I Have T-Shirts (Science Fiction Fan t-shirts)

Yes I do, along with oh, about a billion other human beings on the planet.? However – mine are unique (placing them with only several hundred millions of other folks)

and mine are licensed (chopping it to oh, maybe a few tens of millions)

and mine will appeal to a VERY special group of people (down to several hundred thousands)

and mine are FANNISH (cutting the number of purveyors to perhaps a few hundred)

which means that, in the greater scheme of world t-shirtism, mine are pretty special.

I’m talking about the licensed Classic Hugo Winners shirts and the Worldcon Fanac shirts.

I have a deal with the World Science Fiction Society and its Mark Protection Committee to use “Hugo Award” (R) (and the image of the rocket) and “Worldcon”(R).

These elements are worked into the design of the shirts.? The rest of the design is, as they say ‘history’ – literally.

The first shirt design – above and again here so you don’t have to keep scrolling -

is the CLASSIC HUGO AWARD WINNERS t-shirt.

And we’re not just talking hoary old names like Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Kelly Freas, Ben Bova either.? We’re talking hoary old names like Mike Glyer, Bob Shaw, Carl Sagan, Wernher von Braun, Stephen King…

Unless you are VERY familiar with the Hugo Awards, right about now you’ve just finished scratching your head and saying “Huh?”

This list of names includes both the traditional Hugo Awards and the Retro Hugo Awards, but not just for the more familiar categories.? This list of names includes EVERYONE who has won a Hugo Award since 1946, in EVERY category the award has been given out for.

Not just best novel author, or best professional artist, or best short story writer, but also best fanzine editor, best professional editor, best fan artist, best fan writer, fan personalities and all kinds of other obscurities that not even I can remember.

The classic part comes in with the cut off date.? If you are going to be classic, you’re going to be dated.? By at least a quarter of a century.? Darn, I said that wrong.? If you’re classic, your fame has aged well – like that proverbial bottle of fine wine (that has dust all over the top, a dried out cork and a peeling label).

This is why you will not see the likes of Scalzi shown on the shirt.? As much as we like him, he’s just not classic enough, yet.? But he does get closer with every passing year.

Everyone is listed in alphabetical order (not by height – Harlan would be last).? If you want to find out what some of these folks were given Hugos for, or why the world’s best known science popularizer, or the world’s greatest horror writer were given awards, you’ll have to do some research.? That’s half of what these shirts are all about – digging into the hoary old fannish past.

The second shirt -

is the Worldcon Fanac shirt.

The Worldcon is, of course, the World Science Fiction Society’s annual convention.? Where they give out the Hugo Awards.? (See above)

FANAC acronymizes FAN ACtivity.? If you attend a Worldcon (or just buy a membership) you are committing FANAC.

The shirt lists every single Worldcon ever held, as well as location of the crime, from the very first convention in 1939 (about which you will have to read Sam Moskowitz, Fred Pohl and a few others to find out the real skinny on that one) to the upcoming Anticipation this year and next year’s con in Australia.

Each of the entries is also provided with a neat little spot for the individual owner fan to mark off the conventions they’ve participated in.? I’ve placed a key at the bottom of the design with suggested code for attendance activities that includes such things as whether you were on the committee, attended, were the GOH, only had a supporting membership, etc. etc.? If such doesn’t interest you, a variation without the key is also available.

Here’s the design enlarged:

Oh yes, there are also graphics of all of the countries that have hosted a Worldcon and the number of cons held, displayed at the bottom of the lists.

Earlier I said that history was “half” of the reason for the designs.? The other half is experimental.

I discussed the fact that WSFS needs to develop revenue streams beyond its traditional ones with members of the Mark Protection committee and that one possible method could be the licensing of their marks in an appropriate manner.? They’ve obviously agreed.? So what we’ve got going on here is a test of whether alternate revenue streams can be developed that will help WSFS, Worldcon and, by exstention, all of fandom, grow.

So buying one of these shirts doesn’t just help you remember fannish history – it also helps demonstrate that there are other ways that WSFS can raise money for worthwhile fannish things.? Helping to promote the Hugo Awards, helping to get fans in from overseas, who knows?

Just a few more details on the shirts.

The Hugo shirt has five different designs, based on the number and arrangement of the Hugo rocket (1 in the middle, 2 – either in the middle or like bookends, 3 spaced evenly or 4 spaced evenly).? The Worldcon shirt comes with or without the key at the bottom.

Both shirts can be purchased with a blank front (suitable for putting whatever you want on) or with a variety of fannishly oriented front designs including the ever popular “I’m On The Back”.

You can see the designs (and order them) HERE or on my Zazzle page HERE