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ThinkGeek was an American
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...
er that catered to computer enthusiasts and " geek culture". Described as a "
Sharper Image Sharper Image is an American brand that offers consumers home electronics, air purifiers, gifts, and other high-tech lifestyle products through its website, catalog, and third-party retailers. The brand is owned by ThreeSixty Group, with the U. ...
for
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s", their merchandise has been likened to "toys for adults, novelties designed to appeal to both your inner child and your inner grad student."Honan, Matthew (September 27, 2010)
"Inside ThinkGeek, Where Mythical Meat Can Make Millions"
''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
''.
These include clothing, electronic and scientific gadgets, unusual computer peripherals, office toys, pet toys, child toys, and caffeinated drinks and candy. ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, was based in
Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...
, and is owned by
Geeknet Geeknet, Inc. is a Fairfax County, Virginia–based company that is a subsidiary of GameStop. The company was formerly known as VA Research, VA Linux Systems, VA Software, and SourceForge, Inc. History VA Research VA Research was founded in Nove ...
, a subsidiary of GameStop.


History

ThinkGeek was founded in 1999, and originally based in downtown
McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxi ...
. The company was founded by Jen Frazier, Jon Sime, Scott Smith, and Willie Vadnais, all of whom were running a small Internet startup at the time, with ThinkGeek initially starting as a side project. The website's official launch date was August 13, 1999. 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 Geeknet, Inc. is a Fairfax County, Virginia–based company that is a subsidiary of GameStop. The company was formerly known as VA Research, VA Linux Systems, VA Software, and SourceForge, Inc. History VA Research VA Research was founded in Nove ...
. In August 2000, the company moved its offices to Fairfax, Virginia. 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 $50 million in sales in 2009 and $118.9 million in 2012. In 2012, ThinkGeek was ranked as one of the top online retailers, listing as #175 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 List. ThinkGeek's mascot is a monkey named Timmy. On May 26, 2015, it was announced that pop culture-oriented retailer
Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...
had made an offer to acquire Geeknet and ThinkGeek for $17.50 per-share, valuing the company at $122 million. However, on May 29, 2015, it was revealed that an unspecified company had made a counter-offer of $20 per-share;
Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...
was given until June 1, 2015 to exceed this new offer. On June 2, 2015, it was announced that video game retail chain GameStop had acquired Geeknet for $140 million. The deal was completed on July 17, 2015. On September 25, 2015, ThinkGeek opened its first retail store at
The Florida Mall The Florida Mall is a super regional enclosed shopping mall located south of Orlando in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States, on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road; it opened in 1986. The facility w ...
in Orlando, Florida. In 2016, ThinkGeek opened 25 more physical stores in the U.S., along with 25 international stores. The retailer said they were "committed to creating a seamless
omnichannel Omnichannel is a neologism describing a business strategy. According to ''Frost & Sullivan'', omnichannel is defined as "seamless and effortless, high-quality customer experiences that occur within and between contact channels". History "Omnis" is ...
experience for its customers", including store pickups and ship-to-store options. In June 2019, ThinkGeek announced that it would be discontinuing its online store, and integrating its e-commerce operations into a "curated selection" of GameStop's online operations. New product details from after the standalone site closed were made public in January 2020, including
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and Get Schwifty (from ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'') themed Bluetooth Speakers. The Miami location closed in January 2021. In July 2021, the North Star Mall location in San Antonio, Texas closed. In August 2021, the Austin, Texas; El Paso, Texas; McAllen, Texas; and Tacoma, Washington locations announced on social media that they would be closing on September 26, 2021. As of 2022, no items appear on what was formerly a dedicated ThinkGeek section on GameStop's website.


Products

ThinkGeek ran a points-for-reward system called "Geek Points", under which customers could earn rewards for buying more products. Most of ThinkGeek's merchandise is licensed from various science fiction and fantasy media franchises"Hot Topic buying 'Star Wars'-heavy ThinkGeek parent company for $117.3 million"
'' Los Angeles Daily News''/
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
. May 26, 2015.
such as '' Star Wars'', '' Star Trek'', '' Firefly'',
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, '' Doctor Who'', ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java (programming language), Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made pub ...
'', and ''
The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on C ...
''. Other products offered by the company include classic pop cultural icons like the
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, or products inspired by science, such as a
Schrödinger's Cat In quantum mechanics, Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment that illustrates a paradox of quantum superposition. In the thought experiment, a hypothetical cat may be considered simultaneously both alive and dead, while it is unobserved in ...
Executive Decision Maker. ThinkGeek was known for its
April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...
gags, wherein the site would post a series of fictional, unconventional products referencing popular culture, such as the "
Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...
Toaster" (which burns pictures of Banksy artwork into toast), "Where's Barb?" (a '' Stranger Things''-themed parody of '' Where's Waldo?''), and the "
Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
Mighty Mjolnir Mailbox". Some of the more popular items, however, were made into actual products, such as "Canned Unicorn Meat", the "Tentacuddle Blanket", the
Tauntaun This is a list of creatures in the fictional universe of '' Star Wars'', a space opera media franchise. The types of creatures in this list are listed by category and then in alphabetical order. Humans and humanoid sentient species Humans Huma ...
sleeping bag, and the "Technomancer Hoodie".


References

{{Reflist Toy retailers of the United States Online retailers of the United States GameStop Geeknet Retail companies established in 1999 Companies based in Fairfax, Virginia 1999 establishments in Virginia