POPTASTIC PLUS is Poptastic's sister site where you will find more t-shirt styles and colors to choose from. 
Click HERE to see all the yummy new flavors!
The nice folks at T-shirt Magazine chose to feature Poptastic in this week's issue's Spotlight. Here's a transcript of the interview.
TM: When did you decide that t-shirts was your thing?
Cynthia Arre (that's me): My husband Arnold and I are both full-time graphic designers but because we're always churning out work-related stuff for our clients, we felt that we needed a hobby that would give us the creative freedom to design what we wanted. T-shirt design was the obvious choice because it provides instant gratification to both the consumer and the designer. (If someone likes our shirt and they buy it, then that makes us all happy instantly.)
TM: How long have you been in the t-shirt biz? And what have you learned?
CA: We opened Poptastic just a little over a year ago, in January 2007 to be exact. We're pretty young in this business but so far, we've learned that it really takes a lot of creativity, patience, passion, and hard work to maintain an online t-shirt shop especially if your niche -- pop culture graphic tees in our case -- is in demand. There are a lot of t-shirt shops out there with great-looking merchandise so we are constantly keeping an eye out for trends and ideas that will make our shop "pop", so to speak. Another thing we've learned is to not see these other shops as competition -- in fact we've made friends with other shopkeepers who sell similar-themed merchandise and we link to one another as a way of keeping the niche alive. This keeps the market healthy.
TM: How has having a Cafepress shop benefited you?
CA: The beauty of the Cafepress service is that our shop can have as many designs as we want and we won't have to worry about the physical handling issue as our designs are available on a print-on-demand basis. Cafepress also promotes community interaction and technical support and its always reassuring to know that there are CP representatives and fellow shopkeepers who are ready to help when trouble arises.
TM: Which of your shirts is your absolute favorite?
CA: We like all of our designs equally but my favorites at the moment would have to be the "Meh" designing featuring a cartoon drawing of an indifferent goat, "Cool Beans" which shows a cute illustrated bunch of well, cool beans, and "What's up, duck" . Our retro/80s designs seem to be customer favorites.
TM: Do your run your shop alone or do you have a team?
CA: The "team" is made up of just my husband and myself.
TM: Where do you get your inspiration from when it comes to designing t-shirts?
CA: Since our shop's overall theme is pop culture, our ideas come from everywhere - from watching the news to hanging out in a coffee shop to driving through side streets. We always keep notebooks in our bags so we can jot down ideas that come to us on the fly.
TM: What would you say your niche is and what has been your best marketing vehicle in targeting that audience?
CA: I would say our market is comprised of people who are basically like us -- pop culture fans who are looking for unique tee designs to express themselves and have other like-minded people say "hey, where'd you get that shirt?". These fans get a lot of their information on the internet so when we have new designs, we make sure to spread the word by blogging about them and interacting with possible customers via social networks and forums (spamming is a no-no, though!). We also have a newsletter that our buyers have the option of subscribing to when they make a purchase.
TM: What's in the works for the future of your shop?
CA: Poptastic will remain a small home-based business until the next couple of years or so but new designs will be added pretty frequently and regularly. We actually make it a point to come up with new designs every week so that the selection is always fresh. Once we amass a wider variety of designs and earn enough to quit our day jobs, we'll possibly set up a full-fledged (but still home-based) t-shirt business.
TM: What tips could you give to others trying to get into the t-shirt biz?
CA: Don't be discouraged if sales are slow in the beginning, it will definitely pick up if you invest a lot of your time, passion and determination into your shopkeeping and shop promotion. Keep an idea book handy because you never know when inspiration might strike. Also, try to avoid making designs that are not your specialty. If you think flashy shirts with snazzy vector graphics are "in" but it's not really your thing, don't force the issue because there's a big possibility that the design won't come out right because your heart's not into it. If you design something that you like, chances are there are people out there just like you who will want your shirts too.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE INTERVIEW ON THE T-SHIRT MAGAZINE SITE
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I applaud T-shirt Magazine for giving print-on-demand shops like us a chance for our voice to be heard.
Remember typing .07734 on an old-school calculator and turning it upside down so it would read "Hello"? This design pays tribute to those good old days. However in our version, the calculator saves you the trouble of turning it over by doing an awesome handstand on its own and displays a great sense of humor to boot by quoting a cheesy 80s pop song.
Click HERE to see the other shirt styles this design is available on.
UPDATE: This design is available in many other t-shirt styles and colors at Poptastic Plus
POPTASTIC PLUS is Poptastic's sister site where you will find more graphic tee designs, styles and colors to choose from.
Ixnay on the Orkpay - If a pig learned to speak, what do you think it'll say? We think it's "nix on the pork", in pig latin, natch.
Meh. - So what does exactly does it mean? Well for us, it sounds uncannily like what an indifferent goat might say.
What's the happy-haps? - Just a cool, groovier way of saying "what's happenin'"
You dig? - Dig = beavers = burrowing through the ground. Get it? You dig?
I just had another one of my brilliant ideas! - Our tribute to Blair Warner and the fabulous 80s TV series The Facts of Life.
MORE FUN, POP CULTURE T-SHIRT DESIGNS AT POPTASTIC
UPDATE: "Ixnay on the Orkpay" and "Meh" are also available in many other t-shirt styles and colors at Poptastic Plus
POPTASTIC PLUS is Poptastic's sister site where you will find more graphic tee designs, styles and colors to choose from.
Cool Beans - Are you ever gonna find a hipper bunch of legumes? Wouldn't you want to hang around with this happenin' group of Cool Beans? Cute and fun design on t-shirts and other apparel. [Go]
Spirit Fingers - "These are spirit fingers, and these are gold." Retro design and funny quote from the 90s cheerleading movie "Bring It On". [Go]
I Less Than Three You - I Less Than Three You: just another way of saying, well, I <3 you! For the internet or computer geek in your life. [Go]
Visit Poptastic for more fun pop culture graphic tees and talk to us via our brand new shoutbox!
