During the summer of 1999, we began to reach further into the world of pop culture shopping and expand our reach. With the odd panic that was swirling around clocks changing from 1999 to 2000, some worried about computer date failures and global panic. So, we brought in our friend, the Y2K Bug, which was a plush that was designed to sit on your computer and protect you from the ensuing chaos. Our first promotion began where visitors to our shop could request a Miracle Fortune Teller Fish, which would last for much of the next year. We began to add in a line of products from the now defunct Stellar Gifts featuring the Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. For the next three years, we carried the Dr. Seuss line that featured the Cat in the Hat Coin Bank, Dr. Seuss character plush including The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Fox in Sox, and a line of Dr. Seuss keychains and magnets.

To the left: The now discontinued Squirrel Bobbing Head.

We also began to stock what has become our bread and butter, world renowned, our specialty, our key to the world, bobbing head animals! We began with some of the same products that you can find today including the pug, husky, beagle, and dalmatian dog bobble heads. Seen above is the squirrel, which was one of our most popular products from early 2000-2003. As you know, not only did we begin with the bobbing head animals back then, but they have remained among our most popular products all these years later.

Over the next few years, our expansion ventured out into iron on patches, decals, and pins. With the start of the Dr. Seuss products, we saw the ability to bring in terrific licensed products, but ones that were unique. Our original premise was that when you saw licensed products, they were all the same and quite generic and that was our aversion to stocking licensed products, however, we found that there were some wonderful and very hard to find products out there. We carried a terrific line of Hanna-Barbera products with hard-to-find characters including Wally Gator, Huckleberry Hound, and Magilla Gorilla and then our friends the Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, The Simpsons, and South Park.

Now that the then “tickles.com” had moved full speed ahead, it was time to move forward to our major expansion plans.

Enter a reality show with a music legend.

Our series on how PopCultureSpot.com began continues next week.

Back in 1998, the question came into being, “What would be a successful venture into the online world?” After dabbling in personal collecting of fast food toys, theme park memorabilia, and assorted kitsch, what’s a successful way to go? Ideas from various college towns and trendy areas of several cities came to mind. They all shared unique products and really cool kitsch that you couldn’t find at a local big box store, online, or even at most kitsch type of stores. While we were figuring out the structure, many other things had to be agreed upon. Would we be exclusively online? Would we branch out into the mail order catalog business or even a stand alone retail store?

As we worked through the concepts and business theme, we began to tinker with product. Our company began as “Tickles’ Toy Chest,” named after the family cat. We knew that a mascot would be the lynchpin of our store concept. Branding is important and desired. While the start-up costs and tinkering continued, we branched out to our first trade show, which is one of the biggest in the country. The business began with vintage toy products and handcrafted wooden animal candle holders, banks, and assorted funky home decor. It didn’t take long to see that it wasn’t exactly what we were looking for. Nothing says not so cool like a bizarre frog candle holder. So, it was back to the drawing board.

As more concepts were batted around, an infusion of capital would come at the end of 1998 and we began to bring in product that has now shaped into the current “PopCultureSpot.com.” Our mantra was simple: funky pop culture shopping. A tad bit of a mouthful, but as generic as it sounded, that’s what it was and that’s what you were to expect at our store, pop culture goods. Our objectives were clear: Unique, cool products that we personally would buy and most importantly, non-licensed products. In January 1999, the Tickles the Cat featured “tickles.com*” launched.

Our main products launched with totally bizarre and cool items including the SumoFan, Alien Yard Gnome, Flamingo light bulb, and walking sparking critters. To a lot of friends and family, it seemed odd and certainly not a long-term business proposition. Try explaining an online store to a grandparent in 1999. It might be commonplace today, but the concept that you shop online and don’t go to a store was rather shocking, even when you would just make the point that it was no different from a mail order catalog or shopping by television. Version 2.0, which was the agreed upon pop culture store format, launched in January 1999 on the MivaMerchant shopping platform.

To be continued throughout the next week here in our PopCultureSpot.com Store Blog. Many thanks for reading!

* – The “tickles.com” name and likeness were sold in 2007 as part of a redesign effort here at PopCultureSpot.com to more effectively reflect the type of product that our company features.

Our store is optimized to be used on your mobile device including iPhone and Android systems. It’s easily scalable and fully functioning. We’ve opted to provide a full site instead of a mobile only site as we’ve found that many of the mobile only sites are simply lacking in details and information.

Just go on into the store and click on “2012 Contest” on our menu bar to enter!

http://ticklespop.com/geshdogbohed.html

Kitty Cat Bobble Head
Monkey Bobble Head
Beagle Mini Bobble Head
Fox Bobble Head
Koala Mini Bobble Head
Greyhound Bobble Head
English Bulldog Bobble Head

See all of our new products:

http://ticklespop.com/80sflashback.html

Unfortunately, the day that so many products meets is upon us: retirement. Our pooping animal friends are going to the retirement community. From time to time, we might have in some of our Pooping Animal Keychain friends, but they will no longer be regularly stocked as the products have been all but eliminated from most manufacturers worldwide.

It’s been good knowing you, Pooping Animals.