This year, Super Bowl XLIX offered us an exciting game, but also an amazing cultural moment when Katy Perry brought out Left Shark and Right Shark during the Super Bowl halftime event. Now, Perry is hoping to profit off of some Left Shark gear that she is selling on her website. The news comes just a few weeks after Perry’s lawyers sent cease and desist orders to some internet entrepreneurs who were also trying to sell Left Shark gear.
This week, the “Roar” singer announced that she is now selling several different Left Shark items. If you love Left Shark, you can now purchase a t-shirt with the uncoordinated shark dancing on the front. More importantly, Perry’s team has created the most ridiculous lounging outfit since the Snuggie was invented. The singer announced the new onesie yesterday, via a tweet that gives us a good look at the latest fashion trend. The items are available for purchase on the artist's fan site, as well.
This whole Left Shark merchandise isn’t wholly surprising, considering the behavior of Perry’s legal team. Right after the halftime show, people were pretty obsessed with Left Shark, going so far as to get Left Shark tattoos and create Left Shark merchandise. Unfortunately for those selling Left Shark products on the Internet, Ms. Perry and her team wanted to keep the Left Shark profits to themselves. So, they sent cease and desist letters to people like Fernando Sosa, who was selling a 3D Left Shark on the website Shapeways. The viability of Perry's legal action is a little murky, but Sosa did stop selling his merchandise.
Now that Katy Perry’s legal team has scoured the internet and destroyed potential competitors, the singer is free to make as much money as possible off of the sharks that stole the Super Bowl halftime show. Not that I blame Perry for wanting to monetize her brand. I just wonder if the onesie and the t-shirts are coming a little too late. A couple of days after the Super Bowl people would have been all over this branding. However, the internet forgets fast, and now I’m not so sure.
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