Satirical newspaper The Onion will, for the first time, sell products in brick-and-mortar stores by partnering with Iowa-based retailer RAYGUN.
According to a news release, The Onion has an online store, but had discussed internally about getting products into stores and possibly putting locally-themed designs into the cities and states those designs are about.
Enter RAYGUN. With eight locations in the Midwest, RAYGUN has made humor the key to its retail experience.
“It’s great to hear people walk around the store and laugh at product,” said RAYGUN owner
and founder, Mike Draper, in the release. “I mean, the product is MEANT to be laughed at. It would be sadder if they were laughing at product that wasn’t supposed to be a joke.”
RAYGUN being a store centered around humor was one thing that attracted The Onion.
“We’re excited to partner with another strong, Midwestern brand,” said The Onion’s managing editor, Jordan LaFlure, in the release. “The character of The Onion is global, but we – the people who produce it – are very much here in Chicago. So we’re familiar with RAYGUN and already wear their merchandise. They’re very good at what they do, and it just seemed like a very natural pairing that was frankly overdue.”
According to the release, this collaboration is only scheduled to last through the holidays, but more may be on the way in the future.
