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What do you look for when you’re choosing a product? Let’s say the product is something essential but banal, for example, a toothbrush. Do you want it to work how it’s supposed to and be comfortable to use? Obviously. Do you want it to be a color you like? Sure. Admittedly not relevant to how it works, but you do see it several times a day, after all. Do you want it to make you feel like a real man or a woman?

Probably not what most of us think of while we’re brushing our teeth every morning, but apparently, advertisers say yes. Here are some products that we don’t think anyone asked for gendered versions of, as found by people on Twitter.

#1

Unnecessarily-Gendered-Products-Thread

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want to make pink binoculars for people who like pink, that's fine! But gendering binoculars is so unnecessary and stupid

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#2

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Sonja
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, the women's one is usually narrower, but has more space in the...breast area. at least the mine one has.

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Nobody is saying that selling things in a variety of designs is bad—people have different likes and dislikes and we would be bored if everything only came in brown. But is it any wonder why so many girls end up resenting pink and floral patterns when that’s the one look that advertisements and toy packaging tell them they should be choosing, while boys are encouraged to play with toys in red, green, black, and pretty much every other color?

For adults, who have had their whole lives to get to know their own preferences, it seems shallow and infantilizing. And when design comes at the expense of functionality, like pink glue or more fragile razors, it goes from uncomfortable to insulting.

#4

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Miłka Chromińska
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Finally a product for me, I've had enough of using men's shampoo, apricots have delicate hair you know. We need specially formulated shampoos :D

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#5

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Sonja
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, sometimes it is better to sort is this way. it is because of herbs inside. better than call it "tea-against-menstruation-pain", or "tea-for-those-who-has-prostate-gland-troubles". this is a better version, i think

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#6

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Falcon
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if it's a play on words. Hand and Man. Still makes little sense tho unless it actually explodes...

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Then there’s the opposite phenomenon, when marketers think things should be designated “for men” because apparently it’s not manly in the first place to use soap, eat bread, or have a cup of tea (chili in tea... I didn't know there was something effeminate about drinking things that taste good and don’t hurt.)

#7

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Ed Souza
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can only imagine the outrage if they made this for women... still funny, I would buy this one as a gag gift.

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To be fair, some products are gendered because of average shape and size measurements or nutritional requirements based on sex. Even in those cases, though, what do we get out of labeling them “for men” or “for women” before said sizing or nutritional benefits? That just confuses and embarrasses people whose needs fall outside of those averages, because our proportions and chemistry vary a lot even within the biological categories of male and female. Further polarizing products by putting nuts and bolts or flowers and glitter on the package adds another uncomfortable layer by conflating our personalities and likes with those physical parameters.

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I’m Foxxy and I know it 😉
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one doesn’t specifically say any gender. There is nothing wrong with having a choice of pink plane or blue plane. Some people (whether girl or boy like pink and others like blue).

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#12

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Ana B.
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just an unrelated reminder that when they say "flushable", that doesn't mean you should flush them. You CAN, but it's not considered a good idea.

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The American Marketing Association has observed that younger consumers are beginning to scoff at advertising that leans on gender, and recommends that brands focus on advertising “what a product is for rather than whom it is for.”

They say that brands could learn more about their consumer base’s habits and do better business by removing gendered marketing that could sway consumers away from products not traditionally associated with their gender, and embracing marketing that presents their products in a positive light for any consumer.

#13

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sunshine_20
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, this isn't gendered, this is just two different types of products, with different characters/design.

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#15

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Terd Fergison
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bible is one of the most misogynistic books on the planet. It states that a women who has a female child is twice as unclean as a woman that has a male child. It says that if a woman is raped and they are found, the rapist must pay the father some shekels and they must be married. I don't know many women that want to marry their rapist. Just a sickening, disgusting anti-woman book. Evil garbage filth.

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#16

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Johane Moller
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This isn't really gendered it's colored. Only if you assign blue to boys and pink to girls can you say it's really gendered. As it doesn't say 'for boys' or 'for girls' on the packaging. I would've probably liked this as a child.

