Category Archives: Merchandise
The Hunger Games Don’ts of Etsy, Part 2
People think fans of The Hunger Games will buy ANYTHING. No, seriously! It’s not just the book publishers or film studios trying to do it these days! If you thought some of the products they’ve put out for production were a little over the mark, just spend a little time on Etsy and you’ll be running back to the comfort of NECA’s lanyards and pencil sharpeners.
We highlighted some of the outrageous things Etsy sellers have the cojones to sell to Hunger Games fans in an earlier post, but there’s just so much more out there that we had to write up Part 2!
The Hunger Games Movie Scene Print Art, Drawn Left Handed
Once upon a time, some dude took 5 minutes to draw and color the chariot scene with his non-dominant hand and the result was… somewhere between Beavis & Butthead and The Muppets. Put that on high quality paper and it’s totally worth $15, right? …Or just have some 8-year-old recreate the scene for you sometime.
BOOBS Real or Not Real Embroidery
The *cough* artist behind these babies claims it’s a Hunger Games item because it uses the book quote in a way that mocks the series by using the “real” meaning of the question “Real or Not Real?” Also, NOT REAL given how hideously uneven they are, even from a side view!
Sexy Hot Team Peeta Flame Sparkle Totebag
Step 1: Take a promotional still, photoshop on fake cuts and make Josh Hutcherson’s eyes look demonic. Add text that is EXTRA PIXELY.
Step 2: Print image, iron on to bag.
Step 3: Add rhinestones and MOAR FLAME, this time in a bow.
Step 4: List product under every word that might excite an 8-year-old girl!
Hunger Games Crazy Lady Novelty Pin
You mean you’ve NEVER wanted to show your fandom love with a pin in which some deranged looking character with coils for hair and beads for limbs is wearing a cut up Hunger Games poster as a dress?! That’s got a lot of charm and sentimental value, right there!
Katniss and Peeta Couple Earrings
For those of us who have decided it’s not enough to dangle Katniss and Peeta on either side of their face! We must frame them against bright red bows, like a tacky old Christmas portrait! That will show the world how much we love the series!
Jennifer Lawrence Devotional Candle
MOTHER OF GOD! Most of us like Jennifer Lawrence, but not this much! You can now praise her (or one of many other celebs photoshopped into a biblical scene) with this image on an 8-inch candle. We’re not sure if we should laugh or cry.
We’re Laughing and Probably Going To Hell,
The Girl With The Pearl
Many thanks to Savanna from Hunger Games Fireside Chat for finding a couple of these, including that last kicker!
The Hunger Games Don’ts of Etsy
Before the holidays, we produced a list of some of our favorite Etsy finds of the year. While browsing through Etsy, we found some really awesome stuff. We also found some really cringe-worthy stuff. Stuff that has nothing to do with the Hunger Games that people want to sell as Hunger Games items. Stuff we wouldn’t even consider bringing to your attention until after the holidays.
These are those items. Mind you, this is just a random smattering of what’s on Etsy, but it’s enough to make us lose a little faith in humanity.
Hunger Games Steampunk Wedding Dress
This is actually a really beautiful design.. that has absolutely to do with The Hunger Games! Giving a model an arrow does not make something Hunger Games themed. Steampunk is cool, but it is based on Victorian fashion that is not Capitol fashion, so you really can’t even swing that angle.
The Hunger Games Origami Flowers
Does it matter what books the pages come from when they are bent and cut up so you can’t actually read them?! And at $4 a piece, any sentimental value is lost to the actual price tag!
Effie Trinket Kawaii Romper
It’s a bra with a bunch of pink ruffled fabric attached. Does everything with pink ruffles mean Effie Trinket? We think not! In fact, we’re pretty sure Effie would not approve of this poorly-sewn number. And this model… we just… *headdesk*
Peeta’s Bread with Butter Soap
Yes, because this is not any regular piece of bread! It was made by Peeta! He makes perfect white bread which he slices up and tops with butter because he has all the supplies to do so in the extreme poverty of District 12! Again, this is not just soap that’s trying really hard to be sold as a Hunger Games product. We swear!
