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Mastodon, an open-source decentralized social network and one of many Twitter, er X, competitors, has traditionally shunned advertising. According to founder and CEO Eugen Rochko, Patreon has funded the company mostly. Mastodon announced on Wednesday that it will sell merchandise to raise funds for development.
Dopatwo will design Mastodon t-shirts, mugs, enamel pins, and stickers. According to Mastodon, FRESH Merch will responsibly source the merchandise.
“Despite our impressive accomplishments in building out the new social web, Mastodon is a non-profit with a very small team and limited resources–the core team is just two developers,” Rochko writes. “100% of the revenue after manufacturing costs will go to us and help us put more resources into developing your favorite decentralized social media software.”
Mastodon’s online merch sales may not be as successful as other celebrities’. Mastodon reported that 6,700 online poll respondents would buy merch if available. That’s a good start, but Mastodon warns that only 250 units of each item will be available at launch, limiting its fundraising potential. (Prices were not disclosed).
Mastodon offers a mailing list to notify users when the merch is available. It will announce the merch on Mastodon.
The company expects to sell the merchandise in the “next few weeks.”
If the launch is successful, the company may run more batches of merch.
The Mastodon mascot in various poses and situations, sometimes with the purple “M” logo, makes the merch cute. Given Mastodon fans’ interest, it may sell out quickly due to limited quantities.
