When I first encountered the Wapuu character in the WordPress universe (or what I like to refer to as “WordPresslandia”) it sort of reminded me of the kind of characters that are commonly seen in Japan — like Pokémon. I was happy to learn that Wapuu was indeed MADE IN JAPAN by Kazuko Kaneuchi, Naoko Takano, Seisuke Kuraishi, Takayuki Miyoshi, Taisuke Jotaki, and Odyssey as I learned on this useful link.

The final result is Number 4 — which is a character that I’ve enjoyed seeing in many forms as a punk rocker and even as a lobster. So Wapuu is very open source — all things are possible with Wapuu. So in that vein, when Matt asked me to see if I could think about some of the WordPress merch a little differently, I immediately thought … Wapuu.

Available January 1, 2018

So Automattic Design produced three signature T-shirts for 2018 that are Wapuu-themed with a slightly Modernist bent.

First off, there’s the fact that so many people that I’ve met “learned how to program on WordPress” so we though they deserved their own alumni T-shirt. On the back is the original index.php for the first version of WordPress in a Wapuu silhouette. It’s available in Maroon (as shown here) or in Royal Blue.

Then, we have a typographic interpretation that is available in both traditional LTR (Left-To-Right) and a vertical-style script more common in Japan. On the back is a silhouetted Wapuu form. This shirt is available in White and Black.

And lastly, we have a festive calligraphy-style Gutenberg theme that is paired with a mysterious Cheshire-cat rendition of Wapuu on the back side. This shirt is available in Banana Cream or Vintage Navy.

These items will only be available during 2018. We hope you enjoy them! —JM