It's what holds America together

Duct Tape and other highlights from our store

Today, we feature the three most recently added products to our online store, which offers a mix of books, CDs and audio, and gift items related to Garrison Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Writer’s Almanac. We try to keep the merchandise selection unique and focused, and we attempt to meld a mix of classic items with a few new ones. Here are the three most recent additions:

American Duct Tape Council Hat

Another classic and oft-requested product returns! Show your support for one of our most popular sponsors: The American Duct Tape Council. Duct tape is more than a miracle adhesive: it's a balm for the soul of the unprepared and inept. 100% cotton hat is gray with the Duct Tape Council logo embroidered on the front. Adjustable strap; one size fits most. Get the hat.

Penguin Joke Shirt

Last week, we revisited one of the Joke Shows from A Prairie Home Companion and also saluted the 25th anniversary of the release of the very first edition of the Pretty Good Joke Book, which gathers together all the jokes and arranges them by category for easy sharing plus a lot of laughs. The classic Joke Show of course featured the penguin joke, performed on a few occasions, per usual, along with a drawn-out full-cast sketch dedicated to the joke. This joke has taken on a lore of its own since it’s our hosts favorite, but it never quite seems to get the response he wishes from the live audience. And so it crops up again and again. Well, the joke became such a topic that in 2014 we created a shirt to pay homage, and we’ve brought it back for a limited time. It features the joke on the front and the Prairie Home logo on the back between the shoulder blades. Get the shirt.

A Prairie Home Companion’s 50th Anniversary

2024 saw Garrison Keillor gathering together the entire cast to stage a yearlong celebration of the old radio show, which began on July 6, 1974. The 22 shows, staged around the country, saw the show return to its home at The Fitzgerald Theater for the first time since February 2016. Though the shows were similar, not all elements stayed the same, since Garrison is known to write and rewrite, but everyone who attended should find elements that they remember. And if you could not join us live, the celebratory 2-CD release plays like a 3-hour version of the radio show complete with stories, songs, sketches, sponsor ads, and guest performers and duets. Get the CDs.

Our January Bestseller

And even before we featured one of the Joke Shows via the classic rerun, the Pretty Good Joke Book ranked as our bestselling item online during January. We guess that with current events, many folks were looking for a laugh — and we certainly are glad we could provide a nice diversion. The Joke Book gathers together all the jokes featured during EVERY edition of the almost-annual show. The jokes that were heard on-air plus many that were submitted by fans and didn’t get used due to time constraints of the live two-hour broadcast have been gathered together and arranged by various categories for easy sharing. The book will put you in the limelight at your next social gathering as you deliver one knock-knock joke after another! Get the book.