AGS merchandise

[AGA]

The idea was suggested at Mittens that a range of AGS-related merchandise would be a cool idea. Any profit made would be put back into the community, most likely to help towards the cost of next year's Mittens hosting. So anyway, the questions are, if there was AGS merchandise: a) how many people would be interested in owning some? b) what kind of stuff would you like to see, and c) how much would you be willing to pay?

Bear in mind that stuff that's made in small, limited runs is rather more expensive to produce than the huge quantities normal clothing companies would create. Obviously we'd try to keep costs as low as possible, but the prices would need to be at least a bit above average.

[m0ds]

Oh dear god, an AGS cafepress? :p A real blue cup would be awesome, that way there would only be ONE official AGS blue cup If products could be hand-made that would make me so much more interested, but yeah, I might buy some tackypress items in the near future.

As you've mentioned this, I think it's worth mentioning the other "money" matter discussed at Mittens, which is a donate button - all proceeds going towards future Mittens. We know CJ doesn't want the money, but something like that could easily pay for whever we stay each year.

So i'll recap

a) Can't speak for anyone else but myself, which is a maybe
b) Mugs, t-shirt, caps
c) No more than 10 quid for any item

[SSH]

I want to sleep with CJ: http://www.ryanrego.co.uk/pillowcases.htm

[LimpingFish]

Isn't "Please Donate" just begging for money, but with a festive hat on?

I do like this merchadise idea, though. Keyrings, patches, buttons, mobile phone strap thingies, doodads, etc; all small and cheap to ship.

Mouse pads, mugs,  T-Shirts, Hats, bobbing head Chris Jones desktop "buddy"...

Endless possibilities.

Not that I'd ever buy any. Worthless tat. But coming up with ideas is fun 

EDIT: Stickers, those rubber wristband things, pocket watch fobs...

          ...condoms...

[m0ds]

Isn't "Please Donate" just begging for money, but with a festive hat on?

No, not the way I see it. Just because there's a donate button it doesn't mean you have to, but some kind souls feel inclined. No-one asked Volmel to pay $200 and keep the ezboards up and running ad-free, but she did. And that was a very kind gesture that just about all the ezboard users were thankful for. Plus, it's not like Mitteneers don't save up all their own money anyway. Having accomodation or other essentials paid for at Mittens would be a god-send, but, Mr Chris, I guess you'd have to attend an international Mittens to fully appreciate it

[LimpingFish]

Ah, yes. But that was a service for all. Mittens is for an elite few (although, of course, open to all), and paying for them to have fun is like paying for a hooker for some random dude in the park.

A donate button for these forums, or for the hosting services on the American Girl Scouts server is a damn good idea. And I'm surprised it hasn't been added before now.

[m0ds]

Well sure, that's just as good. But perhaps you missed what AGA said;

Any profit made would be put back into the community, most likely to help towards the cost of next year's Mittens hosting.

He has similar intentions! Only with his idea you get a festive mug, pillow case or rubber duck!!! Fair enough, though - services for all are obviously better. I may have dreamt it but I'm sure I heard CJ say he has no problem funding the forums.

[LimpingFish]

Mittens is nice, and I begrudge nobody who makes the effort to attend, but I feel having strangers donate for it a little off.

Plus, AGA said profits from any merchandise would fund Mittens, which is fine as far as I'm concerned, as profits could be used however he sees fit.

But donating for Mittens? No

[BOYD1981]

i've always wanted a roger doll ever since one was included in a BG Blitz entry ages ago, i can just imagine what it would look like; one eye bigger than the other on a thick plastic head attached to a floppy body with the same thick plastic black shoes.
a big cardboard cutout would be awesome too

[Candle]

I would love to buy a blue cup or tee shirt etc. I won't be going to any Mittens but don't mind donating with buying things like this.
Cost anything close to $ten would work for me.

[auriond]

I'd buy the cup. Maybe a mousepad? Adventure games usually involve a lot of mouse clicking, after all.

edit: oh, it was mentioned already. But I'd buy a mousepad.

[LimpingFish]

...wallets, bobble hats, fingerless gloves, golf tees, inflatable sheep, temporary tattoos, sunglasses, SHOT glasses, lighters, matchbooks, neck apparel, coasters, penants...

EDIT: The cup is the best idea, I think. Either just an actually blue mug with "AGS" on it, or one of those little collectable mini mugs, just big enough to hold a dormouse's beer. The mousepad too, the foam type, would be light and not to expensive to ship. A glass AGS shot mug/glass would be cool too

...endless possibilities...

[AGA]

At no point did I mention CafePress. If we're going to do this, it's going to be done properly.

[Domino]

This is a great idea. I would personally love to have a Big Blue Cup to drink out of and show off my AGS pride.

Would it just be a plain blue cup, which i could go to K-Mart and buy or will it say Adventure Game Studio or AGS? Could it be personalized with our names on it or something. That would be cool.

How about an AGS Flask, for all us drunks on the forums. 

[ManicMatt]

Inflatable CJ?

What???!

Did someone already make an "AGS games collection" by the way? I remember something like that.. you know, large sized games for those with slow connections.

[Baron]

       You can't seriously expect to sell AGS kitsch in any volume.  I'm looking at a market of 3427 as I'm writing this, and I've got a funny feeling that only a very, very small proportion of us would spend $10/Euros/pounds, especially when at least 50% of that will be shipping (as for a mug) -which, incidentally, does not leave a large profit margin after cost. 
      The alternative is to jack up the price, but that would shrink the market to roughly the same pool of people who would spend 100s to come to Mittens anyway.  Although, it would be nice to have a commemorative T-shirt of M'07: The Canadventure!  Hmmmmmm......
      Perhaps if you mass produce something cheap but with high symbolic value; something easy to ship and infinitely adaptable....  I like the patch idea: it can go on your clothes, your baggage, your pillow, your.... blow up doll........   I'm sure if you had a run of several thousand the price would be negligible per unit, and you'd probably be able to sell them all over the course of the next decade for a fairly healthy profit.

      Since it might support something to do with AGS, I'd pay $6-10 CND for a well designed patch.

[ManicMatt]

I like the patch idea: it can go on your clothes, your baggage, your pillow, your.... blow up doll........   

Hehehehe!!! It works as a puncture repair kit!

[EagerMind]

I like the patch idea: it can go on your clothes, your baggage, your pillow, your.... blow up doll........   

Hehehehe!!! It works as a puncture repair kit!

Or you could slip it under a door to catch a ... ooops, wrong discussion.

I think a big blue cup would actually be pretty cool. Putting a label on it would seem to ruin the purity of it, but like Domino says, it does seem like it needs something to distinguish it.

I wouldn't use a mousepad ... I'm all about optical mice. But I might buy a fine leather jacket.

[auriond]

Optical mice need mousepads to work when used on a glass surface, for example.

I was thinking that the blue cup could be plain, with a nice logo printed on the bottom or discreetly around the base under the handle, to identify it as official AGS merch. But at a glance it would be The Big Blue Cup.

[ManicMatt]

I get the feeling a very few amount of people have glass surfaces where they have their computer, and an even smaller amount have optical mouses with glass surfaces where they have their computer.

Eagermind: