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Exit Thru The Gift Shop

By David Markland
July 15, 2011
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Whether or not Carmageddon lives up to its apocalyptic height, Los Angeles residents are at the very least eager to embrace it with the enthusiasm of a pet rock. Case in point: the large number of commemorative 405 closure t-shirts that have popped up online.

At Zazzle and Cafe Press, two print on demand merchandise sites, Angelenos can choose from nearly a dozen different designs, most with the recurring (and presumptuous) line, "I Survived Carmageddon." Some are more optimistic, including one that Spicoli would agree with. It reads, "The 405 Its Closed. Let's Go To Surf!" (sic). Another tries to be helpful, offering a convoluted alternate route to avoid the 405 that includes taking the 10 to Jacksonville, FL, through Utah, and eventually back over to the 134. Some of these same logos are printed to bumper stickers, coffee mugs, and water bottles.

To sell the "I survived the Carmageddon" t-shirt he designed, Matthew Wilcox, a Los Angeles record company owner, nabbed the domain name carmageddontshirt.com, which redirects to his page on Spreadshirt, another print on demand site.

The question remains: on Monday, will all this stuff go on sale for 50%?

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