After getting out of the Marine Corps in 2021, I left my hometown in South Texas and took a job at a machine gun factory in Northeast Ohio—about 45 minutes east of Cleveland.
In my first year here, a buddy took me to my first-ever baseball game: the Cleveland Indians vs. the Texas Rangers. I had an absolute blast watching the game, but what really stuck with me was the crowd. Even though Chief Wahoo had been officially retired and “canceled,” probably 80% of the stadium was still rocking Chief Wahoo gear. Men, women, kids, old folks, black, white—everyone was proudly wearing this mascot that I’d always heard was controversial and discontinued. It was clear to me: people still loved Chief. And after seeing that, I wanted my own Chief Wahoo merch.
But this was 2022, and Chief Wahoo had been retired since 2018. No official merch was being sold anymore.
I did see some vendors outside the stadium selling Chief gear, but honestly, it was low-quality stuff. I wanted a legit shirt or hat. So I turned to eBay.
Everything there was way overpriced, so I decided not to buy anything. That’s when I stumbled across a specific design that caught my eye: Chief Wahoo wearing dual-tube NODs on his head. The design was by SUPDEF, and I thought it was incredible. Naturally, I went to their site to grab it, only to find it was no longer available. I assume due to the MLB sending a Cease and Desist but that's just me speculating as I've never spoken to anyone from SUPDEF.
So, I decided to remake the design for myself. I whipped up a cheap embroidered hat online and wore it to work. That’s when it started. My coworkers—most of them veterans like me—started asking where I got it.
When I told them I made it, they wanted to buy one. But I didn’t feel right selling someone else’s design. So, I went home and started sketching my own parody version of Chief Wahoo with NODs. I got one of my artist buddies to finalize the design, and that’s how we ended up with the Tactical Wahoo you all know and love today.
It started small—I sold a few hats at work. Then friends of friends started asking for shirts and patches, and it just grew from there.
Fast forward to now: I’ve made the decision not to create any new versions or products with my Wahoo. Legally, I don’t own the character, and it’s still a parody of an MLB mascot (Yes, they still own him). Plus, I’ve seen other versions of Chief pop up with different hats and designs (or straight up rip offs of mine), and honestly, I just don’t feel like competing in that space anymore.
As long as I’m allowed, though, I’ll keep offering this design for Cleveland veterans and anyone else who wants to show their support. If you’ve bought something from me with this design, thank you for supporting my shenanigans. It means a lot.
LONG LIVE THE CHIEF!
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