Power To The Fans

It started as a joke: Long ago (2009), in a galaxy far, far away (thinkgeek.com), a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag unfurled online. The listing promised parents that their kids could cozy up inside the plush intestines of a semi-sentient reptomammal native to Hoth, made famous in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back. There was just one problem: Like the creature that inspired it, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag didn’t exist. It wasn’t for sale — it wasn’t even real. ThinkGeek had posted a mock-up as part of its annual April Fools’ Day prank. 

Thanks to fan intervention and overwhelming demand, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag became 2009’s hottest holiday gift. ThinkGeek released versions for kids and adults, each priced at $100. Tragically for The Pop Insider staff, the sleeping bags have gone the way of the Death Star following GameStop’s 2021 acquisition of ThinkGeek. All we have are warm memories of the Tauntaun’s cozy polyester insides — and a string of brilliant April Fools’ follow-ups, including the Tentacuddle (a wearable knit blanket with several tentacles) and the light-up, sound-effect-laden Technomancer Hoodie.

Sixteen years ago, must-have merch made through fan demand felt revolutionary. Today, it’s expected. From LEGO sets to board games and niche T-shirts, fans now drive the fate of games and merchandise.

Twenty-five years ago, Jake Nickell and Jacob DeHart, two friends in Chicago launched Threadless with just $1,000. It wasn’t long before hipsters across the country were rocking the brand’s most iconic designs: “Funkalicious,” featuring an astronaut with a boombox; “Flowers in the Attic,” showing a gunshot splatter that morphs into a swarm of butterflies; and “The Communist Party,” a cartoon of history’s most controversial figures engaging in frat-party antics, red Solo cups in hand.

What sets Threadless apart from the mall staples like Spencer’s is more than just its indie cred. Proudly based in Chicago, the company is rooted in eco-friendly, ethical, and socially responsible practices — and, crucially, it lets fans decide what gets made. 

Each week, users vote on submitted designs using a 1-5 scale. Staff review the scores, and top-rated designs get printed. Artists receive 20% royalties from monthly net profits, and many host their own Artist Shops on the platform, maintaining control over pricing and content.

In 2013, Threadless teamed up with Fox for one of its biggest-ever challenge collaborations to celebrate The Simpsons’ 25th anniversary. The result? A staggering 832 design submissions and 626,290 fan votes, culminating in a 29-piece collection featuring everything from Mr. Plow and the Be Sharps to Ralph Wiggum’s school portrait. “We are thrilled that this partnership with Fox has given independent artists the opportunity to design officially licensed merchandise for the most celebrated animated series of all time,” said Threadless CEO Jake Nickell in a press release at the time.

More recently, Threadless celebrated Strawberry Shortcake’s 45th anniversary with a special design challenge. From 193 submitted designs and nearly 11,000 fan votes, the company produced three winning T-shirts. The top prize: $3,000. “We’re excited to tap into those feelings of nostalgia with classic Strawberry Shortcake and also surprise fans with fun ways they can celebrate the World of Strawberry Shortcake with us,” says Melissa Goodrich, director of franchise strategy at WildBrain. WildBrain manages Strawberry Shortcake’s content, licensing, and consumer product partnerships through its agency WildBrain CPLG.

To LEGO builders, Threadless’ community-driven process may sound more than familiar. It’s the same one championed by the fan-supported innovation arm of The LEGO Group. Originally launched in 2008 as a collaboration between CUUSOO and The LEGO Group, the platform rebranded as LEGO Ideas in 2014.

Fans submit their set concepts on the website, and products that reach 10,000 votes move into review by LEGO’s internal team for possible production. The review process can take several months. “It is the task of the idea creator to spread the word around their idea and drum up interest in voting,” says Monica Pedersen, marketing director, adults, at The LEGO Group. She added that the platform “provides a way to scale our relationship with lead users and enables LEGO to receive ideas from fans around the world.”

However, LEGO Ideas maintains strict content guidelines: The company does not allow post-World War II warfare themes or R-rated content. (Though sets are officially for ages 18 and up, many families build together.) This means fan-favorite themes like Firefly and Shaun of the Dead were rejected. Zelda-themed sets face challenges due to mold complexity. And since the building company produces official Harry Potter and Star Wars lines, those concepts are also off the table. “Stakeholders evaluate product ideas based on design feasibility, intellectual property availability, and overall portfolio fit,” Pedersen explains.

Still, many beloved fandom icons have made the leap from fan concept to store shelves. Recent releases include a 1,503-piece JAWS set ($149.99), featuring the Orca with an adjustable boom and minifigures of Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint; and the 2,001-piece Twilight Cullen House ($219.99) with seven minifigures and Bella’s iconic red pickup truck. Pedersen called The Cullen House “an eye-opener,” noting it took “just days” to hit 10,000 votes.

Creators whose ideas become commercial products receive 1% of net sales, 10 complimentary sets, and credit as the official LEGO Ideas designer. They’re also involved in the product development process from start to finish. “Once a product idea is approved, it goes through the exact same development process as any other LEGO product — the difference is the fan designer is included throughout,” Pedersen says. “They get a sneak peek at what it’s like to work for LEGO and bring products to life.”