UPDATE (9.05.08): From now on, we will no longer be selling Jason Castro fan merchandise. Please head on over to his official site, Jason Castro Music, to show him and his family your support! To Jason, thank you for the music. Poptastic Tees wishes you all the best.
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We've got a brand new t-shirt design for your (and Poptastic's) favorite singing dreadhead Jason Castro!
Dreadhead 2.25" Button
Our "Dreadhead" design features a hand-drawn logo peppered with elements inspired by some of the songs Jason sang in the past weeks (a rainbow for Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a car for Travellin' Thru, and clouds for Daydream) and if you squint, you will find a little cartoon of the dreadheaded heartthrob and his guitar somewhere on the right side.
Dreadhead Jr. Spaghetti Tank
The design comes in various shirt styles and colors and is available on buttons, caps, totes, teddy bears, and other fan gear too. 
Dreadhead Cap
The breezy, summery design makes it a perfect choice for wearing to the idol tours!
See more shirt styles and color options HERE.
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Other Jason/AI7 designs (including the "John Norris Jason is My Idol t-shirt" can be found HERE.
- Private Ice, He's Watching You! - funny retro, noir-ish design with an 80s pop song reference
- What's Up, Duck? - funny retro saying with a cartoon illustration
- Build Me Up, Buttercup - retro design with a 60s/70s pop song reference
- We Built This City On Rock and Roll - retro, art deco design with an 80s pop song reference
- You're So Fine, You Blow My Mind - cute retro design with a cartoony illustration
- Oh I love trash! - cartoony design of a quote by a popular kid tv grouch
- Party time! Excellent! - retro graphic inspired by a quote from a popular 90s film
- Air Guitar - retro graphic inspired by a quote from a popular 90s film
- Gureito Sukotto! - what a Japanese person might exclaim when he is suddenly whisked back in time
- I Wear My Sunglasses at Night - 80s design inspired by a popular 80s pop song
All designs are available on t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, and other apparel.
Browse more retro tees at Poptastic
UPDATE: "What's up, duck?" is also available in many other t-shirt styles and colors at Poptastic Plus
POPTASTIC PLUS is Poptastic's sister site where you will find more graphic tee designs, styles and colors to choose from.
UPDATE (9.05.08): From now on, we will no longer be selling Jason Castro fan merchandise. Please head on over to his official site, Jason Castro Music, to show him and his family your support! To Jason, thank you for the music. Poptastic Tees wishes you all the best.
***
The Poptastic team is beyond ecstatic that our original "Jason is my Idol" design made it's debut TV appearance on MTV news! Here's a screen capture of news reporter John Norris sporting our tee:
We think it's great that it's now being dubbed as the Jason-Norris shirt. :)
The streaming video [click]
And here's the original Jason is My Idol guitar design shirt:
Jason Is My Idol Dark T-Shirt
UPDATE: Thank you, McLovin of the awesome Castrocopia portal for spreadin' the love. We really appreciate it!
And by the way, it was indeed John Norris who chose the shirt himself. We dug up proof from March 30's order report:
We are also in the process of putting up a customer page so if you've bought a shirt from us, kindly send us a photo of you wearing it so we can include it in our gallery!
Click HERE to see the other t-shirt styles and colors the design is available on.
Or visit Poptastic to see other AI7 and Jason Castro designs.
- Ultraelectromagnetic Top - inspired by Voltes V
- I'm The Bees Knees - pop culture saying/expression
- No Gnus is Good Gnus - quote from The Great Space Coaster
- Red, Gold and Green - from Karma Chameleon, 80s pop song
- O Captain! My Captain! - quote from Dead Poet's Society
MORE POP CULTURE TEES AT POPTASTIC
We've got Ranma 1/2 inspired tees for you manga and anime fans!
- Furinkan High School
- Ranma and Akane
- Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts
- Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts
More TV Tees here.
We've got more "The Adventures of Pete & Pete"-inspired retro style designs for you!
- Synchronize Rear Flaps design, inspired by the episode "King of the Road"
- Squirt on to Victory - Edna, the fighting squid is Wellsville High's beloved mascot.
- Gelatin! In two yummy flavors Green and Red
a quote from the episode "Don't Tread on Pete"
- The Elbow Theory, quote from the episode "King of the Road"
- Mom's Plate - okay if you're a fan of the show I don't need to explain this one. :)
MORE TV TEES HERE.
We've got new Pinoy / Filipino graphic tees for every Pinoy who's proud to be one. 
Pinoy Desserts Jr. Jersey T-Shirt
PINOY DESSERTS - A fun and funky design featuring a mix of bold, blocky text and mouth-watering illustrations of popular Filipino desserts like leche flan, halo-halo, sago't gulaman, and sans rival. Click HERE to see more shirt choices.
Pinoy Street Food Dark T-Shirt
PINOY STREET FOOD: A hip and happenin' design featuring a mix of big, bright text and punchy illustrations of popular Filipino street fare like hopia, mani, popcorn, isaw, bar-b-q, betamax, and balut. Click HERE to see more shirt choices.
Biyaheng Pinoy Light T-Shirt
BIYAHENG PINOY: A cheerful design featuring a mix of big, bright text and sketchy illustrations of popular,typical Filipino vehicles like the tricycle, pedicab, kalesa, and the world famous jeepney. Click HERE to see more shirt choices.
All designs are available on t-shirts, tank tops, baby onesies, kiddie and toddler tees, maternity tees, and other wearables.
Visit Poptastic's PINOY POP section to see more designs.
