8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 6-12, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew was sitting in a darkened movie theater on Friday, Oct. 3 watching Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, a limited theatrical release coinciding with Swift’s new album, Life of a Showgirl, when the self-described Swiftie—the nickname for any hardcore Swift fan—spied the mega-star singer wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with sea otters. “Immediately when we saw she was wearing a sea otter shirt, everyone in the theater was like, ‘Oh, sea otters, yeah!’ We all know that Travis loves his sea otters,” says Root Askew, referring to Swift’s fiance, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. Kelce once talked about his favorite animal on the podcast New Heights. Swift was wearing a belt the first time the shirt appeared. The next time the belt was gone and the audience instantly erupted. “You could see that it said ‘Monterey Bay Aquarium’ and everybody was like, ‘Oh my god! Did you see that!’” she recalls. “We all started yelling. It was super exciting. We all knew then that this was a big deal.” Root Askew immediately began texting people at the Aquarium. She wasn’t the only one: Director of Content Strategy Liz MacDonald says the fans were immediately tagging them on social media and asking them to bring the shirt back. They also saw a sudden influx of $13 donations—representing Swift’s favorite number—for the Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program. Swift is well known for throwing meaning behind even the smallest detail and often includes hidden features, known as “Easter eggs” in her songs and videos. “We know that [the shirt] was intentional,” Root Askew says. The shirt was a big topic of conversation on Taylor Swift Facebook pages that night, while at the same time counterfeit shirts were popping up. Root Askew urged Aquarium officials to respond publicly to shut them down. Aquarium employees were already scurrying for answers on their end, wanting to leverage a major pop culture moment to bring attention to the Sea Otter Program. They rooted through files and old boxes that weekend looking to see if they might have the original artwork. “It really became an all-hands effort to find the shirt,” MacDonald says. They emailed former staff members and former designers trying to find the shirt’s origin. They discovered it was from 1993, created by a small, independent company called Harborside Graphics. That company was in turn subsumed into Liberty Graphics, an employee-owned company based in Maine. Liberty shared similar values to the Aquarium, using water-based ink (better for the ocean) and 100-percent cotton fabric that won’t release microplastics into wastewater. Liberty’s owners knew right away that they had the original 1993 design— it was hanging on their wall. It was quickly decided by Aquarium officials to have the shirt reproduced and distributed as a thank you gift for a $65.13 donation. Thursday, Oct. 16 was the date set to offer the shirts, with a goal of raising $1.3 million, further leaning into Swift’s lucky number 13. On the morning of Oct. 16, Aquarium workers brought in a Life of a Showgirl-themed cake. By the time they cut the cake at 10:30am, they had raised the first $100,000. A ticker at the top of the shirt’s webpage kept surging across the page all day, tracking every dollar raised. At some points during the day, they were hitting around $100,000 every 15 minutes. They made the $1.3 million goal by 5pm, and the ticker kept scrolling. When they reached $2.3 million raised, more than 35,000 shirts, they paused the fundraiser. Liberty is a small company, with only two presses. MacDonald says there is no decision at this point to re-offer the shirt. “What we’re most excited about is the opportunity it’s given us to talk about sea otters and their comeback from the brink of extinction,” she says, adding that otters aren’t just cute, they have an important place in the ocean’s ecosystem. All in all, Oct. 16 was “The Best Day,” as Taylor Swift sang on her Fearless and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) albums, for the Aquarium and for the otters. The Best Day Behind the scenes of how a T-shirt worn by Taylor Swift translated into $2.3 million for otters. By Pam Marino “We all knew then that this was a big deal.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Pop star Taylor Swift wore a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium T-shirt in a scene from her theatrical release, prompting the Aquarium to reissue the shirt as a fundraiser. Ad sponsored by Monterey Bay Whale Watch www.GoWhales.com Things to love: approx. 5 years old - 7 lbs - Female - Chihuahua mix www.GoWhales.com Ad Sponsored by Monterey Bay Whale Watch Paws for Veterans Open Every Day Except Monday Sunday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Paws for Veterans 50% o entire store for Military, Retired Military and Spouses 223 Grand Ave, Suite 1 Paci c Grove (831) 312-8991| www.POMDR.org BENEFIT SHOP The Situation Want to meet The Situation? Please ll out our online volunteer application. If you’d like sponsor our next ad, give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org He is a mellow, lovable companion who enjoys daily strolls and quiet cuddle time. He gets along with dogs and enjoys being close to his people. This easygoing guy brings calm energy and seeks a ection without asking for much in return. Chihuahua Mix | ~12 years old | 11 lbs
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==