The Mondo Monster of Brooklyn
Having a shirt company is a lot of fun. We get great inquiries about the sizes we sell, charities we donate to and of course inspiration for designs. We are very frequently questioned about our unique name, Mondo Monster Wear. We look at them incredulously - amazed that they never heard of the Mondo Monster.
Growing up in the rural, rolling hills of Brooklyn, New York, it is less lore or story than mythical dogma when discussing the Mondo monster. The Mondo monster, which resides in a cave at the top of the mountain above what is now known as Flatbush Avenue, was first sighted in 978 B.C.E (although imagery on tapestries created in circa 1569 B.C.E. gives some professors evidence that the Mondo Monster might have been the first borough president) . An evolutionary paradox thumbing its nose at Charles Darwin, nocturnal by nature while at the same time both reptilian and marsupial, it’s actually part of the Monotreme genus of mammals that lay eggs. A basic contradiction in terms as it is considered to be a vegetarian that hunts for meat. The irony of course being that it derives proteins from small insects and crunchy bugs like cicadas which only emerge every 17 years.
Prior to 1977, the Mondo monster, hibernated for 17 years - lined up so that it awoke to feed on cicadas. That all changed during the summer of 1977 when a bizarre convergence of events occurred. That Summer featured a blackout and a city scared for its life because of a serial killer known as the Son of Sam. Rather than hibernate for the usual 17 years, the Mondo monster awoke after 12 years (scientists attribute this change in behavior to a convergence of the phases of the moon, the Yankees in first place and increase in sales of Billy Beer). Since then the hibernation cycle of the Mondo monster has been a consistent 12 year period. So it was in the summer of 1977 that people in Brooklyn were fearing for their lives from both the son of Sam and the Mondo Monster. Clearly it had an effect on the residents.
One of the things that Brooklynnites have always been aware of has been to be careful when hiking one of Brooklyn’s beautiful natural mountainside trails at night during one of these 17 and then 12-year cycles. Small rodents, animals and door-to-door solar panel salesman have mysteriously gone missing - presumably because of the Mondo monster. The rise of shopping from home and mail order catalogs and websites was the basic inspiration for the founding of this shirt company. And it was only natural that we would name it after the unofficial predatory mascot of the fourth largest city in America.
As a convenience we are attaching a photo of the Mondo monster so that you are aware of what he looks like. Nothing like the Tasmanian devil. Slightly resembles the man bear pig from South Park.
Each time you purchase a shirt from our site, you are paying tribute to the beast that terrorized Brooklyn for over a millennia. We should mention before signing off that if you are confronted by the Mondo monster while you’re hiking in our wonderful natural preserves, it’s very simple to escape. Either rub him on the belly or punch him in the nose but don’t run away.
.... oh and buy some shirts.