Hunger Games Shorts
These jeans have been attacked by the worst style of the 1980s. THEY SPRAY PAINT AND BEDAZZLE DENIM SHORT SHORTS. AND THEY WANT $35 PLUS SHIPPING FOR IT! We could do this for $5 at home if we really wanted to, but we enjoy our dignity!
The Hunger Games Calf Warmers
Now something that even the 1980s rejected! CALF warmers, not even long enough to cover the entire bottom half of the leg. “May the odds be ever in your favor” has been literally written in, which obviously makes it all about The Hunger Games!
Hunger Games Vintage Dictionary Art
For the finale: Doodle a Mockingjay on a random page of the Dictionary and save yourself $7.
Buyers’ Regret Never Looked So Hunger Games-y,
The Girl With The Pearl
A Lawful Matter
Hm, well today we learned some stuff, and apparently I have an opinion on it– ’cause face it, I have an opinion on pretty much everything, including the most mundane, like men’s undergarments. Lionsgate is suing “an alleged counterfeiter,” cool, huh? Well not for the party being sued, and come to think of it, it’s not that cool for the people who bought the counterfeit merchandise thinking they were buying the real deal. My opinion on this matter is pretty simple though, it’s too bad that this franchise has been exploited in this manner, but it’s almost sort of to be expected.
Which brings me to the juicy stuff, okay not juicy like… I’ve been privy to secret meetings, where Lionsgate has been strategizing on how to cut these baddies down to size. Nope, the juice is this– I pretty much don’t like any of The Hunger Games merchandise that’s been put on display for the masses. Maybe it’s because I’m not a merchandise person at my core, sure if I like a band’s T-shirt, and I’m at their show, if I’m flush, and also if the merchandise booth guy is cute– I might deem the purchase of it to wear when I work out. However, I haven’t bought a band T-shirt for over seven years, and I’ve been wearing my Barenaked Athletics T-shirt at the gym since probably 2000, and I have to say it literally looks the same way it did the day I bought it over ten years ago (that’s quality merchandise, yo), sadly the design was discontinued some time ago– and I know you’re all very sad about that.
Hunger Games merchandise is a whole other story, and here’s the rub– I own none. And here’s the reason(s) why: Quality, it’s not up to my standards, especially considering I have ten-year old band T-shirts that have stood up to rigorous use, sweat, and thousands of washings– kind of a no brainer, right? The only quality pieces I’ve seen in the line are the 74th Games Tribute coats. Design, I have seen nothing in the line of merchandise that says “we really thought this one out!” Nope, because light bulbs with the Mockingjay on it, says
to me, and maybe to other people “12 year-olds are gonna love this!” And maybe that’s my problem? I’m not 12. I also will never ever want to walk around with Josh Hutcherson’s face emblazoned across my chest, really. Variety, I’m not a collector, unless you count souls– but I don’t want a doll of Katniss Everdeen, or sheets with Josh Hutcherson’s blond head stitched in too bright colors across the pillow cases. Which brings me to the biggest disappoint for me, the jewelry. I bloody detest the jewelry that has been made available, and that sports the iconic Mockingjay with an arrow in its beak. It’s cheesy, and it all looks shoddily made to me. When I envisioned Mockingjay themed jewelry I pictured sturdy metal pieces fashioned together with care and forethought, designed by designers with vision and artistic merit. What we got is made of metals that will go green, will bend and break, and looks like it has been made from a mold that’s been used so many times that the details have started to erode. Perhaps as the film series progresses they’ll come out with higher quality jewelry pieces, perhaps even come out with a premium line made of real gold, and real silver– for now though we’re stuck with pieces that I feel like I could buy out of the array of gum ball machines outside my local grocery store, and having counterfeit versions on the market, with even poorer quality control– yeah, not good.
Or, maybe I just want to be decked out from elbow to wrist with replicas of Finnick’s bangle.
