The Topato Corporation (styled as TopatoCo) is a widely recognized

online retailer Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the r ...

webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

and related merchandise. It was established around 2004 by artist

Jeffrey Rowland Jeffrey J. Rowland (born May 22, 1974) is the author and artist responsible for ''#Wigu, Wigu'' and ''#Overcompensating, Overcompensating'', two popular webcomics. Originally from Locust Grove, Oklahoma, Locust Grove, Oklahoma, Rowland now lives ...

History

The company was started in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

in "about 2004" by artist

after he lost his job in 2004, to help sell shirts, stickers and other merchandise linked to his

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

s. When the 2004 presidential election was won by

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, Rowland designed a satirical T-shirt and sold 1000 of them in one month. Rowland later expanded the business to ship products ordered from friends' websites, who in 2007 moved their retailing to TopatoCo. As a result of the expansion, the company later moved to

Easthampton, Massachusetts Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 c ...

. In a 2009 interview, Rowland stated that he considered the business to be "mundane" in comparison with the creative development of comics, often interfering with the time he wanted to spend doing comics. The company has been described as "perhaps the largest and most recognizable E-tailer of webcomic merchandise" by Caleb Goellner in ''

ComicsAlliance ComicsAlliance was an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the catego ...

'' and takes its name from the ''Topato Potato'' character in Rowland's '' Wigu Adventures''. Rowland has described the company's business philosophy as being "give digital stuff away for free, sell real stuff". In 2013, the company started Make That Thing, a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

fulfillment service.

Clients

Some cartoonists involved from the early days of the company are Jonathan Rosenberg, Richard Stevens, John Allison and

Meredith Gran ''Octopus Pie'' is a webcomic written and drawn by Meredith Gran, and coloured by Valerie Halla and Sloane Leong. It focuses on the misadventures of two 20-something women living in Brooklyn, New York. It was updated every Monday, Wednesday and ...

. In a 2008 interview, Rowland stated that the "big guys" in terms of clients were ''

Dinosaur Comics ''Dinosaur Comics'' is a constrained webcomic by Canadian writer Ryan North. It is also known as "Qwantz", after the site's domain name, "qwantz.com". The first comic was posted on February 1, 2003, although there were earlier prototypes. ''Dino ...

'' and '' Dr. McNinja''. Other clients include ''

Questionable Content ''Questionable Content'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''QC'') is a slice-of-life webcomic written and illustrated by Jeph Jacques. It was launched in August 2003 and reached its 4,500th comic in April 2021. The plot originally centered on Marten Re ...

'' and ''

MS Paint Adventures ''MS Paint Adventures'', abbreviated ''MSPAdventures'' or ''MSPA'', was a website and collection of webcomics written and illustrated by Andrew Hussie. According to some estimates, ''MS Paint Adventures'' was the largest collection of comics on ...

''. The company found in 2009 that it was growing too quickly, and reluctantly turned down some potential clients.

References

External links

* {{Official website Webcomic publishing companies Massachusetts culture Retail companies based in Massachusetts Retail companies established in 2004 American companies established in 2004 2004 establishments in Oklahoma