Written By: daisyxsun / Graphics By: d-gen
Hello Habbo users! Have you ever thought, “how is Habbo still standing strong even after 20 years has passed?” People come and go everyday, and for a game that has the same concept from the 2000’s, they sure do have a strong fandom. A lot has happened over the years, such as Sulake taking over and building a new client. Even so, people are still all over Habbo! Early September this year, Habbo published an article of physical merchandise exclusively designed by the users. This has gotten attention, even bringing old players back. Everyone was curious and amazed since well, who would’ve thought a pixelated community game would release a merch?
Habbo Staff published an article on September 5, 2023 where they officially put out the templates for the designs of each product. There were four categories; t-shirt, hoodie, cap and plushie. All entries need to include each item with their own creativity that has to stick to the Habbo theme along with being a set. Since the designs would be printed out and sent to manufacturers, there were strict rules that came with it.
On September 19, 2023, the four shortlisted designs came out. They were picked after meticulous discussion within the staff. I was excited to see the products too, what more than to just scroll down?
Template Designs
1. T-Shit
- Maximum colour up to three, that is the fabric and lining (not for the design)
- The design could cover the entire item
“The example shows a T-Shirt with an all-over print, and two colours (white and red)”
3. Cap
- Maximum colour up to two, that is the fabric (not for the design)
“The example shows an embroidered design and two colours (black and orange)”
2. Hoodie
- Maximum colour up to three, that is the fabric and lining (not for the design)
- The design could cover the entire item, however anything passing the seam could result in uneven design
“In the example, you can see that the design is an all-over sleeve print, and has custom drawstring colors”
4. Plushie
- Design should follow the example photo
- Size : 27.5cm tall x 15cm wide
- Three poses possible: sitting, standing, sleeping
Shortlisted Merch Designs
- Jeca-Tatu
Exclusive all black design with synth vibe, Jeca-Tatu released this design that has the mysterious, cool feeling. My favourite would probably be the plushie, it’s the noob male avatar! How adorable, but the rest of the set has a really nice touch to it. The creator is quite famous within Habbo Community, I think it’s an advantage with their style.
2. Arliston
Now who doesn’t know Frank? Don’t be silly, he is your friendly receptionist buddy! The person to guide you through your first minutes in this game. The plushie is heavily inspired(?) by Frank that really pulls my heart. Arliston used warm tones to his set to match, which brought uniqueness to their designs. The legendary “bobba” is the main point, your classic censor word ;d
3. ExtremeSlayer
Doesn’t this design just scream rich to you? Diamonds and credits all over the world! ExtremeSlayer used the old HabboWaves as the main point for the T-shirt, bringing nostalgic memories. Their hoodie has Frank glitch collage that you would see on graphic tees. This set has deep blue as its main colour, that really compliments everyone’s skin tone. A really nice design, I would say.
4. Teschietto96
The last design is brought by Teschietto96. What is Habbo made out of? Pixels! The cubes shaped Habbo, which is the main point in this design. Frank is a really popular character in Habbo, hence I am always expecting to see our buddy here. He even appeared on top of the hoodie pocket, which I think is a very adorable detail. The cubes placed all around the set really shows how far Habbo has grown from back then. What an amazing design!