Them There Eyes
Hunger Games Holiday Gift Guide 2012
There so many ways to celebrate this holiday season, but why not share just a touch of Hunger Games cheer with your friends who are also fans?
We’re sharing with readers via our holiday contests, but while scouring the Etsy for some of the amazing prizes up for grabs, we found some other great things! Things we wanted to give away but Dammit! There is a budget! So instead, we’re going to share them with you here so we can all oooooooohhh and ahhhhhhhhhhh over these things together!
Dandelion in the Spring Necklace by NaturalPrettyThings
Katniss needed a dandelion in the spring and apparently, we need one from late summer/early fall after seeing this gorgeous design inspired by the series! It might not seem sensible to keep a delicate wisp of a dead dandelion around your neck. But you know what? We are totally in an argument with sensibility right now!
Hunger Games Series Glitter Christmas Ornaments by TreeBaublez
This one was not only hard to keep off our prize list, but it was hard not to buy it for ourselves! TreeBaublez makes excellent fandom designs that would make any Christmas tree squee with excitement, if trees could squee!
The Hunger Games Hollow Book Safe with Book Box by HollowBooksCo
We don’t understand why we love hollowed out books… we just do! And since most fanatics already have a copy of The Hunger Games floating around their home, no one would suspect much of this Collector’s Edition turned really cool hiding spot. Unless you left your hollow book and your actual Collector’s Edition right next to each other!
Shoot, Gurl Tee by theWolfandtheBee
We love the Hunger Games and archery references with just a pinch of snark in this design from the Wolf and the Bee, with whom you can currently save 10% with the coupon code Christmas2012!
Mockingjay Inspired Drop Necklace by TheForksForest
It’s not everyday that you see fancy vintage looking jewelry inspired by a dystopian series, but that makes us appreciate this simple but sweet drop necklace, complete with a freshwater pearl! It’s eye-catching yet it alludes to the series without being obnoxious, making it a nice subtle way to fangirl!
Crocheted Hunger Games Characters by LunasCrafts
Not gonna lie: Realistic characters dolls freak us right the hell out! But this little crocheted family of Hunger Games characters is super cute and great for anyone who could do with some handmade collectibles to give a room a pop of playfulness!
Stay Alive Poster from Blueleaf Creative
We’ve already fangirled Blueleaf Creative in the Movies.com Hunger Games Holiday Gift Guide, but we had to do it once more! Want to get your hands on these sassy, colorful prints? There’s a special coupon code for Victor’s Village readers! Just use the code VICTOR10 at checkout through 12/12/12 for 10% off any purchase!
As For AWFUL Hunger Games Stuff We Found On Etsy… That Post Is Coming Soon!
The Girl With The Pearl
Victor’s Village Holiday Contests!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Tis the season to be jolly and all that jazz! Not everyone celebrates the same winter holidays, but we think it’s safe to say that we’re all hoping for a little extra love and fun this time of year. So we’re here to spread the love and have some fun with not one but TWO holiday contests!
In true Victor’s Village fashion, we’re not going to just give prizes to you. You gotta earn it! Don’t worry, it’s nothing too strenuous and there’s something everyone can participate in (unless you are completely bereft of imagination or humor, in which case there’s really no help for you anywhere!)
We’d like to give a quick shoutout to Tess from Tanglethorne, who was kind enough to donate the mini posters we’ll be giving away to the site!
General Rules: Both contests are international. Please include your name and country of origin in your email to us. You will receive the prizes after Christmas, so re-gifting is not an option!
CONTEST #1 – THE UGLY SWEATER CONTEST
In silly holiday tradition, snap a picture of yourself in the most obnoxious sweater you can find for a chance at an awesome prize pack! We’ll gather up the photos and let your peers vote on their favorite!
Rules
- The sweater does not have to denote a specific holiday (though it can) nor does it have to be Hunger Games related.
- Faces do not have to be included in the photo.
- Photos will be posted on the site for voting. If you’re not comfortable with this, please don’t enter!
- All photos must be sent to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com by 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, December 19! Voting will take place in the two days following.
