For years, we've heard people ask when the CoCo is going to print shirts. Nice shirts. Soft shirts. They need to be really, really soft shirts. The kind that feel good on your skin. We've heard this message over and over, and today we're excited to announce in response: CoCo shirts are now a thing!

And other merch items, too. Read on!

The path to shirts was a long one, paved with cotton and fleece and prototypes and InDesign. For the graphic design on the shirts, we enlisted Shan Liu, who happens to be a talented designer in addition to a Scrabble spouse. You may recognize her artwork from the CoCo bookmarks and the banner we unveiled at the 2022 Word Cup. Her bookmark design is already popping up in Little Free Libraries and independent bookstores around the country. And now, her design has come to life with the CoCo's new line of merch.

The very same CoCo Store that you visit when you register for a tournament is now home to an array of shirts and other items. You can order a shirt directly from the CoCo Store and check out the same way you do when you sign up for a tournament. The shirt is automatically shipped directly to your home by the vendor. And best of all, shipping is free!

Offering a smooth and painless experience to our players is a top priority for us, whether that experience happens in the playing room or in our online store. That's why we did quite a bit of research to find an e-commerce solution that would achieve seamless integration with the CoCo Store without adding fees. We're a nonprofit, after all. Identifying and implementing free and low-cost solutions for our community is important. Thanks to Wayne Dyer, who researched tons of options for our merchandise vendors and website integration, we're able to offer these new CoCo-branded items directly on our website.

Enough with the logistics! What kinds of stuff are we selling? We're so excited to show you. There are purple and gray variants of hoodies and tees. The hoodies come in a basic cotton version and a luxury, ultra-soft sponge fleece version, for the moments when you want to treat yourself. We intentionally chose shirts that are soft, cozy, and feel good to wear. We hope you love wearing them and reach for them whenever it's time to suit up for Scrabble.

Beyond the shirts, we have also stocked the store with fun items including mugs (for your CoCo cocoa), purple clipboards (so you never have to chase down your scoresheet again when it blows away in the wind outside), and pewter holiday ornaments. There are solid wood Scrabble tile keychains with the CoCo logo on one side and a custom initial of your choice hand-engraved on the flip side. The upcoming holiday season is a great time to give the gift of Scrabble to yourself or a friend, so don't hold back!

Ordering a shirt or other item donates a few dollars to our nonprofit and makes it possible for us to keep offering tournaments. We intentionally priced the shirts close to the actual manufacturing cost to make them as affordable as we could to as many people as possible.

So head on over to the CoCo Store. Check out the merch, order a shirt or two, and wear it proudly (and comfortably!) at the next tournament you attend. Thanks for supporting the CoCo.