12.18.2007

Finding An Old Friend

The other day, I was looking for something in the closet and happened to stumble across a bunch of my distressed old t-shirts from the 1990s. They were worn and faded and mostly unwearable, but due to certain packrat tendencies, they hadn't been thrown out. One, however, looked to still be in pretty good shape, and it was one of my old favorites: The Bad Frog Beer shirt. The black fabric had faded to a dark gray, and the screen printing was somewhat cracked, but it still appeared to be wearable. And the distressed look is back in fashion.

On the front, the frog is flipping the bird with his right hand while clutching a bottle of Bad Frog Beer in his left, squatting on top of big yellow letters declaring "HE JUST DON'T CARE," with smaller red letters underneath saying "BAD FROG BEER." On the upper right, the motto "FLIP THE BIRD, GET A FROG." There's more artwork on the back, in a similar vein. Well, what the heck, I had to wear it to work, for the first time this century. It brought some smiles, especially to some of the old-timers who have been around long enough to remember when I wore it back in the distant past.

It's only when I take a good look at the back that I remember why it got taken out of circulation: There are a couple of small holes on the back along the edges of the screen printed letters, where the fabric is coming apart. Nothing obvious, but it's probably best for the shirt to go back into retirement. It did liven up my day with a wave of nostalgia, though. Maybe it's time for me to find their web site and order another shirt.