--- title: 50 Years of SWAG at ETC description: Swag has become a big part of the ETC culture and we have you to thank. Here's a look back at some of our favorite swag from the last 50 years. image: https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/TownSquare_2.png --- - [ETCCONNECT](https://etcconnect.com/) - [ABOUT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/about) - [AUTHORS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/blog-authors) - [CONTACT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/contact) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [![EtCetera_319x104](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "EtCetera_319x104")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) [![ETC Blog](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "ETC Blog")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) Search ## [![blog-header](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-header.png?width=476&height=155&name=blog-header.png "blog-header")](https://www.etcconnect.com) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [✕](https://blog.etcconnect.com/50-years-of-swag-at-etc#gwen-offcanvas-primary) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) # 50 Years of SWAG at ETC ![Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/rachel-author.png?width=34&height=34&name=rachel-author.png)By [Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick) 29 Apr 2025 ![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/TownSquare_2.png) This month we continue our series of 50th anniversary blog posts with a look into the history of ETC SWAG. From the first pen that mocked ETC’s relaxed view on business in the 70s, to the current stock of 50th anniversary gear, ETC has been selling and giving out SWAG for decades. For those of you who have attended conferences, meetings, or tradeshows in the past, the concept of SWAG is probably not foreign. Some say SWAG stands for “stuff we all get,” and others say its an acronym for souvenirs, wearables, and gifts. But no matter what you think the word actually stands for, there’s no denying that ETC embraces the concept wholeheartedly. ## First Swag Instigated by Fred Foster in 1979, the first-ever ETC swag item was a pen emblazoned with “We’d Rather Be Sailing.” While that is a longer story ([that you can listen to around the 10:00 minute mark of this video](https://vimeo.com/949669077/2d72e0ae94)), it’s a good example of our deep and vivid history of unique and fun items for our customers. ![ETC-pen](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ETC-pen.gif?width=750&height=79&name=ETC-pen.gif)   As ETC employees, SWAG is one of our favorite topics of conversation, too! Here are a couple of blog articles on SWAG that we’ve done in the past: - [A Peek inside the ETC SWAG bag](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2018/02/peek-inside-etc-swag-bag) - [ETC's History Told Through T-Shirts](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2018/05/etcs-history-told-through-t-shirts) ## Product Swag Of course, when we launch new products, we often have specific swag to go with them! For example… The CueSpider Spiders were a big hit!   The yo-yos for the [Prodigy Balance](https://www.etcconnect.com/Prodigy-Balance/) launch earlier this year were a kitschy nod to ETC rigging systems. ![Balance.yoyos](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Balance.yoyos.jpg?width=800&height=533&name=Balance.yoyos.jpg) While the Eos Apex pillow was never actually given away – it was created for an [April Fool’s Day gag](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/04/a-console-with-extra-fluff-eos-apex-body-pillow) - you can find one at the headquarters building if you look hard enough. ![ApexPillowDrop](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ApexPillowDrop.gif?width=750&height=422&name=ApexPillowDrop.gif) The Source Four pillow, however, is something you can purchase from the [online SWAG Store!](https://shop.etcconnect.com/) ![SourceFourPillow](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SourceFourPillow.png?width=480&height=504&name=SourceFourPillow.png)Rick Wolff (seen on the right in the photo) managed the ETC SWAG store for many years and had this to share about how the Source Four pillow came to be. *“At first when I had this product in development, it did not get a lot of acceptance and love from anyone but me. However, I took it to Fred in his office and hit him over the head with it… and then he stole it from me and we had an epic pillow fight that led to this product taking off. A post I did on the Eos Forum introducing the pillow with Sasha (who was the TS Eos expert at the time) asking how the best way to program it (as a joke) went viral and sales took off. Customers went nuts! As of today, we’ve sold 1,314 pillows globally and there is a Source 4 pillow on every continent of the world except Antarctica.”*     The Layers of Light vacuum-packed t-shirts were also popular because they were a safe-ish and easy thing to throw into crowds at tradeshows and conferences. ![layersoflight](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/layersoflight.png?width=600&height=260&name=layersoflight.png) ![wrinkleshirt1](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/wrinkleshirt1.png?width=810&height=450&name=wrinkleshirt1.png) ## Keeping up with technology Before tablets, phones, and laptops, ETC offered a leather notepad portfolio. It featured slots for business cards, an open notebook to write notes, and a large pouch to carry data sheets and a product catalog. “All of that is now obsolete, but at the time, it was really something. It was important to keep up with trends in the market and engage with customers and employees to make sure we provided tools in the market that were relevant,” says Rick. ![portfolio](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/portfolio.png?width=624&height=515&name=portfolio.png)   The Town Square deck of cards was such a hit back in the day that we recently created a new design! ![cards1](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cards1.png?width=400&height=254&name=cards1.png)[![ETC_50_Playing_Cards__36853](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ETC_50_Playing_Cards__36853.jpg?width=500&height=443&name=ETC_50_Playing_Cards__36853.jpg)](https://shop.etcconnect.com/50th-playing-cards/)   While SWAG may seem like such a small thing, or maybe a little frivolous at times, it really is something that folks all around the world truly appreciate and love. We are lucky to have high school students, college students, sales partners, end users, technicians, designers, and so many others repping ETC through our SWAG. That’s not something that happens very often, especially for a lighting manufacturer based out of southern Wisconsin. A big thank you to each of you who buy, wear, and collect the ETC SWAG that we create just for you!   