Some summers are soccer summers.
You know the ones we mean. The summers where every neighborhood bar has a TV on in the afternoon. Where someone in your office has suddenly become a national team expert. Where kids are in the backyard wearing jerseys and you start hearing the word "kit" used by people who, a month ago, said "jersey."
This is one of those summers. We don't have to name the thing happening for you to know what we're talking about. The energy is in the air. Your group chat is more chaotic than usual. Someone you barely know just texted you a meme about a yellow card.
We made something small for it.
Meet the Soccer Jersey Fidget Clickers
They're little 3D-printed jerseys, sized to clip onto a backpack, a keychain, a zipper, or a fidgety hand under a desk. The shirt slides up and down inside the frame with a satisfying click. They are roughly the size of a large coin and built to live in a pocket.
We're launching with four colorways to start — sky blue and white stripes, all-orange with black trim, red-white-and-blue waves, and red on red. Each one references a national team kit you'll recognize if you're paying attention to the summer. We didn't print any logos. We didn't claim any official anything. We just designed small, recognizable jerseys for the people who already know which one is theirs.
Why a fidget
Because soccer fans are some of the most physically restless humans on the planet during a match.
There's a particular kind of nervous energy that takes over during a tournament. You're watching, you're invested, your team is up by one in stoppage time, and you don't know what to do with your hands. Some people pace. Some people yell. Some people grip the couch.
A small fidget clicker in your pocket — or on your bag, where you can reach for it when the tension hits — is, we think, a perfectly reasonable response to this. Click it during the corner kick. Click it during the VAR review. Click it when the announcers start describing what "should have been a clear penalty." It will not change the outcome of the match. It will give your hands something to do that isn't tearing apart a napkin.
Why we made these specifically
Two reasons.
One: we've been getting asked. People have been writing us looking for soccer-themed small objects in the same way they've been writing us for curling and climbing things. There's a real gap in the market for soccer fans who want something small and specific that isn't a $40 official-licensed keychain from a stadium gift shop. We can fill some of that gap.
Two: this summer specifically has soccer everywhere. We pay attention to the cultural moment. Some of our best products have come out of moments like this — making something specific for the people who are already feeling something specific. The summers when soccer takes over the country are exactly the right time to put a small soccer object into the world.
Who they're for
The kid heading into the backyard with a ball every afternoon. Add it to their bag.
The adult who has cleared their schedule for certain afternoon matches and feels mildly insane about it. Clip it to the keys.
The friend who has suddenly become a tactics expert and won't stop sending you reels of penalty kicks. Send them one in their team's colors.
The coworker whose Teams status is now a flag emoji.
The teenager who has been wearing their jersey for the third day in a row.
The person on your team who quietly schedules their lunch break around match times.
You.
How to get one
The Soccer Jersey Fidget Clickers are live in the shop now. Pick the colorway that means something to you. They ship from our garage in Kansas City, printed by us, packaged with the usual handwritten thank-you postcard, and they'll be at your door in time for at least one round of matches.
We'll be adding more colorways as the summer goes on. If there's a kit you want to see us make, let us know. We're listening.
In the meantime, find the one that looks like your team. Click it through the next match. Try to keep your composure.
It's a soccer summer.
0 comments