Cthulhu At Your Luau
Posted on August 15, 2012 by Monica Valentinelli
Back in June, I pledged to The Horror in Clay Kickstarter. The concept? Simple enough. Cthulhu’s sanity-blasting image immortalized in a glazed tiki mug. The Kickstarter got a lot of acclaim and was picked up by sites like Boing Boing, iO9.com, and the like. Their original goal was $12,500 and they successfully raised over $75,000. I was thrilled to be one of the people who pledged to this and look forward to sipping refreshing beverages out of Cthulhu’s unhallowed form.
To me, this is a great example of what Kickstarter can do: bring dreams into reality that would have otherwise been impossible to create without a small business loan. Because Horror in Clay was extremely successful, the manufacturer was able to open a webstore so more cultists… er… customers can add the Elder God to their luaus.
The updates fascinate me because I’m able to watch the manufacturing process as it happens. I feel like I’m a vested partner who bought a small share of this company and I’m being rewarded for it as one of its founders. Additionally, I’ve been very impressed with the professional tack on how this is structured. This may be two people with a dream, but they are serious about running a business and their marketing and website is spot on. Now all we need is a Hawaiian shirt and tentacle leis to go with! Waiting for a new Kickstarter in three… two… one…
If I had any criticism to give, it’s that their logo is pretty complex and definitely pops out more when it’s viewed in color. Given how many Cthulhu-related images you see out there now-a-days (even poor octopi are now getting tossed into the tentacle-loving ring o’ Lovecraft), I can see why they went in the direction they did.
To check out their wares, visit the Horror in Clay webstore. If you do wind up buying one of these, post a comment below so I can toast to your madness. Ia! Ia!
Thank you for the kind words Monica! I having fun with it, I can tell you that!
Completely overwhelmed and gratified by the enthusiasm. Feel free to ping me with any questions you may have at any time.
My only quibbling point – the Horror In Clay LLC logo is pretty simple; just the words surrounded by a bamboo frame. The Horror In Clay Tiki-Thulhu design from the shirts etc is the one I suspect you mean, and yeah, it’s a little busy, especially at smaller sizes. But it looks GREAT on a banner or shirts. I’m sure early on I referred to it as the logo, though, which only confuses the issue.
This thing has blown up far beyond my original aspirations; no telling yet where it will end.
Also; there is a design for a hawaiian shirt, and it is on the short list for next project. So there you go.
Thanks again for the wonderful write up! I’m toasting YOUR madness when I get home tonight. IA! IA! CTHULHU FTHAGN!
Jonathan Chaffin
http://www.facebook.com/horrorinclay
I met up with these folks at the Rockabilly Luau. They deserve all the success the world can give them. I ordered up my mug and can’t wait to mix up some fourth dimensional Mai Tais, though I suppose with the Great Cthulhu involved, a Suffering Bastard may be a better drink to inaugurate what is sure to be a very worthy vessel.