Chicago creative studio Transit Tees offers hundreds of Chicago-inspired gifts designed by local artists for $45 or less including dozens of $25, $15, and $10 stocking stuffers. Shop Chicago-themed bestselling games, home goods or apparel items at Transit Tees storefronts in Wicker Park (1371 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago) and Andersonville (5226 N. Clark Street, Chicago) as well as online at www.transittees.com with the option of free shipping or in-store pick-up.
New this year is the recently launched Target: Rats The Board Game ($45), inspired by the infamous back alley rat warning posters and Chicago’s reign as the rattiest city in the nation. Each player is on a mission to multiply their rat family, build new nests, and be crowned Da Big Cheese- the rat ruler who sits atop a golden throne of Chicago deep dish pizza. This game is perfect for adults who enjoy a challenging, eat-or-be-eaten strategy game peppered with references to Chicago culture and urban history. Players can download the simplified rules for a faster game and family-friendly play ideal for ages 8+.
For the first time ever, create your own Holiday Rat Pack by purchasing Target: Rats The Board Game or any of the additional rat control products including: screen print, t-shirt, socks, tote bag, beer koozies and more. There may not be a more uniquely Chicago gift this season!
The wildly popular bestseller, the Chicago Handshake Drinking Card Game ($20), is back in stock and the perfect holiday party game! Ideal for fans of Chicago trivia and Chicago’s infamous drink combo: a Chicago beer and a shot of Jeppson’s Malört, which someone must drink at the end of the game. Incorporating Chicago trivia on everything from specialty food to the blues and architecture to booze, this game is a little bit strategy, a little bit chance and a whole lot of fun! Players may duke it out with a deep dish pizza discussion or give their best Super Fan accent, while required to drink or collect tokens along the way. For up to 12 players, ages 21+.
Additional Build-Your-Own Gift Packs allow you to choose products within a Chicago theme and pick your own price point. It’s a thoughtful gift starting as low as $25 for two items.
· Chicago Handshake Gift Pack featuring the card game as well as Chicago Handshake logo shot glasses, beer can glasses and beer koozies. Add a dad hat, Malort pin or the popular Chicago Handshake Spaceship Tee to complete the pack.
· Chicago “Foodie” Gift Pack for those with a fanatical devotion to classic Chicago eats: Giardiniera Socks ($16); Chicago-style Hot Dog Socks ($16), T-Shirt ($29) and Hoodie ($55); Deep Dish Pizza Wood Ornament ($9); and dozens of other food-themed items.
· Chicagoan Gift Pack, ideal for the Chicago-obsessed or the relocated Chicagoan who needs a taste of home. Choose from neighborhood-themed magnets starting at $5; Chicago flag pins, glassware, t-shirts and hats ($5 and up); and CTA-inspired mugs, signs, and more ($16 and up)!
For the game enthusiast, Transit Tees has board games, card games, dice games and puzzles all designed in the Chicago studio. Build your own gift set or choose from these two pre-packed Game Night Gift Packs, perfect for the family or friend game nights over the holiday season:
· Chicago Family Game Night Gift Set ($115): The Chicago Family Game Night Gift Set brings together four family-favorite games. The EL board game is Transit Tees' bestselling rail-riding board game that sends players traveling all over the city with custom wooden train pieces and classic CTA tokens. For faster pace gameplay players can try the color-matching card game LOOP or the combination-building dice game Legacy. The Neon Neighborhood Map 1000 Piece Puzzle can provide hours of fun for any age!
· 21+ Prohibition Game Night Gift Set ($115): This is a gift set for those who are old enough to appreciate and indulge in Chicago's historical association with booze. The Chicago Handshake Drinking Card Game is packed with obscure Chicago trivia and challenges for the inebriated. Players can also explore the gangsters of the prohibition era by rolling dice with the Legacy dice game and assembling a puzzle map of Chicago's most notorious gang activity during the late 1920s. Whiskey glasses, shot glasses, and coasters finish off this set.
Gifts $25 and Under
· Card Games for $20 including the popular LOOP: The Elevated Card Game, LOOP: The Elevated Card Game Renovated Edition, and Chicago Handshake Drinking Card Game
· Tote Bags and Tees starting at $22 including the Neon Neighborhood Tote Bag
Gifts $15 and Under
· Dice Game for $12 Legacy: The Chicago Flag Dice Game packaged in a sturdy tin box.
· Mugs for $14 including the classic Chicago Transit Type Mug, Loop Stripe Coffee Mug, Salty Coffee Mug
· Socks from $16 including Chicago Style Hot Dog Socks, Train Line Socks, Target Rat Socks.
· Laser Cut Wooden Ornaments from $9 including Chicago Theater Wood Ornament, Dibs The Season Wood Ornament, Chicagoan Wooden Ornament.
· Neighborhood Magnets starting at $5 from Hyde Park to Lakeview and Logan Square to Lincoln Square, you’ll find your neighborhood fix.
All goods are designed in-house at Transit Tees’ creative studio in Chicago. All prices noted below are for in-store purchases and may vary slightly online. For more information visit: www.transittees.com.
Transit Tees, founded in 2001 by Tim Gillengerten, takes visuals from Chicago's metropolitan landscapes and transforms them into games, fashionable artwork, accessories, home goods and apparel. Their most recent hit, the Chicago Handshake Drinking Card Game, launched in fall 2021. Two recent games, the LOOP Card Game and EL Board Game, were also runaway successes. Transit Tees locally designs, fabricates, and retails their signature brand online and at two storefronts in Wicker Park and Andersonville. Most store items are created in their design studio and produced on-site by in-house artists and craftsmen. For more information, visit www.transittees.com.