Who doesn’t love a good pun? Or an inspired mashup? Tee Rex Tee specializes in both these things with playful designs representing an eclectic assortment of fandoms and pop culture phenomena.
The t-shirt brand aims to help geeks express their love of favorite characters, memes and puns with cute, colorful artwork that’s original and unexpected.
According to the Tee Rex Tee website, the founders “believe in getting your inner geek out in the world in the most stylish way possible.”
The brand sells tees, stickers, and postcards online at teerextee.com. They also vend at conventions across the country and occasionally worldwide. (I discovered them last year at Los Angeles Comic Con.)
Tee Rex Tee features designs based on video games, movies, TV shows, and other cool stuff. The company’s artists run wild with designs inspired by dozens of fandoms, including Pokemon, Harry Potter, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Final Fantasy, My Hero Academia, Marvel, Studio Ghibli, Disney, Overwatch, Game of Thrones, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dungeons & Dragons, and Voltron.
If you’re partial to wordplay, unlikely combinations, animals, adorable fantasy creatures, food, or all things spooky or horror-related, then you’re going to want to check them out. Also, you may be interested to know they’re currently featuring designs from The Mandalorian (Baby Yoda!).
Temple of Geek rounded up geek models Shayla, Josh, Jose, and Aaron to frolic in fun Tee Rex Tees in downtown Los Angeles.
Tea-Rex T-Shirt
What we love about it: Apparently, Tee Rex Tee couldn’t resist doubling down on the pun in its own brand name with this simply precious design. The result is a playful twist on a basic black tee for dinosaur lovers of all ages. Emblazoned with a toothy, green baby dino swimming in a cheery, blue tea cup, this soft, snug tee just makes us smile.
Shayla modeled a size XS.
Starbucky Coffee T-Shirt
What we love about it: Where are my Bucky fans?
Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier has a legion of devoted followers who will go just as crazy as we did over this Avengers-themed twist on a certain coffee chain’s green and white logo. We like that this design is distinctively different from your typical Marvel wear. It’s subtle, effortlessly cool, and a clever fashion statement for the Bucky brigade. Plus, it’s comfortably lightweight. It runs long, so women may want to style this tee by tucking it in, knotting it, or wearing it over leggings.
Aaron modeled a Medium.
Mr. Totoro’s Neighborhood T-Shirt
What we love about it: This cuddly combo of My Neighbor Totoro and television hero Mr. Rogers is the mashup we didn’t know we needed. Two childhood classics merge charmingly in this loose, breathable cotton tee in heather gray. Forest spirit Totoro wears Fred Rogers’ signature sweater and holds a Catbus trolley in a delightful design that pops with bright colors. Won’t you be my neighbor? We’re not crying. You’re crying.
Aaron modeled a Large.
Happy Little Trees T-Shirt
What we love about it: Here’s another fabulous mashup of sentimental favorites. The artist who painted this happy little shirt deserves major props for mingling tree-like Pokemon with friendly TV painter Bob Ross. We love the color combos on this lightweight, Navy blue men’s cut tee. It’s Sudowoodo approved.
And just a note that Tee Rex carries a similar “Happy Little Clouds” design featuring Swablu/Altaria.)
Jose modeled a 3XL.
A Piece of Link’s Heart T-Shirt
What we love about it: If you’re still shopping for Valentine’s Day, then here’s a hint. This sweet, little Legend of Zelda-inspired shirt would make the perfect gift for your partner in love and gaming. The adorable, forest green, three-paneled design depicts Link presenting Princess Zelda with a heart. This whimsical nod to the old-school Nintendo classic is as sweet as can be.
Josh modeled a size XL.
Overall:
We’re grateful the folks at Tee Rex Tees have come up with so many clever puns, mashups, and fandom combos we didn’t know we wanted until now. It’s fun to see the creativity on display in these t-shirts. The artwork is bright, cheery, and memorable.
The almost total lack of irony in the designs is refreshing, too. There’s a genuine sweetness to the concepts and the art that we can’t resist.
The shirts are made of soft, comfy, 100% preshrunk cotton. The fit seems mostly true to size and we appreciate the range of sizes (XS to 3XL) offered. The brand recommends washing the tees in cold water and drying on low.
To shop Tee Rex Tee, visit their website.
Photos by Monica Duarte.
For more Temple of Geek Chic coverage:
Temple of Geek Chic: Insert Coin supplies gamers with comfy, clever tees
Temple of Geek Chic: Horror blazers let you show your creepy side
