Whaling Museum goes viral for ‘worst aquarium ever’ T-shirts, totes

New Bedford is considered the home of whaling’s history in America — and now, home to the worst aquarium ever. 

In 2020, a Google user left a one-star review of the New Bedford Whaling Museum coining that phrase. Last fall, the museum began selling shirts and hoodies with the review on the back and a whale skeleton on the front. Now, the design is capturing national attention.

On Wednesday night, the CBS Evening News ran a segment about the merchandise after WPRI, Providence’s CBS affiliate, covered the story Tuesday. Sales are booming.

Overnight, a slew of buyers rushed to get their hands on the merch, seemingly proud to represent such an accolade.

Customers placed 738 online orders, mostly for “worst aquarium” merchandise, between the broadcast Wednesday night and 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, according to Annelise Conway, the chief engagement officer at the Whaling Museum. On Thursday, orders for the week were up 250% compared to the week prior.

Amanda McMullen, president and CEO of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, said the review has been folklore among the staff for a while, always providing “a good chuckle.” In 2020, there was no aquarium at the museum. What it lacked in live aquaculture, it makes up for in skeletons, including those of a 66-foot blue whale, a 37-foot humpback whale, a 49-foot North Atlantic right whale, and a 48-foot sperm whale — all in all, a few more bones than guests typically want to see in an aquarium.

Emily Roznoy, the designer of the merchandise and the visitor experience manager at the Whaling Museum, said she had heard staff jokes about putting the infamous review on a T-shirt. When she saw a barbecue restaurant selling shirts that contained a similarly condemning review (one star, “no vegan options”), she made the design a reality. The review appears on the back of T-shirts, crewneck sweaters, and tote bags; a drawing of the museum’s sperm whale skeleton adorns the front.

“I knew the humor was there,” McMullen said, recalling her first reaction to the design. “And I got the sense that New Bedford has this fighting spirit of place.”

Who could resist repping an honor like this one?

Conway said this week’s attention started with an advertisement via an Instagram post announcing the restock of the design on T-shirts and crewnecks last week. Prior to that, a TikTok video showcasing the merchandise in November got more than 96,000 views.

Even before virality, the design was a hit, consistently ranking in the top five of the store’s sales, Conway said. Before the ad ran last week, the store was running low and ordered a resupply of 160 more adult T-shirts — already more than they usually put in for. 

The morning after the CBS segment, Roznoy called to update the order with an additional 750 adult T-shirts, 400 youth size T-shirts, 750 crewnecks, 400 hoodies and 150 tote bags, with the prospect of coffee mugs on the horizon. Online, each adult shirt sells for $32.50, with crewnecks costing $50 and hoodies $60. The tote bag sells for $39.95. 

On Thursday morning, the store on the Whaling Museum’s first floor was swimming with enthusiasm.

“Do you know if they will be ordering more of these?” a guest asked, pointing to the crewneck hanging on the wall. An employee nodded.

Another staff member answered the phone and said, “they are on back order right now, but you can still purchase it online,” seemingly responding to an inquiry about the viral design. 

A customer purchased a crewneck, and the cashier smiled, saying, “You’re one of the cool kids now.” 

Cyn Spence from Dartmouth was one of the “cool kids” that morning, purchasing a crewneck and tote bag as surprise gifts for a friend leaving the area. 

“It’s just perfect,” Spence said of the merchandise. Her sister-in-law had sent her a video of the merchandise, and she said she knew she had to come get it. She described the design as “genius.” 

McMullen said the witty design helps to support the Whaling Museum’s approach to marketing itself as a fun and interactive museum, backed by serious scholarship.

“I’m just honestly, above all else, proud of them for running with it,” McMullen said. “They took a chance on something, and it obviously hit.” 

Timing adds irony to the design. The review was posted when the museum was more a whale ossuary than an aquarium. But early this year, the Whaling Museum installed an exhibit that features a 250-gallon saltwater tank, or what McMullen described as “a modest aquarium.” The tank, in the middle of the first floor, houses local South Coast species including the blue crab, Forbes’ sea star, and northern puffer fish. (Yet no live whales — much to the one-star reviewer’s continued disappointment, one could imagine.)

The tank was installed as a partnership with UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology. Museum officials said the tank is important to the discussion of the South Coast’s ecology and coastal water health.

Conway said the museum has been receiving feedback that the design reflects a hearty New England and Massachusetts spirit.

“There isn’t a strategy to be authentic,” Conway said. “It just sort of happens.” The design is a product of a “very local” staff, she said. ”The person who sold you your ticket is the person who is modeling the merchandise.”

Roznoy grew up in Rochester, Massachusetts, and has lived in New Bedford for half a decade. When the line first launched last fall, she said she and her team expected mostly staff to be interested in it. The national audience is exciting and surprising, she said. 

“I have always wanted to be an artist and graphic designer,” Roznoy said. “So knowing I made something people really like makes me really happy.” 

Conway and Roznoy both said the design was a way to connect with a broader audience at the Whaling Museum. 

“We aren’t a ‘shhh’ museum,” Conway said. “We don’t want to be exclusive. … We want to interact with the community, not stand behind glass.”

Email Anna Albrecht at aalbrecht@newbedfordlight.org.