One fan-favorite still awaiting approval is the Brooklyn Nine-Nine precinct set. Since its first design in 2021, it has gone up for vote three times, most recently garnering 20,000 builder supporters. Fans eagerly await a possible fourth round that could bring Holt’s office, the bullpen, the break room, and 11 iconic characters to LEGO’s lineup, joining sets like The Shire from The Lord of the Rings, Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, and Doofenshmirtz Incorporated Building from Phineas and Ferb, which reached the review stage at the end of June.

Beyond LEGO Ideas, The LEGO Group also runs BrickLink, an online marketplace where users can buy, sell, and trade sets, parts, and minifigures. BrickLink’s Studio platform allows fans to upload original, non-licensed product designs — complete with building instructions — offering a creative outlet for the brand’s most passionate supporters. “This is another way to celebrate the amazing and creative fan community we have at The LEGO Group,” Pedersen says.

A more direct path to fan-backed success is bringing products straight to their wallets. Crowdfunding platforms abound, but none is as renowned as Kickstarter. “We’ve always had fan-driven projects on Kickstarter, going back to early signature campaigns like the revival of Veronica Mars,” says Nick Yulman, director of outreach at Kickstarter.

The 2014 Veronica Mars film was funded by 91,585 backers, raising $5,702,153. It hit its goal in just 11 hours. Incentives started at $10, and it became the platform’s fastest project to hit $1 million — and then $2 million. The campaign launched on March 13, 2013; series creator Rob Thomas (no, not that one) completed the script by April 5.

Fan-favorite properties continue to find success on the platform, including Marvel, Back to the Future, and Harry Potter. It’s not just studio-backed projects. “There’s really been an explosion of interest in campaigns based on beloved IP,” Yulman says. He pointed to Skybound Entertainment, which broke Kickstarter records last year with its G.I. Joe comics compendium, then topped itself this year with a Transformers set that raised $4.6 million. “Kickstarter has really become a destination for many different fan communities to discover and back projects that wouldn’t come to life without their support. We see a lot of campaigns focused on fanbases in tabletop games, comics, and publishing — but also in collectibles, toys, film, and music,” he says.

Alex Mackey, founder of board game company Lethal Chicken Games, tried another crowdfunding platform, Crowdfundr, before fully committing to Kickstarter. “[The other service] did absolutely nothing and there wasn’t really a lot of other competition, either,” he adds, noting the platform had only six board games at the time. The company uses the platform as a point-of-sale.

Lethal Chicken Games is a two-person operation. Mackey met his business partner, Mike Szalajko, while volunteering in Fort Myers, Florida, after Hurricane Irma. Within a few months, they had a working prototype of their first game, What The Film?!, shipped from China. It launched on Kickstarter in February 2018 and was fully funded in a week.

This May, the company successfully funded four new games with a single campaign. Little Pig Little Pig, Tortilla Takedown, Dice Batter, and What’s Under Your Bed? raised a total of $8,613 from 62 backers, enough to produce 12,000 games for retail.

Yulman says the Kickstarter team actively supports creators with their campaigns: “We help build on the momentum they bring to a launch, whether that’s through our robust recommendation engine or through features on our site, in newsletters, and on social media.”

The platform encourages creators to connect directly with their fans. “It’s common to see backers jump into the comments to ask creators about the design of their product and voice their opinions and wishes,” Yulman says.

Mackey sees engagement as part of his job. “I’ll comment on every single comment. I will answer every single request or email,” he says. “We actually had someone who was like, ‘Oh, it would be nice to see a PDF of the instructions.’ The next day — boom — here you go. Instructions for all four games. It took me a full day’s work to format everything, but it was worth it to serve fans and make them feel good about backing us.”

Despite once swearing off the platform, Lethal Chicken Games has returned to Kickstarter repeatedly. “It doesn’t matter how good or clever it is, it’s still hard,” Mackey says of running crowdfunding campaigns. “I love Kickstarter, but I hate running Kickstarter campaigns.”

In June, Lethal Chicken prepared to launch Sketchy Doodles, a collaborative drawing game. The game’s creator, Nick Metzler, described it as a “social deduction drawing game” that blends elements of The Chameleon and Pictionary. Metzler is an award-winning game designer behind more than 35 other published titles; he is also friends with Mackey. The game is inspired by his appearance on Hulu’s Got to Get Out, a reality competition series featuring reality TV veterans and average Joes. Mackey calls the collaboration “a perfect fit.”

Fans are excited. Comments on Instagram include, “Awesome game idea,” and “Epic!!!”

Ultimately, it’s fans who should decide what gets made. “Speak to fans where they already are,” Yulman advises. Mackey agrees — but emphasizes that finding that audience takes effort. “You’ve still got to build that fanbase somehow, [even if] it’s through getting a TikTok video to go viral,” he says.

It may take hustle, hashtags, and a little — or a lot of — luck, but fans are the reason these products — and more — come to be. And when fans show up, the world listens.