Prize Pack
2 Hunger Games cups from the LA premiere
1 pack of Hunger Games trading cards
1 Hunger Games mini poster
1 Seneca Crane’s Beard coffee mug OR pint glass (your choice!) from HumerusWares
CONTEST #2 – HUNGER GAMES CAROL CONTEST
Write a carol that the people of Panem could sing through the districts for a chance at another sweet prize pack! Get as ridiculous as you want!
Mockingjay headband!
Rules
- Carols can be based off existing holiday songs of any origin or they can be completely original. If they’re based off a song, let us know which one!
- There is no word limit. If you’d like to write us an epic carol poem that makes Beowulf look like a limerick, feel free, but you won’t get extra consideration either way!
- Entries must be sent to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com by 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, December 19, at which time the staff at Victor’s Village will chose their favorite!
Prize Pack
2 Hunger Games cups from the LA premiere
1 Hunger Games lanyard
1 Hunger Games mini poster
1 Handmade felt Mockingjay headband (modeled by Twiffidy on the right!)
1 Katniss Everdeen Devotional Candle from BananaLeviathan
**UPDATE**
Announcing a runner-up prize for each contest, thanks to the generosity of Leah from Blueleaf Creative! The runner-up in each contest will be allowed to choose one poster from Blueleaf Creative’s collection! Check them out, just in case! 
Hunger Games Halloween, Part 2: The Capitol
We’re back with Part 2 of our tips for how to get your Hunger Games on this Halloween!
Katniss, Peeta, and the other tributes way be the most common stars of the show this All Hallows Eve, but if you want to show off your love for The Hunger Games and your hella wicked mad creative skillz this year, taking on the role of a Capitol citizen might be for you!
We’ll get into the specifics later, but let’s start off with some generalities–
The Capitol Look
COLOR! Lots of color! Bright, vibrant colors that make you stand out, but put together in a matching, cohesive fashion that doesn’t make it look like a magical glitter unicorn puked all over you!
Unfortunately, there’s no “Capitol citizen” costume laid out for you, so you’re going to have to get creative!
Step One: Get thrifty! Thrift/consignment stores can be an absolute goldmine when you’re searching for something out of the ordinary and even a bit outlandish. That neon green suit with puffy sleeves collecting dust in the back? Effie Trinket’s BIFFLE. That blue snakeskin blazer? Caesar Flickerman’s top style.
Step Two: Do it up! The hair must be outrageous or President Snow just would not approve!
(If you go this route, it’s also good to pick up a wig cap, because they make life a whole lot easier.)
You can use your natural hair color too, but if so, you better do it up more like this:
Except in a way that’s possible for normal humans to achieve.
Step Three: Accessorize! The Capitol is not bland! Search for some stunning Hunger Games themed jewelry on Etsy or do you nails with Capitol Colors nail polish to achieve that Panem et Circenses shine!
Of course, there’s one member of the Capitol that all the ladies really want to be!
Effie Trinket
Step one: Effie’s hairstyle is all her own, but thankfully there’s a generic “Chaperone wig” made by an unlicensed company!
Is that first one not your style? Try a Marie Antoinette wig!
Or perhaps a Lady Gaga wig!
Customize the wigs color to best match your outfit with either some spray on hair color or– believe it or not– food coloring powder!
Step Two: Heels to High Heaven! Elizabeth Banks said she sometimes had trouble walking around on set. If she can do it for several days, you can do it for a few hours! Any tall, bright, decorative pair will do, but here’s a few ideas:
What about the guys who want to show their Capitol side, you ask? Never fear! Caesar is here!
Caesar Flickerman
Step One: Assuming you don’t have enough hair to dye it blue, put in a bump-it, and make a neat ponytail out of it all, there’s a solution on the Internet! A Caesar wig AND eyebrows!
Step Two: We covered the snazzy thrift suit look already, so to complete the look, all you need is a really shiny pair of dress shoes! …And some teeth whitener, but don’t do overboard!
