Immediately on April 20, Excessive Occasions and The Freak Brothers are proud to announce a restricted version collaboration, celebrating 45 years between two iconic hashish manufacturers which have stood the take a look at of time. This distinctive collaboration represents the intersection of two pioneering publications that examined the scope of what printed materials can get away with concerning hashish and psychedelics.
The Freak Brothers animated adaptation debuted on Tubi in November 2021, and was remarkably profitable within the extremely aggressive world of streaming sequence. The voice forged is stellar. It’s the story of three hippies—Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek (Woody Harrelson), Fats Freddy Freekowtski (John Goodman), Phineas T. Phreakers (Pete Davidson)—who embark on pot-fueled adventures, and also you’ll additionally see loads of their cat Kitty (Tiffany Haddish). Blake Anderson and Adam Devine additionally voice roles as modern-day stoners Chuck and Charlie, and there are additionally voice roles from Andrea Savage, La La Anthony, and rapper ScHoolboy Q.
The Freak Brothers graced the quilt of Excessive Occasions journal a number of instances, together with the 18th issue in February 1977, simply three years into publication, which is the design of a few of the new merchandise.
“It’s nice to see two of probably the most iconic and OG manufacturers within the hashish world celebrating a relationship that has spanned almost 50 years,” The Freak Brothers Head of Advertising Greg Goldner informed Excessive Occasions. “As we’ve introduced The Freak Brothers again in a giant manner with our grownup animated TV sequence, it’s very cool to have the ability to proceed the relationships that Gilbert Shelton constructed a long time in the past.”
The brand new assortment contains snapback hats in addition to restricted version T-shirts and hoodies. The hoodies function the traditional Freak Brothers slogan, “Dope will get you thru instances of no cash higher than cash will get you thru instances of no dope.”
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, the unique underground comedian e book first appeared in Might 1968, created by Shelton. Underground comics or comix challenged the integrity of freedom of the press in ways in which hadn’t been examined, offering controversial hashish and psychedelic content material—a number of years earlier than the primary situation of Excessive Occasions in 1974.
The characters have been created by Gilbert Shelton, and it was written and drawn partly by fellow underground comix pioneer Paul Mavrides. Mavrides can be a founding member of the Church of the SubGenius, the parody church that makes use of the Sherlock pipe-smoking icon J. R. “Bob” Dobbs. In 1997, Mavrides won a landmark case for artists’ rights in California that established a authorized equivalency between written-word authors and cartoonists.
“I labored with Gilbert Shelton for over 25 years on The Freak Brothers, co-writing and drawing the strip with him,” Paul Mavrides informed Excessive Occasions in an announcement. “I used to be on the assembly on the Nationwide Different and Underground Press Conference held in Boulder, Colorado within the early 1970’s—1973, I feel—the place Tom Forçade publicly introduced the founding of Excessive Occasions journal. I nonetheless have the preliminary silver cowl Excessive Occasions pattern situation he handed me.”
The Freak Brothers group, coincidentally, was additionally concerned with a few of the first Excessive Occasions Hashish Cup competitions, again when it was headquartered in Amsterdam—one of many solely locations that might permit it on the time.
“I additionally was a ‘superstar’ decide together with Gilbert at Amsterdam’s 1990 Third Hashish Cup Competitors, sponsored by Excessive Occasions journal. A most gratifying journey!” Madrives continued. “Man, I can nonetheless bear in mind most of it regardless of the energy of the samples we have been foolishly given. I used to be rolling eight inch joints as thick as my thumb in my lodge room—taking a couple of hits and tossing them out the window. By Day 2 there have been so many joints within the alley exterior of my lodge room window, that some guys, not too completely different trying than the precise Freak Brothers, began gathering ready on me to drop the following one.”
The Freak Brothers franchise was well-known inside circles of heads together with European people who smoke in Amsterdam. The primary Hashish Cup passed off in 1988, launched by then-Excessive Occasions editor Steve Hager.
“And when the competition was over, the Dutch Customs Police delayed my flight dwelling for a half hour simply so they may sarcastically inform me how all of the drug police in Amsterdam have been large followers of the Freak Brothers,” Mavrides added.
So Mavrides and Shelton determined to memorialize the occasion for a particular look inside Excessive Occasions journal, years earlier than even the primary state medical hashish legal guidelines have been in place.
“We produced a three-page story for Excessive Occasions about our experiences on the Cup (‘The Adventures of Mavrides & Shelton On the third Annual Excessive Occasions Journal Indoor Grass Rising Competitors’) in addition to a Freak Brothers portray for the entrance cowl of the Nov. 1990 situation (Gilbert and I labored on the sketch and I did the acrylic portray based mostly on it). The strip covers our precise experiences on the Cup as they occurred.”
Shelton additionally was concerned with numerous Excessive Occasions associated tasks over time. He co-founded Rip Off Press in 1969, and Up to date a number of different comix reminiscent of Marvel Wart-Hog and contributed to the infamous Zap Comix.
“Mavrides and I have been invited by Excessive Occasions to be the judges for a marijuana seed grower’s contest,” Gilbert Shelton said in 2013. “After we arrived in Amsterdam they gave us every thirty samples to smoke in 5 days. Six per day. By the point I’d smoked three puffs of the primary one I used to be so stoned that I couldn’t inform the distinction and I gave all of them the identical rating. However Mavrides smoked all the samples and wrote a prolonged critique of every one.”
Beneath is a listing of a number of gadgets which are out there, all that includes the lovable characters from The Freak Brothers on the quilt of Excessive Occasions.
Hat ($29.99)
A customized rope snapback hat that’s impressed by the 1977 Excessive Occasions cowl that includes the enduring artist Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. The embroidered particulars pay homage to each OG hashish manufacturers, Excessive Occasions and The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
Limited Edition Tee (Retail $29.99)
Basic match premium ring spun cotton with the February 1977 Excessive Occasions cowl that includes Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
Limited Edition Hoodie (Retail $49.99)
Elevated traditional match midweight ring spun cotton hoodie with the legendary Freak Brothers Dope Quote on the entrance in puff ink. The again of the hoodie is a display print of the February 1977 Excessive Occasions cowl that includes Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
Merch is accessible at thefreakbrothers.com