WWYD? The Saga of the Family Tuna

[PomBearAtTheGatesOfDawn]

Bit longwinded but anyone who bears with me can have and
DD has a toy caterpillar named Sydney Tuna, she liberated him from a car boot sale when she was just gone 2 and has adored and worshipped him ever since.
Last Christmas Santa brought his mummy, Mrs. Mabel Tuna, to live with us. She had missed Sydney since he went to seek his fortune, so had written to Santa to ask him to find Sydney, and Santa gave her a lift to our house on his sleigh. Cue rejoicing and carolling and so on....
DD now informs me that this Christmas, Mrs T and Sydney are writing jointly to Santa to find Mr. Tuna, who rejoices in the name Miguel apparently, and is in the army, fighting for the peaceloving resistance caterpillars who want to stop the slaughter between the marmite and the maple syrup factions I kid you not AND I kept a straight face wile DD told me all this
So... and if you're still with me, a thousand thanks... I can lay my hands on a caterpillar identical to Mrs. Tuna, but how can I make him look like he's been liberated from the army/prisoner of war camp/somewhere else suitable to have kept him away for a long time? I thought about him having been kidnapped by Pirates to explain where he's been all these years, and that was when DD came out with the stuff about the army... any suggestions? DD is 9 and I think this could be the last year for Santa for her, we've had some pointed questions that I have so far lied my way out of managed by the skin of my teeth, so I want to do Mr. Tuna's homecoming right...

Erm, The Cub tried to stomp on a caterpillar this morning and I explained that it's a relation to Mr Tuna and that we were trying to free him.

He looked like this cos he's 2.

MightBeTakingThisABitFarTiggaxx

Tigga

Miguel will be liberating Mrs Commandante's negligee later, the story will play out over FB status updates - feel free to tweet!

and thank you for the parachute satin, stealthsquiggle

I don't think she has a particular favourite - I will stealthily try and find out if there's a particular cause dhe prefers or look for a wildlife charity to support the Caterpillar Widows and Orphans maybe
I was toying with the idea of Tshirts myself, when we get the good photos organised wedding pic and Miguel in his finery and suchlike just need the DCs to bog off back to school be out of the way!

T shirts with a cartoon logo perhaps? I can't do computer drawing but surely all we need is a round face with two eyes a smile and 2 antenna. Then Free Miguel Tuna underneath? Set up a just giving to the charity and pick a price...

Suitable?

Or, on a more serious note This one??

DH is taking the DCs to nanna's house shortly, so I shall have a go at a "logo" type drawing and see what happens. It just occurred to me and I admit this may actually finally be going too far that I am booked for a new tattoo on 14th october and can probably, he already thinks I'm a bit insane get the nice tattooist man to position Miguel strategically in the Big Chair and pose for a pic or two as he gets his tattoo(s) regimental and/or tribute to Mabel then I can embroider them at leisure in time for Christmas What sayeth the Escape Committee?

Do it and make sure there's a bottle of rum/vodka/whisky in the shot!

Feel free to update Miguel's fb status, btw, I'm kind of winging it at the moment...

Yes, yes, yes to the tattoo photos!

There must be a way you can utilize the MIguel Tuna groupies around the world. We could send you postcards of Miguel's brave adventures. Obviously we would all have to take the same online handwriting course but this seems a small sacrifice.

Now, what day are the 'Free Miguel' t-shirts going to be ready?

I did a really basic cartoon
s148.photobucket.com/albums/s40/rowena8482/Tuna%20Family%20Album/?action=view&current=FreeMiguelTuna.jpg
If anyone else wants a go, feel free - we can pick the best one later on

s148.photobucket.com/albums/s40/rowena8482/Tuna%20Family%20Album/
oops, try that I am crap at this t'internets stuff

I read that as you were going to have a Miguel tattoo done and was impressed by your dedication to the cause.

