ThinkGeek
 | |
| Subsidiary company | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | bought by Andover.net |
| Founded | August 13, 1999 |
| Headquarters | Fairfax, Virginia, USA |
| Parent | Geeknet |
| Website | www.thinkgeek.com |
ThinkGeek is an American online retailer that caters to computer enthusiasts and other "geeky" social groups. Their merchandise includes clothing, electronic and scientific gadgets, unusual computer peripherals, office toys, pet toys, child toys, and caffeinated drinks and candy. ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, is based in Fairfax, Virginia, and is owned by Geeknet.
History
ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, and originally based in downtown McLean, Virginia. The company was founded by Jen Frazier, Jon Sime, Scott Smith, and Willie Vadnais, all of whom were running a small Internet startup (ISP) at the time, with ThinkGeek initially starting as a side project. The website official launch date was August 13, 1999.[1] Andover.net, a Boston area technology news publisher, acquired ThinkGeek in October 1999. Only a few months later Andover.net was acquired by VA Linux, a California based tech company that specialized in Linux hardware and software products. VA Linux, after several name changes, became Geeknet, the current parent company of ThinkGeek.[2]
In August 2000, the company moved its offices to Fairfax, Virginia where it has been based ever since. ThinkGeek grew steadily and increased the number of employees from six in 2004 up to 83 in 2013. Company revenues also increased during this time period, reaching $118.9 million in 2012.[3]
ThinkGeek is currently ranked as one of the top online retailers, listing as #175 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 List.[4]
Website
Products
A majority of products sold on ThinkGeek are heavily related to (and sometimes only understood within) Internet culture. Some t-shirt designs include a figure with a detached buttocks, with "LMAO" as the caption, a ROFLCOPTER (an ASCII drawing of a helicopter made of internet slang), the Intel Pentium Processor logo replacing "Intel" with "Geek", and a pixellated 1up Mushroom from the Super Mario Brothers games series.
ThinkGeek runs a points-for-reward system called Geek Points, under which customers can earn rewards for buying more products.[5]
On April 1 every year, the company posts a fake homepage with absurd fictional products. For example, in 2007 it advertised "Surge Stix", cigarette-like high potency caffeine delivery systems that, when snapped like a glow stick, supposedly deliver as much caffeine as five cans of Coca-Cola. Some of the April Fool's Day products have been so popular with users that they have been made into actual products, such as the 8-Bit Tie, the Personal Soundtrack t-shirt, the Tauntaun sleeping bag and the iCade.[6][7]
ThinkGeek items are usually based on other franchises and items, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Doctor Who, The Big Bang Theory, bacon, Minecraft, zombies, LEGO, iPhone, iPad, Portal, and others.
Mascot
ThinkGeek has a mascot in the form of a monkey, named Timmy.[8]
References
- ↑ "ThinkGeek The Nerd Company at a Crossroads". Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ "Geeknet Investor Relations". Geeknet. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ "ThinkGeek The Nerd Company at a Crossroads". Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ "ThinkGeek Ascends to #175 in Internet Retailer's 2012 Top 500 List". Geeknet. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ "ThinkGeek Geek Points". ThinkGeek. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ "April Fool's Products". ThinkGeek. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ Honan, Mathew (2010-09-27). "Inside ThinkGeek, Where Mythical Meat Can Make Millions | Wired Magazine". Wired.com. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ "Timmy the ThinkGeek Monkey". ThinkGeek. Retrieved April 30, 2013.