The Blot can’t remember exactly when I first found out about Sleepy Dan and his fledgling Dallas, Texas based clothing line, but the moment I stumbled upon his website I knew he had something big. And this was before he had even produced his first t-shirt! Sleepy Dan had a dream and a vision for what his new brand could be and I loved the story he was telling. According to his website, the nickname Sleepy Dan describes anyone who is overly motivated but can’t find time to sleep. Often seen tired during the day due to long working night hours, the alias can be used to tease someone for being found yawning, daydreaming, or half awake.
The purpose of the Sleepy Dan brand is to use pop culture art to uncover and unify those who share Dan’s love of sleep. And if you know The Blot then you know I love my Zzzzz’s, not to mention all things pop culture! The brand insignia is an alarm clock surrounded by lightning bolts, which symbolizes the energy of the alarm ringing to wake us up and get our day started. The brand message “You Snooze, You Lose!” gives the clear understanding that too much sleep will inhibit progress and personal growth.
Sleepy Dan Series 1 features some really fun designs, including “Sleep Attack,” the brand’s first illustrated bedroom character. But what I really like about this collection are all the fun little details Dan has included in each design. My favorite is “Sleepy Bowser”, which is a homage to the main villain in Nintendo's Super Mario video game series. You may not be able to tell this from the photo, but this 8-bit version of Bowser is made up of tiny Sleepy Dan alarm clock insignias. How cool is that!?!? I also love the “Sheep Icon” t-shirt, which combines Dan’s alarm clock insignia with the one animal everyone counts when desperately trying to fall fast asleep.
All of the t-shirts seen here (and even a few more) are currently available for purchase from the Sleepy Dan online store. The men’s style t-shirts retail for $26 each and come in sizes S-XXL, while the women’s style t-shirts retail for $22 each and come in sizes S-XL. Just remember, once a shirt sells out it will never be reprinted again....so if you snooze on some of these killer designs you really will lose!