More what I had in mind

I do appreciate that it's not my mind that's important here

I am not that dedicated MmeL! (Though it wouldn't surprise me if DD got a Sydney one one day when she's older )
I am thinking and straining my brain in the heat!
Monday and/or Tuesday, I shall do the basic "portrait" shots and the Wedding Pictures with Miguel and Mabel while the LOs are all safely at school. Then if saycheese can make use of the "portrait" ones and photoshop titivate them up so the exotic backgrounds are clear we can put the Wedding Album and Travelogue on to FB and in the Family Album.
Then I shall do some proper research to see about merch Miguel sounds like a rock star now and a charity for any proceeds are people REALLY going to want this stuff? if anyone does want any. Does anyone know about stuff like that and can advise me?
There's no point trying to rush and do everything at once, since he can't actually be liberated until Santa comes - although he could perhaps make his daring escape and be en route for here on feet and desperate when Santa picks him up in the High Pyrenees or somewhere on the way maybe.
When I go to the tattooist I shall smuggle Miguel with me and beg persuade them to pose for those pics, and after that I can do the embroidery.
And at some point in between all this thankfully it is a few weeks until it all HAS to be done! I shall do the uniform and kitbag and assemble/distress all the kit ready.
Then on Christmas morning I can take loads of pics of the Happy Reunion and can post those to FB and finish off the Saga in style and they can all live happily ever after!
Is it sad that I just went upstairs to "potter" while they're all out, and as I passed the wardrobe I said "Don't worry Miguel, it's not for much longer, your ordeal is almost at an end"?

That's lovely pidj and is just what I would have done had I been able to work even the most basic software drawing package!

First decide on a charity.

Then contact them to let them know what's going on.

If they have and online shop, sell through that.

If not, donations to JustGiving/your paypal, and donors need to email you their address.

Then, work out how much it'll cost to print up say 10 t shirts each in S M L and XL. Decide how much to charge. Either you write off the money and donations go straight to charity (JustGiving) or you charge more than the printing price and the profit goes to the charity (paypal). We'll need to know beforehand because it'll affect the marketing...

I'm just pissing about on www.cafepress.co.uk who do custom designs but are both American and quite expensive! There may be an MNer with access to the correct printing facilities, in which case get a job lot from Primark and send them on!

Ok, $1000 for 50 tshirts is ridiculous! Ditch that idea...

www.vistaprint.co.uk 10 XL, 10 L, 10 M tshirts, 10 cotton bags, 40 stickers comes to £142.98...

www.clothes2order.com £69 for 10 each three sizes...

I was thinking of looking at etsy and oh ffs I forgot the name as I started to type but I know where I mean thingy but I think there is actually a place here in town that does tshirts to order and they are pretty reasonably priced iirc. I shall see if I can find them, they had a little advert in the paper fairly recently. I also have a friend who used to run a little business printing shirts at home so shall ask him if he still has whatever it was he used to use to do them with. The advantage of him doing them is that he can make them to order so I don't end up with a large pile of Tshirts left over none of which would fit me
The tattooist got back to me and pronounced me insane but amusing and is perfectly willing to be photographed tattooing Miguel, as long as Miguel has ID to prove he is over 18 of course!

Folksy?

Local or a mate is probably best! Supermarket/Primarni tshirts at £2 a pop then free/discount printing. Sell for £8/£10 = nice donation to charity!

There is/was a print-on-demand service which MN (MNHQ, I think) used for mugs, T-shirts, etc - basically you upload the logo and people can order it on whatever they want - not sure how the revenue-sharing worked, but it was definitely raising money. There were Lissie's Tea Shop mugs, amongst others (and MN logo ones) but nothing gets printed until someone orders it, and all the ordering is direct with them.

All of which would be more useful if I could find/remember the name of the place - I never ordered anything but recall thinking how neat an idea it was.

As you were - I found and followed some ancient links (blimey I have been on MN for longer than I realised ) and it would appear that they have gone out of business.

We have a chap who will do t shirts and all other types of merchandise - gostickit.co.uk - his name is Tony and if you mention it's a referral from mrs Snaplegs of the landrover Snaplegs family he will sort you out with a fair price. He will also be able to print on demand and mail direct for individual orders. You will probably be able to ask if he would put a small mark up on price and donate it for you - not sure about that but worth asking

DH has said he'd have a t shirt

OOOO I am waiting for my friend getting back to me about cost and if he's willing to set up to do them for me he does still have the gear and can do pink, blue and grey shirts apparently. Looks like one way or another we can get the shirts. I wonder if it would be easier from my pov anyway to get people to make an online donation and just trust them for it/do one of those giving page things so we can see they did it, and do the actual shirt at cost to me/tony the tshirt man/whoever makes them, separately? Then people could decide the amount they donate for themselves, and would know it was going where it should be. Or would people be put off doing two things do you think?

I'd have a t- shirt or two, xl is great for sleeping in.