I am not here to link them or rat them out for selling unauthorized D&D products. That is not my point today.
My point today is this ad.
If you are unfamiliar with the "Gateway to Adventure: 1981TRS Hobbies, Inc." brochure that came with the Basic and Expert Sets there is a copy on Archive.org.
I had always wanted those shirts. In particular the D&D Basic set, the Players Handbook, and the Deities & Demigods shirts.
At age 11 though even the $6.00 + shipping seemed like a lot of cash when I was saving and buying things on my own. That six bucks was two paperbacks or half way to my next hardcover.
I am now at an age, and the means, to buy what I want. I want some of these shirts, but sadly these are not something that comes up at game auctions or eBay. Plus if they did would I really want one?
I have made some shirts for other games, namely Ghosts of Albion, for when I am running games. But I really would just rather buy one. I'd like WotC/Hasbro or their authorized reseller to have a storefront where I can buy retro-style D&D T-shirts. I bought a "Red Box" D&D shirt from Wizards one Gen Gen con a number of years ago. I would like some more.
HELL. I want a Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, or White Star tee shirt too!
+Erik Tenkar, +Matt Finch, +James Spahn who needs to be bribed to get these done?
A very nice scan of that catalog is built into the PDF file (as the last 10 pages or so) in my DriveThru copy of the Cook/Marsh Expert Rulebook. Considering their willingness to use nostalgic imagery to sell their current product, I'd imagine WOTC would be more than willing to make reproductions of a lot of these shirts if they learned there were enough people willing to buy them. (Although the Fight in the Skies shirt might be a harder sell today...)
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