'Red Bull Rising' Blog Launches Zazzle Store!

Find designs like this at: zazzle.com/redbullrising

Last year, the Sherpa kids and I worked hard to develop a prototype Red Bull snowflake pattern. Actually, we'd started by making Darth Vader and Princess Leia snowflakes that we'd found on the Internet, and developed enough expertise to branch off on our own.

The Force was with us.

We posted the Red Bull result on the Red Bull Rising Facebook page, along with the tagline: "We're dreaming of a Red Bull Christmas."

Just hold your horses, before you hog-tie me for even mentioning Christmas before Thanksgiving has come and gone. I told you that special snowflake story, in order to tell you this one ...

For the past couple of years, when we've executed a particular piece of military humor or snarky design, we've lacked the bandwidth for sharing it with others, more than just posting it on Facebook as some sort of mini-meme.

When we tried to digitally re-create our Red Bull snowflake this year, we realized two things:

1. We managed to fit another couple of bulls in there this time. 

2. This design might make a fun Christmas ornament, not only for the Sherpa family, but for you and yours as well. 

One thing led to another, and we started to experiment with the print-on-demand service Zazzle. We'd ordered other products through the company—mostly DoctrineMugs!! designed by the notorious web cartoonist DoctrineMan!!—and we were pleased with the quality. So we uploaded our Red Bull Rising snowflake design, as well as a new Red Bull take on that popular "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster from World War II Britain.

We started with the basics. In addition to ornaments, we've prototyped some greeting cards, magnets, coffee mugs—even a candy dish!

More products and designs will follow.

Right now, however, you might say we're still in Beta mode. Or call it a "soft launch." Still, we're having fun learning yet another interface, and thought we'd share some of our early results. Take a look at our new on-line store. Feel free to offer feedback and suggestions.

There's even a 20 to 60 percent sale on all Zazzle products until Fri., Nov. 21. Just use the coupon code "TISTHESEASON" when you place an order.

Thanks, as always, for your continued readership and support.

Keep calm this holiday season, and Attack! Attack! Attack!