^[1]Back in June, I pledged to The Horror in Clay Kickstarter ^[2]. The concept? Simple enough. Cthulhu’s sanity-blasting image immortalized in a glazed tiki mug. The Kickstarter got a lot of acclaim and was picked up by sites like Boing Boing, iO9.com, and the like. Their original goal was $12,500 and they successfully raised over $75,000. I was thrilled to be one of the people who pledged to this and look forward to sipping refreshing beverages out of Cthulhu’s unhallowed form.

To me, this is a great example of what Kickstarter can do: bring dreams into reality that would have otherwise been impossible to create without a small business loan. Because Horror in Clay was extremely successful, the manufacturer was able to open a webstore ^[3] so more cultists… er… customers can add the Elder God to their luaus.

The updates fascinate me because I’m able to watch the manufacturing process as it happens. I feel like I’m a vested partner who bought a small share of this company and I’m being rewarded for it as one of its founders. Additionally, I’ve been very impressed with the professional tack on how this is structured. This may be two people with a dream, but they are serious about running a business and their marketing and website is spot on. Now all we need is a Hawaiian shirt and tentacle leis to go with! Waiting for a new Kickstarter in three… two… one…

If I had any criticism to give, it’s that their logo is pretty complex and definitely pops out more when it’s viewed in color. Given how many Cthulhu-related images you see out there now-a-days (even poor octopi are now getting tossed into the tentacle-loving ring o’ Lovecraft), I can see why they went in the direction they did.

To check out their wares, visit the Horror in Clay webstore ^[3]. If you do wind up buying one of these, post a comment below so I can toast to your madness. Ia! Ia!

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