Pac-Man
There are few things in pop culture that have stayed around the way Pac-Man has. It was born in 19? ?, it looks like a yellow slice of pie with teeth but became one of the most iconic images around the globe. It’s something we consider alot when we work on a collection such as this. The easy route would be to take a maze print, slap it on a mug and call it a day. That’s not what we’re about.
We’re about digging in to find those things that do the licence justice. Things that someone who truly loves this game will be proud to display and not just tolerate on their shelves. Pac-Man means something different to everyone you’re buying for. To some it’s buck-packed nostalgia; the scent of the arcade in ’84 and that smile you get after clearing a board. To others its much simpler than that. The design. That iconic minimalist graphic design style that manages to never feel dated. Both are equally as valid and we wanted things that would cater for both crowds.
Anything that made it into this collection had to pass one criteria above all else. If someone who actually cares about Pac-Man opened their present would they be happy with it? Would they grab for it and get excited or smile politely and ponder where they could shove it? We don’t care about that second option. So we trimmed the waist line on stuff that felt cheap, that used the licence as a billboard without understanding why anybody would care and bins things that looked like they were made for the bottom shelf of a motorway service station ‘gift’ shop.
What remains is a collection that we’d be happy to buy ourselves. Some of it you’ll use. Some of it you’ll refuse to use because it’s too nice. Some we covet so much we’d probably keep if this wasn’t intended as gifts. The point is everything here earns its spot on your shelf. Whether your geek dad is-old school and remembers feeding quarters into the cabinet or just loves the pixel art., The icon didn’t become timeless by luck. Neither should your gifts.