ThinkGeek
Encyclopedia
ThinkGeek is an American online retailer that caters to computer
enthusiasts and other "geek
y" social groups. Their merchandise includes clothing, electronic and scientific gadgets, unusual computer peripherals, office toys, pet toys, child toys, and caffeinated drinks and candy. ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, is based in Fairfax, Virginia
, and is owned by Geeknet
.
" as the caption, a ROFLCOPTER (an ASCII drawing
of a helicopter made of internet slang), the Intel Pentium Processor logo replacing "Intel" with "Geek", and a pixellated
1up Mushroom from the Super Mario Brothers games series.
ThinkGeek runs a points-for-reward system called Geek Points, under which customers can earn rewards for buying more products.
On April 1 every year, the company posts a fake homepage with absurd fictional products. For example, in 2007 it advertised "Surge Stix", cigarette-like high potency caffeine
delivery systems that, when snapped like a glow stick, supposedly deliver as much caffeine as five cans of Coca-Cola
. Some of the Aprils Fools Day products have been so popular with users that they have been made into actual products, such as the 8-Bit Tie, the Personal Soundtrack t-shirt, the Tauntaun sleeping bag and the iCade
.
Think Geek items are usually based on other franchises and items, such as Star Wars
, Star Trek
, Doctor Who
, Bacon
, Minecraft
, zombies, LEGO
, iPhone
, and others.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
enthusiasts and other "geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
y" social groups. Their merchandise includes clothing, electronic and scientific gadgets, unusual computer peripherals, office toys, pet toys, child toys, and caffeinated drinks and candy. ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, is based in Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, and is owned by Geeknet
Geeknet
Geeknet, Inc. is a Mountain View, California company that owns several computer tech-related websites and the online retailer ThinkGeek. Formerly known as VA Research, VA Linux Systems, VA Software, and SourceForge, Inc., it was founded in 1993.-VA Research:VA Research was founded in November...
.
Products
A majority of products sold on ThinkGeek are heavily related to (and sometimes only understood within) Internet culture. Some t-shirt designs include stick figure with detached buttocks, with "LMAOLOL (Internet slang)
LOL, an abbreviation for laughing out loud, or laugh out loud, is a common element of Internet slang. It was used historically on Usenet but is now widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication, and even face-to-face communication...
" as the caption, a ROFLCOPTER (an ASCII drawing
ASCII art
ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
of a helicopter made of internet slang), the Intel Pentium Processor logo replacing "Intel" with "Geek", and a pixellated
Pixelation
In computer graphics, pixelation is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, are visible to the eye...
1up Mushroom from the Super Mario Brothers games series.
ThinkGeek runs a points-for-reward system called Geek Points, under which customers can earn rewards for buying more products.
On April 1 every year, the company posts a fake homepage with absurd fictional products. For example, in 2007 it advertised "Surge Stix", cigarette-like high potency caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
delivery systems that, when snapped like a glow stick, supposedly deliver as much caffeine as five cans of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. Some of the Aprils Fools Day products have been so popular with users that they have been made into actual products, such as the 8-Bit Tie, the Personal Soundtrack t-shirt, the Tauntaun sleeping bag and the iCade
ICade
The iCade is an accessory for the Apple iPad line of devices which functions as a miniaturised, portable arcade cabinet, including a physical joystick and buttons...
.
Think Geek items are usually based on other franchises and items, such as Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
, Minecraft
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...
, zombies, LEGO
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, and others.