, and shirts. Then, I went back later and bought more stuff for my friends.
There’s something different about London 1888’s products. Something you don’t see at every other horror merch vendor. They specialize in mashing up popular horror franchises with other pop culture entertainment. For example, they have a great Midsommar/Sex Pistols mashup called “God Saves the May Queen,” a play on both the movie and the album, available on a variety of products. They also specialize in recreating classic scenes from both beloved and less popular horror films, like the mid-coital tent stabbing scene from Jason Goes to Hell in all its glory front and center on your shirt. One of my recent personal favorites has been an intentional “thrift store knock-off” Jurassic Park design. You’ll know it when you see it. Sizes range from XS-5XL, so us big boys get some love, too!
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London 1888 is staying active and aware during current events. They created a fundraising t-shirt for Black Lives Matter featuring Roddy Piper and Keith David hugging, a scene from They Live with the words “STAY WOKE” above them. All the proceeds from these shirt orders were donated to BLM, and receipts were posted to prove it. In fact, I purchased one, the print came out a little crooked (it happens), and they were happy to send me a replacement, no questions asked. Great customer service!
They’ve also taken the Covid-19 virus seriously, using it as an opportunity take make amazingly comfortable and breathable masks. They are incredibly soft, and mostly feature the lower faces of popular horror icons, such as Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Pinhead, or The Monster Squad monsters. There are some extremely deep dives for us obscure horror nuts, too. I about lost it when I saw a mask referencing “The Battle of Bishop,” a segment from the lesser-known 1983 film Nightmares, featuring Emilio Estevez. They have an ongoing buy 2, get 1 free sale on masks, and let me tell you, as a large, giant-bearded man, three custom printed comfortable and breathable masks for $30 is a damn good deal. Jump on it!
Lastly, I’d just like to say that these artists put their heart and soul into their creations, and the Coronavirus hits them as hard as anyone. Conventions and events are canceled, and that’s where a lot of their revenue and notoriety comes from. I wouldn’t know about London 1888 if I hadn’t gone to one earlier this year. We’re going to see the sponsored ads from Fright-Rags and Creepy Co. Those places are great, don’t get me wrong, but this is a chance to really support a smaller company, buy some fantastic art, and affordably beef up that horror collection.
Check them out at: https://london-1888.myshopify.com/. You’re going to love them!
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Feed My Coffee Addiction
