DAL Tee

The DAL Tee is one of those products I love because the exact same product is available in the game and in real life. I got my own shirt at the Nintendo Store in New York City. It’s one of the most comfortable T-shirts I own, and I’ve gotten compliments on it when I wear it around (some recognize it instantly, some are perplexed and ask if it’s a new airline).

As with the Aloha Shirt Tee (which I sadly missed out on), these are limited editions and once they’re gone, they’re gone. But Nintendo is smart in that it’s allowing (or at least turning a blind eye to) fans to sell their fan-created merchandise on Etsy. I understand when companies ask fans to cease-and-desist when selling products that directly compete with their products, but if a fan can create a design that’s respectful of their IP, that just helps them sell more copies of the game.

For the most part, the fan creations are pretty good. Customers do a pretty good job of filtering out the poorly executed art, so what bubbles to the top are products that are equal to an official licensed product (or even better—many times, contractors who license products don’t have nearly the passion for the IP that fans do).