OKLAHOMA CITY - The fight against Republican Senator Don Barrington’s proposed bill that would ban the wearing of hooded sweatshirts in public continues to grow, from local comedians starting their own hoodie-based religion (as covered here last week) to local pastors wearing them in front of their congregation out of protest. Even one Oklahoma ex-pat is getting in on the battle by satirically co-opting a true Sooner state icon.

Even though Kyle Johnson, the owner of bumperactive.com, a small-press print shop in Austin, left Oklahoma after high school, his family still resides here and he considers himself an “Okie at heart” who constantly keeps up with news of his former home-state. When he heard the news of Barrington’s bill, he knew that he couldn’t idly sit by and put his print-shop skills to work.

“At first I just kind of groaned and rolled my eyes,” Johnson said. “I follow the news with everything that’s going on with the cultural connotations of wearing a hoodie, and the unfortunate things that are happening to people who are wearing hoodies, the awful associations about it and to see this law…it doesn’t seem like it was in the highest and best spirit of Oklahoma, which I do believe is there and I feel like being an Okie is a powerful force for good, even if we don’t always live up to it. This project was my way of just saying “No, this isn’t going to work.”

The project in question is a hoodie that takes the old Eskimos Joe’s logo—the most-popular t-shirt in Oklahoma history—and depicts the beloved character, an “avowed hoodie wearer,” according to Johnson, and turns him a symbol of this current war on personal freedom. Johnson considers this his way of “defending his home state” and letting the public know that not all Oklahomans are “like this.”

“I remember Eskimo Joe’s from growing up, I had my Eskimo Joe’s tee and always wanted to get the special edition tee when they came out,” Johnson said. “They have a massive fanbase. Anyone that went to college in the Big 12 or any of those states have an awareness of it. I joke that Eskimo Joe is Oklahoma’s most prominent hoodie-wearer, for sure. I think it’s a valid political statement that when you have one of the most-known icons of your state actually wearing a hoodie, it’s kind of ridiculous to be anti-hoodie.”

Since the official announcement of this special hooded sweatshirt, it has blown up on all the major social media platforms and was even a top story on Reddit. Co-created with artist Roshi K., the parody hoodie retails for $30.00 and is available at http://store.bumperactive.com/oklahoma-hoodie-ban-hoodies-and-more/. T-shirts and stickers are also available.

“I just feel like it is good satire,” Johnson said. “I think we see a lot in the different news of the world today that just when someone has a silly idea, ridiculing and mocking it is one of the most effective ways to change people’s minds. You can say Don Barrington’s hoodie idea is a bad idea, and that is worth something, but you could also buy a hoodie pointing out the sheer ridiculousness of it and dare them to come after you. I feel like that’s a little bit of a stronger statement and for people who want to make it, we’d love to help you.”