There’s also the Seneca Crane option, which requires a simple plain black suit and incorporates some facial hair madness! Thankfully you can grow that yourself, free of charge. Try not to hurt yourself carving it out with a razorblade!
We’re Down With The Capitol Style!
The Girl With The Pearl
Hunger Games Halloween, Part 1: The Tributes
Okay, now we’re talking about those types of costumes!
Too early, you say? FALSE. We’ve found that a good costume requires time and careful planning! A penchant toward showiness is welcome but not required, because it’s Halloween, when grown adults eat candy and drink at a friend’s house IN COSTUME!
There are A LOT of options for Hunger Games costumes out there. To be fair to them all, we’ll be covering them bit by bit, starting off with the most obvious option:
THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE COSTUMES
Let’s start with Training Outfits, shall we?
Step One: NECA, who has an official license to all things Hunger Games, sells a movie replica District 12 training shirt:
It’s a great shirt, but therein lies two problems. One – The shirt is specifically for D12, so if you’re dressing as one of the other tributes, you’re mislabeled. Two – It runs between $49.99 and $163.99, depending on your size. Possible solution:
The Hunger Games District 12 Training Shirt at Hot Topic is only $36.
The movie tributes have matching pants, but as far as our research has told us, they do not exist on the Internet! So…
Step Two: Bust out those black Dickies, skinny jeans, or if you’re really adventurous, spandex pants! Also, a pair of kickass, shiny black boots!
On to Arena Outfits!
There’s a little more flexibility here because everyone wears the same thing.
Step One: Black or dark green t-shirt (depending on your preference to either the movie or book). Khaki cargo pants. Available in pretty much any store in existence.
Step Two: Arena Jacket!
The Arena Jacket also has the “official merchandise” problem: It runs between $68.99 and $119.99. The jacket has pretty positive reviews, so it’s totally cool if you’re willing to invest the cash! We just know that some people aren’t that dedicated the Halloween (and then a really freaking awesome autumn jacket!) There’s not any other option out there for jacket replicas, unless you have a black, hooded nylon jacket you’re willing to play with… or, ya know… going without the jacket.
Want to represent your District of choice while in arena garb AND have a nifty place to sneak all that booze into your friend’s dorm keep your stuff? Snag a nylon District bag like this one, available for every district:
Note on these: District 12 bags are MORE THAN DOUBLE the cost of any other district! Yikes!
What if being a tribute isn’t enough? What if you need to be KATNISS FREAKING EVERDEEN?! We got you covered for that too!
Step One: Assuming you don’t have easily braid-able dark flowing locks of hair, there’s a wig for that! Of course, it’s not officially license by Lionsgate and is thus only known (somewhat hilariously) as the “Arena Girl” wig!
Step Two: Get yourself a Mockingjay pin! Otherwise, you’re just some random tribute with braided brown hair!
Step Three: Pick up a (fake!) bow!
Yes, there is indeed an official replica of Katniss’ hunting bow from the beginning of the film:
And it’ll only set you back $80! *cough* … Or you could just cheat across fandoms and snag a Adult Legolas Bow and Arrow Set
Step Four: Swap your booze stuff from those nylon bags to THE ORANGE BACKPACK!
Or its mini-equivalents for 1/4 the price!
That’s all for this round, but we’ll be back with more Hunger Games related costume designs soon!
We Are Masters of Disguise (Which is Why Everyone Knows Our Real Names, Obviously!),
The Girl With The Pearl
Book Review: The Panem Companion
Companion books are a tricky subject. Most of them come from professional companion book creators who look to make a quick buck by tossing together a weak analysis of other people’s work and pissing us of by claiming all their ideas are original. Or the books are aimed at the casual fan, thus feel totally predictable and bland to anyone who’s taken part in our online community. Either way, there’s a huge disconnect between the writers and the fandom.
The only book that we ever really liked after more than a couple chapters, after much convincing from fandom friends, was The Girl Who Was On Fire, a series of really smart essays from popular authors about the books (and later, the movie). Still, we were skeptical when the publishers behind it said they’d be making a full-on analytical companion… until we saw that the author was V. Arrow.
