Quick, how many of these references do you recognize? “That stupid Canadian wolf bird.” “This will pass.” “You can’t make tomlets without breaking out some Greggs.” “Jeetu from Videocon”. If you’ve even got one, congratulations: you have so many fans that anyone can make money from it.
In the pre-Internet era, merchandise was straightforward: Metallica’s logo on your T-shirt, a Backstreet Boys poster on your bedroom wall, a hat with Friends printed on it, a lightsaber replica if you could afford it. Now, the connections run narrow, but deep: a hyper-specific line from the S5, a throwaway visual gag, a reference that only extreme audiences will get. It’s on a tote, t-shirt, mug, key chain, bumper sticker, even a prayer candle. And that means everything to the right 12 people and nothing at all to everyone else.
Some global and Indian brands have official deals with Marvel, Disney, DC, Netflix and others to produce theme based merchandise. Most don’t. Therefore, most micro merchandise remains in the legal gray zone – lines of dialogue, character traits, episode titles and set design motifs are often not copyrighted, making them easy to pick up and riff on. However, many manufacturers keep the references vague enough, making substantial changes to the artwork, that the removal notice remains on the right side.
When a gay hockey romance heated rivalry aired online last year, official merchandise included the couple’s Boston Raiders and Montreal Metros jerseys. Funny, but predictable. Etsy, meanwhile, is filled with “I’m coming to the cottage” candles and air-fresheners — fans know exactly what it signals. For Bollywood, there are now small-batch tote bags featuring a chandelier and the words: “Shanti Priya – are you there?” Those who have enjoyed the re-telecast of Om Shanti Om will get this.
It’s a strange time to be pursuing merchandise. We are no longer watching the same satellite TV shows, single-screen blockbusters or music countdowns. The Internet has fragmented fandoms into small, hyper-online communities that communicate through screenshots, reels, deleted scenes, Tumblr jokes, and Reddit threads. To a Bridgerton fan, someone deeply immersed in the Pitt discussion may seem completely disinterested. K-pop forces, the regional rap scene, Aujla and Diljit are fanatics. So, trade marks the tribe.
Souvenirs of our short-lived passions are not always polished, cheap, or strictly licensed. But they capture that moment until the next moment comes. And in that moment, there is money to be made. To keep an eye.
logo speed
Merch is bigger than your Sholay-loving grandfather. The first collectibles appeared in 1878, when Jasper Frémont Meek, a printing-press operator, placed a shoe brand’s logo on a burlap bag, creating the OG Tote. Over the decades, people have bought everything from Beatles lunchboxes and KISS-branded coffins to replicas of the Titanic’s whistle and moaning myrtle decals for commodes.
But no one is interested in obvious references anymore, says Karan Singh, founder of RKSD Design Studio. “Even the era of wearing a Nike or Adidas logo is fading. People want clothes that reflect their passion and sense of humor.” IYKYK Trading Rules; If it contains satire, callbacks and jokes plucked from the depths of the Internet, all the better. “If you go to the comments section of a viral reel, everything people say is meme content,” says Singh.
Business progresses rapidly. FX never imagined that their 2022 show, The Bear, would be so successful. He did not include the goods in his budget. So, unofficial “Yes Chef” T-shirts sold out on Etsy, Amazon, and Meesho before the season finale. By the time S2 started and FX planned official merchandise, they knew that insider references like this were the best sellers.
turn on the fan
Micro merchandise is very successful now, big brands are liking it. In July 2025, the Internet performed one of its favorite tricks – turning irony into affection. Himesh Reshammiya, who was once made fun of for his cap and pointed nose, suddenly became calm again. Millennials crowned him Lord HR and declared Tandoori Nights a classic. Reshammiya named his tour Cap Mania and introduced a giant hat on stage. Merchant brand Faultline Apparel released T-shirts with the line: “Nights are tandoori no more.”
Most niche merchandise have a life span of barely a month or two. “A meme T-shirt creates conversation, but it only gets worn once or twice,” says Singh. “After that, it was transformed into a nightsuit.” The only way for creators to make a profit is to log onto the internet and anticipate the next viral moment.
Anubha Saxena, co-founder of The Banyan Tea (which sells Emily in Paris, The Big Bang Theory, and other pop-culture merchandise), says her team spends hours perusing Pinterest boards and fan forums, trying to identify which moments audiences will look forward to. Before a design goes live, they beta-test it with customers. Will Emily in Paris fans respond to slogans like “Are you okay? Looks like you’ve lost a follower”? Or is it too on the nose? Not everything sells. “Shows like Superstore and Seinfeld have dedicated fans, but there isn’t necessarily a single quote that people want printed on their chest.”
Pulkit Raheja, co-founder of merchandise brand Garari, says his team monitors internet culture in real time: which song is being screenshotted, which artist’s interview is turning into memes, which concert announcement is dominating Instagram stories. When Diljit Dosanjh said this epic line at the 2023 Ambani wedding: “Hogi Rihanna, hogi Beyoncé, saddi toh Kareena hogi”, Garry immediately released a T-shirt that read “Hogi Bieber, hogi Travis, sadda toh eh hi hai Diljit”. sold it. But there is no selling around Yo Yo Honey Singh. “This is not their moment,” says Raheja.
Insider trading
Garrari’s tees are on retail sale ₹600. “If a design is popular, you can sell around 50-60 per day,” says Raheja. For Saxena, a design is a bestseller if it moves 1,000 pieces. Most brands print in small batches because they never know when fan trends will change. “If we start getting 30-35 orders of the same design every day, we maintain the stock,” says Raheja.
AI has accelerated the creative process. “Earlier, I had to sketch everything,” says Singh. “Now I can create rough concepts faster and experiment more.” Miriam Mohan George, a 26-year-old illustrator who collaborates with merchandise brand Frankly Wearing, says designers get a good deal overall. His most popular design is from the 2024 Malayalam hit Aavesham. “I made some Japanese chibi-style artwork and they blew up,” she says. “I even got orders from outside India.” This inspired him to create a whole list of chibi-inspired Malayalam cinema pictures. it still brings ₹10,000-12,000 per month royalty.
Following a request from Bedi’s daughter, Frolic Saga began designing clothes inspired by Rakesh Bedi’s dashing character. Her tease and line, “Syana ho gaya hai mera bachcha” featuring Jameel Jamali went viral. Then, a copyright-infringement notice came from the film’s studio. “I had to shut it down,” says founder Puneet Kumar. His solution: not advertising his catalog, but instead placing custom orders based on fans’ designs, quotes and memes.
“In most cases, only the logo is under copyright,” says Raheja. Micro merchandise doesn’t want that anyway. Banyan Tee avoids using recognizable characters, fonts and imagery, and works within a fan environment, working with artists on Redbubble and Threadless where necessary. One of his T-shirts just has a switch on it, which says, “Humanity Switch”. This is a reference to The Vampire Diaries, but without the actual intellectual property of the show.
And every once in a while, a fleeting moment decides it wants to stop. A summer hit becomes a classic. A finite series gives rise to a universe. A renewed stream seeks new believers. That’s why Miriam gets royalty: “Totoro almost feels like Mickey Mouse at this point. Loved by both kids and adults.” And sometimes, a pop-culture reference captures the spirit of the times. Why else would they still be making t-shirts that say, “Directed by David Lynch”?
From HT Brunch, May 23, 2026
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