Plodding Through The Presidents

This famous quote from John Adams is perfect for history lovers who feel like they're living in the Upside Down.

William Henry Harrison was the ninth president, and only served for 31 days before he died. It's commonly reported that he died of pneumonia, caught after giving a long inauguration speech in the rain without a jacket. Recent research suggests his death was more likely a result of bacteria from the "night soil" near the White House. Good times!

Benjamin Franklin referred to John Adams as "always an honest man, often a great one, but sometimes absolutely mad." And honestly, who can't relate to that?

Those lovebirds John Adams and Abigail Adams may not be creepy and kooky, but... Actually, John was pretty kooky come to think of it, and their house IS a museum. And you'll be a scream showing off your love of America's favorite founding family, however you spell it.

This design is perfect for the history lover who feels like they're living in the Upside Down. Though John Adams didn't invent this famous quote, he famously used it in 1770 when he defended British soldiers for their role in the Boston Massacre, saying "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

This famous quote from John Adams is perfect for history lovers who feel like they're living in the Upside Down.

Don't be shy about showing off your Plodding Through The Presidents gear! Even George Washington is curious to see what all the fuss is about.

Championed as the successor to the Teddy Bear, the Billy Possum was a stuffed toy inspired by a famous possum dinner honoring William Howard Taft. Somehow, Billy Possum did not replace the teddy bear in the hearts of the nation's children, but the story of the wild efforts to promote this toy did make for one of our favorite episodes.

This vintage comic book style design depicts an alternate version of the day during the War of 1812 when the British burned the White House just hours after first lady Dolley Madison had its valuables loaded onto wagons. This design answers the questions: What if Dolley Madison hadn't rejected her house manager's idea to blow up the White House when it was full of British troops? And what if the tornado that blew through Washington DC the next day had come early? Dolley is pictured here with two things she made sure escaped the White House that day: Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, and her pet macaw Polly—star of the Plodding Through The Presidents episode "Potty-Mouthed Parrots."

Hamilton meets Gremlins in this revolutionary design that brings a whole new batch of fun to Broadway with these young, furry, and hungry revolutionaries. Speaking of hungry, if they ask for food after midnight...say no to this if you want to tell the story of tonight.

This peg-legged philandering "Penman of the Constitution" is the most fascinating Founder most people have never heard of. Gouverneur Morris fully deserves his own musical, though it might be best to cut out his death scene. We certainly didn't shy away from talking about it in one of our favorite episodes, "Gouverneur Morris and the Vampire of Bizarre."

President Warren G. Harding died in 1923, but his most scandalous love letters were not released to the public until 2014. Among them was a letter to his mistress Carrie Fulton Phillips where he wrote: "Wish I could take you to Mount Jerry. Wonderful spot. Not in the geographies but a heavenly place." (Jerry was the name he gave his...teapot dome.)

In 1808, the White House lawn was a dangerous place. Not because of the two grizzly bears in the yard (they were in a cage) but because of a little four-horned Shetland ram described as beautiful, wicked, and abominable. This little creature, the subject of our episode "Thomas Jefferson's Killer Ram," was responsible for the first recorded death on the White House property.

George Washington has a well-earned reputation for being a bit stuffy, but he definitely found humor in giving his dogs names like Vulcan, Venus, Truelove, Drunkard, and Sweetlips. We'd like to imagine those awkward moments when George hollered, "Come here, Sweetlips!" and Martha and the dog both turned around.

As the first Vice President of the United States, John Adams was sometimes called "Daddy Vice," a term he even used himself. Like kids passing notes in class, a Congressman once passed a note with this poem making fun of Adams: "I’ll tell in a trice- ‘Tis old Daddy Vice Who carries of pride an ass-load; Who turns up his nose, Wherever he goes, With vanity swelled like a toad." With this design you can set quite the vice precedent by marrying the best of 1790s New York and 1980s Miami.

An obscure reference to the scurrilous Burr! In 1799, New York City needed clean water and Aaron Burr needed money and power, so he convinced Alexander Hamilton to help him charter The Manhattan Company—a water company that would bring "pure and wholesome water" to lower Manhattan. Buried in the charter's language was a clause allowing it to use its excess funds for anything it wanted, which let Burr create a bank that helped his Democratic-Republican Party win the Election of 1800 and went on to become the powerful Chase Manhattan Bank.