Threadless unveils new fan-designed ‘Simpsons’ T-shirt line

Just in time for Christmas, online marketplace Threadless and 20th Century Fox have rolled out a collection of artist/fan-designed T-shirts depicting the denizens of Springfield.

“The Simpsons� X Threadless line consists of 29 T-shirt designs (winnowed from 832 submitted from 64 countries) and we’re told it marks the first time fan artists have designed a collection of officially licensed merchandise for the long-running show.

Of those, 28 artists will enjoy the kind of bragging rights that come with having people want your Wiggum and buy your Bart (as well as 10% in royalties) from the shirts, which are retailing from $10 to $25 at Threadless.com.

One -- Dianne Delahunty of London -- gets an additional $5,000 for creating what was voted the overall winner of “The Simpsons Design Challenge.� Called “Mmmmm-aze,� it features a maze in the shape of Homer’s head that starts at each ear and ends at a donut design smack in the middle of his forehead (it’s at the far right in the above photo).

Other designs feature Ned Flanders, Bart, Milhouse, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy (“Worst T-shirt Ever,� at far left in the above photo) and a couple, including my three favorites (“Duff Beer Can Pop Art,� (at center above) “Muumuu� and “Lard Lad�) don’t include any of the four-fingered folks at all.

Oddly, none of the winning designs prominently feature Marge, Lisa or Maggie Simpson. We sincerely hope that’s sheer coincidence -- and not evidence that the cartoon glass ceiling still exists after all these years.

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