The cover!
For those of you who don’t know V., she is a very passionate, very active member of The Hunger Games fandom. She’s been a panelist of Hunger Games Fireside Chat. She’s talking about the series on Twitter, Tumblr, and hell, even LiveJournal! And nobody even uses LiveJournal anymore! …Anyway, there are a lot of people paying attention to what she has to say. True, we once accused her very popular map of Panem of logic-ing us to death and ignoring the possible speed of futuristic hovercrafts, but after seeing some recent, more official maps of Panem… we could go for more logic. Either way, V. has street cred. Lots of it!
Lucky us, we were given a chance to review the book four months early! So now, instead of rambling to death, we present… OUR REVIEW OF THE PANEM COMPANION BY V. ARROW!
Let’s start by saying this is NOT a book about the movie. It’s about the book series and that point is made very clear. That still leaves us with loads to dive into! Because V. is active in the fandom, this book is not a 200-someodd-page lecture about obvious themes. She certainly talks about important themes– racism, classism, sexuality, parallels between the books and real life, character origins, etc.– usually in more detail than what we’ve seen in the past.
However, she also talks about the nitty gritty fan details, some of which we don’t agree with (like Prim being Mr. Mellark’s child or a possible Finnick/Cinna relationship), but there’s plenty of other “fanon” that we believe in too. So really, there’s something for everyone. V. not only admits that these ideas are part of the fandom, she quotes and references other fans’ thoughts. It’s super gratifying to see an author who recognizes they’re part of something bigger than their own opinion.
On a scale of 1 to 10 between “This was written by a chimp, apparently” and “I’m dying, this is a textbook”, we’re going to just this companion a SEVEN. V. is a lot smarter than us, to put it lightly. We’re big on very simple vernacular, but she pulls out the big kid words and plenty of research. At the same time, anyone with a ninth grade education should do just fine, because the language isn’t off-putting and usually helps validate each topic. We never thought “Urgh… I can’t even read this because my brain is working too hard to find any joy in it.” And we think that about books far more often than we’d like to admit.
There’s a reason ya don’t often take us seriously: We goof off and use words like “shizz”. V. doesn’t because she is a professional, dammit! But she also does it without boring us to death. Don’t let the intro scare you– it’s the part that reads the most like a term paper, but it’s much smoother sailing after that.
We really enjoyed The Panem Companion. It’s unapologetically smart and refuses to trivialize the series or its fandom. You just don’t see that around these parts anymore!
If you’re not into companion books at all, that’s cool! We get it! But if you’re going to read one, we suggest you go for this one. And if you decide to do that, pre-order now and save yourself a gajillion dollars! Deal? Deal!
We Actually Like Something For Once!
The Girl With The Pearl
The Hunger Games “Seal of Approval”
As Hunger Games fans, we feel like there’s always someone trying to convince us. The fandom has proven itself to be full of readers and consumers, so now everyone expects us to… well… CONSUME EVERYTHING.
Except not as cute!
Thusly, every book is getting what we like to call The Hunger Games “Seal of Approval”.
It goes a little something like this:
“If you like The Hunger Games, you’ll love THIS!”
“A great read for fans of The Hunger Games!”
“Readers who love The Hunger Games will be obsessed with THIS!”
“NO SERIOUSLY! IF YOU LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES, YOU HAVE TO LIKE THIS. WE DEMAND IT.“
To us, The Hunger Games Seal of Approval is like poison. If we see it, we almost immediately put the book down and walk away. It’s not because we don’t want to read anything similar to The Hunger Games or have a grudge against teen dystopian fiction.
In fact, we’re not even 100 percent sure WHY we hate it so much, but if we had to guess, we’d assume it has something to do with reviewers suggesting that every other fictional book based in the future will be loved by fans of The Hunger Games, despite many differences between each series. Don’t get us wrong: we’ve read books that have been compared to The Hunger Games and loved them, some of them even ended up on the Victor’s Village Recs Page! But if we had checked out the “Praise For…” section for those books, we probably wouldn’t have bothered, even though they’re among our favorites now. It’s a strange, vicious tick.