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now this kind of gendering of products is problematic. Just making a blue and pink product isn't gendering, but this is just really icky and not the way boys and girls should be taught to think about themselves.

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Carol Emory
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one I will take!!!! I don't give a f*** if it's for men or women!!

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Logan Scaggs
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a male teen and IDC that it's called "La Femme" it's a beautiful car, I'd buy one

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Dave In MD
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1955 La Femme interiors were upholstered in a special tapestry material featuring pink rosebuds on a pale silver-pink background and pale pink vinyl trim. The La Femme came with a keystone-shaped, pink calfskin purse that coordinated with the interior of the car. The purse could be stowed in a compartment in the back of the passenger seat, and its gold-plated medallion faced outward. This brushed-metal medallion was large enough to have the owner's name engraved on it. Each purse was outfitted with a coordinated set of accessories inside, which included a face-powder compact, lipstick case, cigarette case, comb, cigarette lighter and change purse, all made of either faux-tortoiseshell plastic and gold-tone metal, or pink calfskin and gold-tone metal, and all were designed and made by “Evans”, a maker of women's fine garments and accessories in Chicago. On the back of the drivers seat was a compartment that contained a raincoat, rain bonnet and umbrella.

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Aubrey Collins
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this car. It would be a blast to dress up and drive it everywhere. The best part is that it has a removable purse in the back of the seat. Perfect for keeping my snacks!

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chi-wei shen
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It wasn't very successful. It was introduced in 1955 and dropped after 1956. American Women had a better taste.

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Bobby's Girl
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was ahead of its time, being more expensive than the non-fem version (early pink tax) and at the time, not that many women outside of wealthy areas owned their own car. Oh, and in the 1950's, those wealthy women usually drove Cadillacs.

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Shelby P
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IMHO: That actually sounds awesome! I want one of those now with all the upholstery and purse place and everything. It is totally genderfied and I don't care for some reason.

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Shelby P
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*Jumps up on soap box* *I* believe the problem isn't the design or anything but if you're a man and you want a car like this it should be ok too. Like someone else on here said "this is from the 50s" it was normally accepted behavior for the time period. Just not for today. You can't erase the past, only learn from it. Really the products themselves aren't the problem it's just the assignments we give them and what we teach our children. All of these things are the result of previously acceptable behavior that we now understand (at least some of us) shouldn't be so acceptable. It's also a very hard habit to break but we still should try. Yay for that part of humanity that continues thinking and learning and improving. Boo to anyone who doesn't see or won't accept the push for inclusivity in the world.

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M O'Connell
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Women didn't do much driving in the 1950s, partially because it was seen as a "husband's job" and partially because it was physically demanding (which was seen as "men's work"). This car and its Chrysler counterpart came equipped with power steering, power brakes, and automatic transmissions, which were appealing features opposed to armstrong steering, manual brakes and manual transmission. If you were a 120lb woman in 1955, you might have had an extremely difficult time stopping a sedan with manual brakes in an emergency. The general rule of brake system design at the time was 100lbs of pedal force to lock the wheels. Also, "trucker arms" from manual steering were considered unladylike, lol. But it flopped because it was really just a trim package designed to boost sales by creating a new niche.

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jevais
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you for Informations. I do'nt know where you live, but in San Francisco California all the women in our neighborhood had their own car. I had my first at 16 years old, it was ugly and huge. I want a Firebird instead.

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Nubmaeme
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember those horrid things. Also, the pink cars dealers once earned as Mary Kay sellers.

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Gabby M
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh hell I'd buy a pink car!! Just so I can find it in the Walmart parking lot...ANY parking lot!

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Monika Soffronow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For my fifth birthday, I asked for a pink convertible. I got what I asked for, the trouble was that it was a pink convertible metal toy car, what a terrible disappointment! It is parked in my living room, one owner, hardly any milage. Any offers?