Looking for limited edition 50th Anniversary SWAG? [Check out our online swag store!](https://www.etcconnect.com/shop/) Or, [sign up to attend the summer CUE Conference](https://web.cvent.com/event/60d0f8a8-512e-41c1-a1e0-ea171dbe80e7/summary) in Madison, WI, and grab your free ETC SWAG, or buy gifts for others from the Haberdashery while you’re in town. Yup, we have a permanent swag store located in Town Square at the headquarters building because you all love our SWAG that much! ![TownSquare_hab](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TownSquare_hab.png?width=1200&height=500&name=TownSquare_hab.png)   - - - 0 [#FEATURED](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/featured) [#ETC Culture](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) ### CUE 2025 - GO! [Previous article](https://blog.etcconnect.com/cue-2025) ### Tradeshow Talk: Prolight + Sound and NAB 2025 [Next article](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tradeshow-talk-prolight-sound-and-nab) [Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick) ![Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/rachel-author.png?width=180&height=180&name=rachel-author.png) Rachel has worked with ETC since 2007. She takes advantage of the limited warm months in Wisconsin by participating in outdoor activities like camping, paddle boarding, kayaking, and riding waterslides. She has several gardens that she swears she’ll be able to keep up with someday. And she enjoys stretchy things like new socks, yoga, and taffy. She writes a lot, she reads a lot and she plays with her kids a lot. #### You may also like [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Amber-Whatley-blogheader-750x500.png)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/01/amber-whatley) [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) ### [An interview with Amber Whatley, lighting designer](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/01/amber-whatley) By [Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick) 27-Jan-2022 When Amber Whatley decided to study lighting design in college, she quickly realized that many of her peers were coming to the program with prior training because of the programs that existed at... [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/01/amber-whatley) [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Overture_Hall_107.jpg)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/etc-art-meets-technology) [ETC Culture](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) ### [ETC - where art meets technology](https://blog.etcconnect.com/etc-art-meets-technology) By [Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick) 2-Jul-2024 ETC has built its legacy on combining the art and science of light into useful tools for live events around the globe. The video below tells the story of nearly five decades of inspiration,... [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/etc-art-meets-technology) [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/earthday-s4cover-1-750x500.png)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/04/measuring-sustainability) [ETC](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc) ### [Measuring sustainability within the theatrical lighting industry](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/04/measuring-sustainability) By [Rachel Frederick](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick) 22-Apr-2022 Earth Day is April 22 and we at ETC continue to look at what we can do as a manufacturer to increase our sustainability efforts and decrease our carbon footprint. During CUE 2022, a team from our... [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2022/04/measuring-sustainability) - [ETCCONNECT](https://etcconnect.com/) - [About](https://blog.etcconnect.com/about) - [Authors](https://blog.etcconnect.com/blog-authors) - [Links](https://blog.etcconnect.com/links) - [Contact us](https://blog.etcconnect.com/contact) [Privacy Policy & Legal Notices](https://www.etcconnect.com/Privacy-Policy-Terms-of-Use-and-Acceptable-Use.aspx) [CA Transparency Act & Transparency in Coverage](https://www.etcconnect.com/About/California-Supply-Chain-Transparency-Act.aspx) [Do Not Share My Personal Info](https://www.etcconnect.com/Do-Not-Share-My-Personal-Info/) [CA Privacy Rights](https://www.etcconnect.com/CA-Privacy-Rights/) ![ETC blog](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/ETC-logo_footer-wh.png)   ![ETC 50 anniversary](https://www.etcconnect.com/uploadedimages/Main_Site/Images/50yr_160x80.png "ETC 50 anniversary") [![ETC social networks](https://www.etcconnect.com/uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Images/social_Footer.png "ETC social networks")](https://www.etcconnect.com/Get-connected.aspx) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rachel Frederick", "url" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/rachel-frederick" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-12T14:03:33.571Z", "datePublished" : "2025-04-29T19:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "50 Years of SWAG at ETC", "image" : [ "https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/TownSquare_2.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/50-years-of-swag-at-etc", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Logos%20-%20Icons%20-%20Design%20Elements/ETC_4c.png" }, "name" : "ETC" } } ```