The Plastic Fang Collection
A CHILDHOOD DEFINED
It’s no secret that horror films defined the better part of my childhood. Ever since witnessing John Carpenter's Halloween at the tender age of 4, my life changed forever. I know, it's weird to say that after only being on this earth for 48 months, but it's true. That film altered my brain chemistry in a way that eventually led to where I am now. But while horror shaped much of my life, being a child of the 80s meant there was so much more to it.
About eight months after seeing Halloween, I was taken to the theater to see E.T. No sooner had the credits rolled, I was in tears—a complete blubbering mess—because E.T., a strange little creature I had just met not two hours ago, almost died. HE ALMOST DIED!! To say that was yet another defining moment of my youth would be an understatement…
Add to that the days of setting up all my He-Man figures for epic battles, which gave way to G.I. Joe, and of course, Transformers. There were endless hours of Saturday morning cartoons, sugary cereals (with actual prizes inside), and lazy summer days of nothing but comic book reading. I was a fan of Iron Man back when Robert Downey Jr. was going on benders (he is the perfect Tony Stark, btw). I would draw my own super heroes wishing to be a comic book artist. I was in shuttle club at school and ate up any movie where kids went to outer space (Explorers, anyone?). I was also an avid BMX'er and skinned many a knee while attempting all the tricks I saw on RAD and various Matt Hoffman videos. And don't get me started on NES...
In short, I was an all-American child of the 80s. And if you are nodding your head in agreement with anything in that last paragraph, then you were too.
OH, THE HORROR…AND MORE
When I started Fright-Rags in 2003, it sprouted from a very short list of ideas. On one side of the paper was a list of what I liked. On the other, a list of products I could feasibly make. I drew a line between horror (which topped the list of "likes") to shirts and Fright-Rags was born. Since that day, I have been fueled by a passion to create the best horror shirts ever. The best art, the best shirt, the best service, the best experience. Period. I am proud of what we have built, and I am happy to say that there are so many wonderful things we have left to do. We ain't done by a loooooong shot.
But what if...
What if we took what we did and ventured into genres other than horror?
"But you guys are FRIGHT-RAGS—it's horror, dammit!"
I get it. I really do. But when was the last time you saw a really cool, original shirt for The Goonies? I don't know about you, but I loved that film as a kid and would gladly rock a t-shirt designed by Justin Osbourn, Chris Lovell, Abrar Ajmal, or any of the other talented artists we work with. Fill in the many blanks of various childhood memories and there are endless possibilities.
Enter…THE PLASTIC FANG COLLECTION.
The Plastic Fang Collection will be a place within Fright-Rags for us to create shirts and other products that do not fit the horror genre specifically. While I initially entertained the idea of starting a separate company/website, I felt it was best to keep it a part of Fright-Rags for now. Where it goes from here, only time will tell...
WHY PLASTIC FANG?
For a few years—about as long as this idea has been rolling around in my head—I struggled with what to call this new collection. I tried out many iterations of words that tried to evoke certain feelings. I wanted a name that not only reminded me of something, but was also open for interpretation. Then it hit me: Plastic Fang. The name evoked images of those little clear plastic vending machine bubbles that contained little vampire teeth. We all had them as a kid and they reminded me of when times were a bit more simple. I also liked it because it had an "edge" to it. "plastic" made me think of the 80s....shit, everything was plastic back then. And "fang" well, I guess that's an easy one given the horror fan that I am.
This isn't about being all things to everyone. This is about being all the things that meant something to us—and still do. It's about my childhood. It's about your childhood. It's about us.
WHAT ABOUT HORROR?
What about it? Horror never dies...and we will never stop creating horror shirts. It will not change any plans we have for future releases, or any other of the ideas we will continue to work on for what I hope to be many, many years to come. One does not replace the other. We only want to add and create more cool stuff.
I cannot wait to sink our fangs into this...below is a preview of the first shirts in the collection, coming Wednesday, August 10. I hope you enjoy them.
As always, thank you for your support and allowing us to live out our childhoods each day.
Ben Scrivens
President/CEO
FRIGHT-RAGS, INC
NAVIGATOR'S FLIGHT
STARFIGHTER
MIYAGI-DO KARATE
THE BODY
EX-PRESIDENTS - TRI-BLEND
EX-PRESIDENTS - DARK HEATHER