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egracec
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can sympathize. For my 16th I asked my dad for a 1969 charger...he bought me a model car kit!

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Stephanie Blasyak
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It came with accessories too! Purse, compact etc. Like a real life Barbie toy package.

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Helen Coyle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But still aimed at men , back then very few women could have afforded to buy a car for themselves unless they were independently wealthy, and as it was hubby who did the car shopping, if they were not.

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Spikey Bunny
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And back then a woman had to have her husband's permission just to get a driver's license!

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Brie
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually like this car, without knowing the name.

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Firework
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The name is wrong, but I would buy that car if I could only choose from 50s cars!

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Thomas Ewing
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom's mom had a pink 1950s caddy back when and I hated the color. Ewwww!

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Aitchilm
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It even had a specific place for storing the woman driver's purse.

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Stannous Flouride
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only a few were made and only 2 or 3 still exist and are worth a fortune to car collectors.

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rhyan lumilay
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well if a guy drives this he'll definitely gets all the girls so I don't think this will be gender specific car.

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Podunkus
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is quite a collector’s item! “Based on the well-received 1954 Chrysler La Comtesse concept, the 1955 Dodge La Femme was a special version of Dodge’s Custom Royal Lancer. Looking for ultimate femininity, Dodge made the La Femme trimmed cars available exclusively in heather rose and sapphire white; the two-tone paint scheme bled into the interior with color-matching fabrics. For the 1956 model year, Dodge went with misty orchid and regal orchid -- two shades of lavender -- for the color combination.” See: https://autoweek.com/article/classic-cars/1955-dodge-la-femme-car-women-men

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kurisutofu
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a nice car ... I'd take it. And in the topic, come on, it was the 50s ... Of course you'll find gender differenciation!

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Nixxy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually like this one, nice pastel colours and beautiful design

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Patti Vance
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember this or a similar car that had add its selling points... vanity mirror and a special place for a purse

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Sarawyn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gorgeous!! I’d love one, and don’t care what they call it.

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jevais
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I Just love this very elegant car. Would buy one if possible.

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B. A.
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's allot to the story about this car, consumerism, subtle feminism, and independence.

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Bacony
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

me and the bois rolling up to the mcdonalds drive thru in our 1955 dodge la femme cause we want our chicken selects and milkshakes

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Linda Robinett
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That car is beautiful and maybe pink was considered extreme. Not many pink cars on the road. A woman's car would have a place for the purse in the front.

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Karen Klinck
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a makeup company (that I can't remember because I never use the stuff,) rival to Avon, also home-sales-based, that rewards its top sellers with a pink Cadillac convertible if they sell enough in a quarter. I actually saw one of these monstrosities. It's only selling points were that it was the company's signature pink, and it was a free car. Mostly, it was a free car.

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Cindy Snow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg so what?! If love a pink car. And so would a lot of guys.

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YsaPur
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

dodge the woman - so is it aimed at men or women buyers?

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El Dee
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back then, at least, they had the excuse of sexism being utterly endemic in society. In fact it would have been seen as a great leap forward to manufacture a car aimed at women at all. Prior to this women weren't supposed to be driving, seen as unfeminine, frowned up although not ACTUALLY illegal. Now though we are seeing a return to 'make it pink for the little girly' and dumbasses commenting that 'colour isn't gendering' Well explain THIS ONE Einstein!!

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#24

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Avital Pilpel
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, let's just say it's probably because "I went through a whole box of tissues during that movie" means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT for men and women.

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#25

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I’m Foxxy and I know it 😉
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cards against humanity brought out the “for her” set as a jab at the “pink tax”. Maybe have a read up on it.

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#26

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, I don't really think this is gendered...? Some kids like to play with the rockets and planes while others like to play with the astronauts. I think it's really cool that there's a female astronaut doll and nowhere does it say that it's for girls or that the other one is for boys

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#30

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Dirk Daring
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every person who has never found their name printed on a souvenir is really ticked at Eetu right now.

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Note: this post originally had 46 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.