As the original gangsters/rioters, us Terps have a lot to offer these Egyptians.  We could do some cultural exchanges--they can show us how to build pyramids, we'll show them how to riot properly.

Which brings me to my next point--Obama and the state department have shown tacit approval for these riots, while still supporting Mubarak.  I hope that Gary Williams and the UMD administration are taking notes--you too can support and encourage our riots while maintaining a bit of distance from them.  That's the least they could do for us after we got the university national notoriety and features on ESPN.

Terps, on to Route 1.  Fuck Duke.

Crooked Monkey moved offices about three years ago. And by "offices" I mean basements--we moved from my former business partners basement... to my mom's basement.

Just last week, my former partner's mom was reorganizing, and called me to pick up some Crooked Monkey boxes. It took me about a week to find time to head over there, but when I did it was like going back in time.

Heading down the staircase brought memories of a nascent company looking to find its voice amongst the throng of t-shirt companies. Swinging open the doors to the basement door, I flashbacked to the dog days of cold calls and 2 PM happy hours. Of long road trips to Chicago and of Crooked Monkey Hotties.  Of "Fuck Duke" and Cease and Desist Letters.  Of "Party with the Monkey" and of brainstorming sessions into the wee hours of the morning. Of being a budding Entrepreneur, living in my parents house and sleeping on friends couches, with wide eyes and the naivete to push forward--against the odds.

I haven't looked through all the boxes yet, but I'm excited to. It's like a time capsule--a window into the beginnings of the Crooked Monkey brand.

Crooked Monkey was established in 2005. In May, it will celebrate its 4 year anniversary. We've accomplished a lot in our short history--featured in magazines, picked up by department stores and trendy boutiques, and put a smile on over 120,000 happy customers. And now, finally, we can add, "receiving an oversized check (a la Happy Gilmore) to our list of accolades."

Starting in 2006, Kevin Plank (the founder and CEO of Under Armour) has hosted an annual business competition for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland, called the Cupid's Cup. In its first year, Crooked Monkey was nominated for the award and finished as a runner up in the competition. This year, Crooked Monkey could not compete for the award because our annual sales volume exceeded the upper limit.

Luckily BB&T; launched the BB&T; invitational--which features companies connected with the University of Maryland. It allows us to showcase our businesses, and invites students, alumn and other entrepreneurs to get a taste for each company. The attendees then vote for their favorite company and the winner is announced at the Cupid's Cup, in front of the entire Under Armour Executive team. There was stiff competition from a list of other strong, thriving entrepreneurs. But in the end our Funny t-shirts were a fan favorite and we took home the prize money and an oversized check!

Than you to: Kevin Plank, Asher Espstein (from the Dingman Center) and BB&T;.

I realize this isn't Twitter, but I figured I'd make the title look like a Twitter subject.

We're heading to the basketball game of the century tonight. University of Maryland Terrapins vs. Wake Forest Deamon Deacons.

If you have to ask who we're rooting for, you don't know much about our history and about how the shirt that launched Crooked Monkey was the famed Fuck Duke T-shirt. Unfortunately we no longer sell that shirt, but we do now hold the UMD license--we stopped selling contraband and started offering permitted shirts.

Our Maryland t-shirts are pretty awesome. If you're a Terp, and you don't have one of our shirts, shame on you.

Here's the list:
Guys University of Maryland Terps Nose Rub t-shirt
Guys University of Maryland Terps Newspaper t-shirt
Guys University of Maryland Terps Fan T-shirt

Girls University of Maryland Terps Nose Rub T-shirt
Girls University of Maryland Terps Newspaper T-shirt

And we're hoping to get some more licenses--they've done real well at UMD, so we're actively looking to expand the concept.

Since those early days a lot has changed, but a lot has also remained the same. We still produce awesome t-shirts--just now they're refined and legal. We still sell t-shirts--just now we sell to retail locations with business licenses and permits. We still run from the cops--just now its cause these guns are illegal in 48 states.

So yesterday we joined the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at their annual marketplace. We even made the front page of the Diamondback, the University of Maryland school newspaper.

Check out our Guys Maryland t-shirts: University of Maryland Guys T-shirt - Mckeldin, University of Maryland Guys T-shirt - Newspaper, University of Maryland Guys T-shirt - Terrapins

Girls Maryland T-shirts: University of Maryland Girls T-shirt - Newspaper, University of Maryland Girls T-shirt - Mckeldin

Hey hey. Our University t-shirts are finally up for sale on Crookedmonkey.com! They've been selling really well in the stores, and we now have stock of the shirts. That's great news. You can now pick up/check out the coolest licensed college t-shirts on the planet. We chose UMD because of our strong connection to the University of Maryland, because we Fear the Turtle, and because we simply love the Terps.

Here's your options:

So, check out our Guy's College t-shirts here, and check out our girls College t-shirts here

Our University of Maryland t-shirts have been blowing out at the Maryland Book Exchange in College Park. In one week, they already doubled their first order of Crooked Monkey licensed college t-shirts. This is very very exciting news for Crooked Monkey Funny T-shirts!

When we started to get licenses for Universities, we knew our product was unique. The licensing world is actually quite difficult to get into--especially in the t-shirt area. Universities are retracting licenses left and right, because over time they've given out too many licenses. So it was a huge deal when Crooked Monkey got the University of Maryland license, and it was due to the unique design and concept that we came up with. It was a long process--we came up with the mascot idea over 2 years ago and we finally applied for the license about 5 months ago.

All other licensees who produce university t-shirts do the same old boring stuff, with a few vintage concepts here and there. We decided the only way we would get into this crowded market was to have a brand new, never-been-done-before concept. And when you see our t-shirts, you'll know what we're talking about.

We're already looking to expand beyond the University of Maryland--we hope to bring it to your University next!

Great news here at Crooked Monkey Funny t-shirts. We recently received the license to produce University of Maryland T-shirts. Because of our unique approach to the college licensing world, we'll be garnering a whole bunch of excitement for these exclusive products--currently only sold at the University of Maryland.

Our t-shirts will breathe life into the mascot and yield original, tradition-inspired t-shirts. Instead of simply printing the text and logo of the college or University, we will be using school traditions to produce a totally unique product.

Obviously we chose the University of Maryland to be the first license we design for--we always try and give back to the University of Maryland whenever we can. The licensing director over there has been extremely helpful and has given us a lot of room to work with.

The irony of the whole scenario is that we got our start selling contraband Fuck Duke t-shirts. We earned a cease and desist letter from the University of Maryland in March of 2006 for those shirts. But we have now "gone legit" and will be producing school sanctioned UMD Terp Pride Wear. Even more interesting is that the same guy who busted us for the original t-shirts is the guy who is now working closely with us in producing the new UMD line. We really appreciate his vision--forgiving our original missteps and allowing Crooked Monkey funny t-shirts to turn over a new leaf.

I've attached some of the new designs for you to check out. We'll have them available for sale pretty soon and we'll update you on that. In the meantime we're looking for some wholesale outlets for our Funny Collegiate shirts. If you want your school to be a part of Crooked Monkey's funny licensed college t-shirt expansion plans, please email us or leave us a comment, telling us why you think your university should be next.