It’s what we do best!
Here’s the thing: Every book needs to be judged on its own merits. We don’t want to like a book just because we’re thinking of The Hunger Games. We’re also plagued by the vapid reviewers who act as if all dystopia is the same and The Hunger Games is THE Pioneer. The series is an amazing, beautiful example of dystopia, but it didn’t create the genre, just the craze. A book can be both wonderful and dystopian without being The Hunger Games (though none add up quite the same!)
Also, some of the books that DO get compared to The Hunger Games are actually really, really awful.
So read a book because it looks interesting to you, not because the back cover told you it will make you think of another book!
Of course, I’m reviewing a book for my other site right now, and what’s on the back? A glowing recommendation for Hunger Games fans. I’mnotbotheredI’mnotbotheredI’mnotbothered…
Fans Should Only Be Listening To Our Advice ANYWAY,
The Girl With The Pearl
Hunger Games Pride: Back to School Edition
Everyone gather ’round The Girl With The Pearl and tell you a story, Mr. Rogers style. *pats seat*
Once upon a time, I wasn’t that cool. Hard to believe, I know! …Well, I have never been cool in the traditional sense, but I made myself less cool by worrying way too much about what others thought of me. If I could do high school all over again, I would have accepted just how geeky I was and actually enjoy life’s geeky pleasures.
Because there is another school year upon us and there is always a way to show fandom pride in the office, we’re listing some of our favorite Hunger Games swag based on REAL coolness (aka totally undisguised, sinful levels of nerdiness!)
Level 1: Mockingjay pin
Any fan can stick this on their bag and act really casual about it if someone asks, as if it’s not a huge deal that consumes a huge chunk of your life! “Oh, this old thing? Someone gave it to me ages ago. I guess I like the books, so it’s a nice little embellishment! *cough*”
Level 2: Stickers
Slightly less casual, but still not insane. “I went to the bookstore and this was on sale at the counter for like 99 cents. My stuff came to $19.50 and I got 20% off my next purchase if I spent more than $20, so I was like… ‘Hey, whatever!’”
Level 3: Hunger Games Bookmarks
Your chance to get a little hipster! “Urgh… I just feel like most of the books they have us read in school are so passe! I just wanted to incorporate a little something that actually speaks to our generation, you know?” Note: This will not work if you’re reading The Hunger Games in school!
Level 4: Pencils and/or Pens
Most of it is covered by your hand, but if it’s not, you can always say you’re in it for the actors. “I only got this because it has Josh Hutcherson/Jennifer Lawrence on it (depending on your preferences) and with Mr. or Mrs. Carterface running this class/office, I NEED something pretty to look at!”
Level 5: Hunger Games Jewelry
Something you can show off or tuck under your shirt, depending on how much fandom pride you feel at any particular hour! “Oh, you saw that? Yeah, I like the books. I thought this was kinda cool.”
Level 6: Notebooks
There’s basically no denying fan status at this point, so use style as an excuse. “I keep all these plain notebooks and I always get them confused, so I got these fun Hunger Games ones that actually come in different designs!
Level 7: Phone Case
“I’ve read the books and I like the movie even though *insert generic movie complaint here*, but I am just obsessed with all the graphic design imagery from the series!
Level 8: Laptop Skin
There’s no pretending at this point! “Oh yeah, I love the movie! Plus I figured this looks so much better than that plain silver cover top… This is a conversation piece!”
Level 9: Hunger Games Clothes
Claim to be doing the world a public service! “I really believe in the message behind this series, so if I’m going to be a consumer and buy new clothes anyway, I’m going to spread that message!
Level 10: The Ultimate Back to School Set
“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. THE HUNGER GAMES IS MY SOULMATE!“
It’s Okay. The Hunger Games is Our Soulmate Too (Does That Make Us All Polygamists?)
The Girl With The Pearl
