Free Republic

Former US President Donald Trump has turned his mugshot into a particularly lucrative business. Less than two hours after he left the Fulton County Jail in Georgia, where the now-famous photo was taken, his campaign's fundraising committee began to sell memorabilia bearing the mugshot alongside the caption, "Never surrender," that the former president wrote in his X account before and after he turned himself in. Among other things, the campaign offers T-shirts with the mugshot and inscription, cups, stickers, portable beverage coolers, plates and more. The prices of souvenirs range from 12 dollars for a sticker to 36 dollars for...

“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children," Walt Disney once said. Walt’s unique strategy of building an entertainment empire for kids once made Disney a trusted source of family entertainment. That didn’t last long after Walt's death as Disney started releasing R-rated movies and adult television programming under the Touchstone label. A decade later, Disney bought Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax. During the 90s, while Disney's more family friendly brand was releasing animated cartoons, Miramax featured Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, and the Scream sequels. During this time Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assaults. Some of this was taking...

Prayer candles. Action figures. Temporary tattoos. Coloring books. Elizabeth Warren isn't just a progressive icon, she's a merchandising industry unto herself. The Massachusetts senator and presidential prospect is at the center of a sprawling business built around her appeal to liberals across the country - a reminder of the unabashed devotion she inspires on the left and the footprint she'll cast in the 2020 Democratic primary. "Elizabeth Warren is an increasingly popular brand that people want to associate with," said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. "She's the Apple of politics." [Snip] Creative merchandise-based branding - like...

Heal, Inspire, Revive...

Here is a 90 second video that basically shuts down all argument about whether or not Big Bird (ie Sesame Street) needs Federal Funding. Watch the Video Here

I've checked with an ad agency. We can probably raise the funds we need to operate FR at our current level and at the current market price for online advertising if we run a banner ad at the top of every page and at least one rectangular ad in the above the fold body of the page and a couple rectangular ads in the sidebar. If that doesn't generate enough revenue, we can also run pop ups or pop unders and we can even run audio and video ads if need be. But of course, if we go full bore...

Don’t be too surprised if you see a dog wearing a No. 7 Michael Vick Eagles jersey, because the NFL is allowing the sale of the customized pooch pullovers on their Web site. The Vick jerseys weren’t being openly promoted by the NFL (like Vick jerseys for humans were being promoted), but can be obtained by filling out the customizable pet jersey form on NFL.com and asking for "VICK" to be put on the back of the shirt, the New York Daily News discovered. The customized Vick jersey will only cost fans $39.99 (plus shipping and handling -- naturally). But...

CHICAGO — Does hardware have a softer side? Home Depot thinks so. It is testing a warm-and-fuzzy approach to selling hammers, lighting and garage doors that is targeted at female shoppers. Responding to long-time criticism that its warehouse environment was simply too rough for many women, the nation's largest do-it-yourself retailer is set to open the two test stores, called Home Depot Design Centers, later this month in Charlotte, N.C., and Concord, Calif. They're fashioned as a hybrid of the typical Home Depot (HD) store and its Expo stores, the retailer's upscale design-studio concept. Jason Feldman, the company's senior director...

LOS ANGELES — A feud involving the man who sang "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" could wind up in court, just in time for Christmas. Elmo Shropshire was sued for breach of contract Monday by a company that claims he interfered in a $1 million-plus deal to sell musical trucks, bobblehead dolls, snow globes and cookie jars featuring characters from an animated show based on the novelty song. The tale about Santa mowing down a tipsy grandma with his sleigh was first heard in 1979 and has become a holiday favorite. It inspired a 2000 animated TV program...

From the newsletter of Rep. David Obey (D-Wisconsin): "Public broadcasting is America's voice. Unfortunately, there are those in Washington who don't like public broadcasting because they can't control what's being said. This year, they tried to use the tight budget to justify cutting nearly 40% of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's federal funding. Such a cut would have devastated public broadcasting, spelling the end for such classics as Sesame Street and NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. That was simply unacceptable to me; and to the tens of thousands of Americans who called Congress to tell my colleagues to keep their hands...

TAG Heuer, the prestigious Swiss sports watch and chronograph maker announced that the 17-year-old Russian tennis champion Maria Sharapova becomes its newest brand female ambassador, and is seen on a photo shoot in this undated publicity photograph. Sharapova, the winner of 2004 Wimbledon and WTA year-end championships has signed a long-term ambassador agreement with the Swiss watchmaking company covering product development, advertising, public relations and merchandising.

<p>The official merchandise Web site for President George W. Bush's re-election campaign has sold clothing made in Burma, whose goods were banned by Bush from the U.S. last year to punish its military dictatorship.</p> <p>The merchandise sold on www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma, now Myanmar. The jacket was sent to Newsday as part of an order that included a shirt made in Mexico and a hat not bearing a country-of-origin label.</p>

A bottle of cologne with a picture of Osama Bin Laden is displayed at a cosmetics shop in Lahore on Monday. —AFP

Christian Businesses Turn Passion into Profit 3/1/04 10:06:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Lesily Davis, 949-481-4987 LADERA RANCH, Calif., March 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A few years ago, Mel Gibson could not find a distributor for his movie "The Passion of the Christ." "I needed to express this," Gibson said. So he funded the $25 million biblical saga with his own money. To market "Passion," Gibson turned to the Christian community, the movie's core audience. On February 25, Ash Wednesday, "Passion" opened on about 2,000 screens and made $117 million by the following Sunday. Gibson's passion to market...

<p>March 1, 2004 -- There's a passion for "The Passion of the Christ" at the box office - and on the Internet. eBay exploded last week with official and unofficial merchandise from the film.</p> <p>About 600 items were listed by the end of last week, from lapel pins and coffee mugs with the movie's logo to crucifix bracelets and paintings simply riding the movie's coattails.</p>

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Terminator's back in the new-release section, perhaps for Arnold Schwarzenegger's last hurrah at video stores if he sticks to politics. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" debuts on home video Tuesday, a month after Schwarzenegger won a recall campaign to replace Gray Davis as California governor. Debuting on DVD the same day is "Pumping Iron," the 1977 bodybuilding documentary that helped establish the Austrian-born showman's likable screen persona.</p>

Less than a day after Arnold Schwarzenegger captured the governorship of California, the A&E cable channel announced that it will begin production on a television movie called "See Arnold Run." The movie will trace what its creators call the parallels between Schwarzenegger's race for governor and his effort in 1973 to capture the Olympia bodybuilding title. The movie is expected to have its premiere next summer, around the time of the Republican National Convention. "We see this as a real personification of the American dream," said Abbe Raven, the executive vice president of A&E. "It's a great immigrant story of...