Patches
of Pride
Company Information
Proudly
serving fans and collectors of 1/6th scale action figures since
1998!
How did
Patches of Pride (PoP) get started?
Flash back to the 1960s...
Future PoP founder
Mark Otnes was just 6 years old. He was sitting on his
living room floor, munching a bowl of Quisp
cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons on TV (probably
Jonny Quest and
Space
Ghost). Suddenly, a fantastic new toy commercial appeared
on the screen. It was for the amazing new GIjOE Mercury Space
Capsule (audio for this commercial is now playing).
His eyes widened when he
saw the capsule with an astronaut inside wearing a shiny silver
space suit. The US/Soviet "space race" was going at
full steam at that time, and Mark knew this was his "must
have toy" for Christmas, 1966. Later that day, in a "magical"
marketing happenstance, the new SEARS Wishbook catalog appeared
in his mailbox. What were the odds?! HA While leafing eagerly through its pages, he
came upon an ad for the exact toy he had just seen on TV (see
actual ad below). OH YEAH, BABY! America's toy marketers were
on the job!
 Sure enough, Mark
soon became the proud owner of a brand new GIjOE space capsule
(see photo at left). The
new capsule and its floatation collar were perfect toys for bath
time, and when combined with a GIjOE Scuba Diver, Sea Sled and
Deep Sea Diver, a lot of exciting "splashdown action"
was guaranteed for years to come.
Unfortunately, after repeated
exposure to hot tub water and soapy Mr.
Bubble bath soap, the capsule's stickers warped, faded
and peeled off. Without its original colorful graphics, the toy
seemed less interesting and was set aside and forgotten.
Flash forward to 1998...
As a professional graphic
designer, Mark realized he now had the ability to recreate and
replace the original faded stickers on old toys with his own
new and accurate recreations. Excited
by the prospects of reviving an iconic toy, Mark set to work
recreating the graphics of his old capsule's instrument panel
decal, detail by tiny detail. When it was finally done, the reproduction
instrument panel decal
became Patches of Pride's (PoP) FIRST official product. A recreation
of the capsule's exterior hull
decal soon followed, and after applying them both, the 1960s
space toy looked practically new again. At that moment, a new
business was born---Patches of Pride!
Is there
a PoP store I can visit in person?
No, we don't have
a "brick and mortor" store at this time, sorry. Currently
we're strictly an internet based mail-order business. It's our
intention to keep overhead costs as low as possible, and pass
the savings on to you.
Do you
guarantee your merchandise?
Yes! We want you
to be happy with your purchase. If you're not, simply return
it to us and we'll refund your purchase price. Shipping is
non-refundable and there is a 10-day limit on requesting
to return items for refunds.
These
are our refund and return policies:
1) All returns and refunds are subject to our approval.
2) Unauthorized returns are not accepted.
4) We reserve the right to refuse refunds for any reason to anyone
at anytime.
5) There is a 10 day limit for requesting returns or refunds.
6) Shipping is not refundable.
What methods
of payment does PoP accept?
We accept PayPal payments made to:
mark@patchesofpride.com
MC, VISA and DIscover credit cards
Money Orders made out to "Patches of Pride"
and mailed to Patches of Pride, 303 E. Sherwin Drive, Urbana,
IL 61802.
Tell me
about PoP's limited offer of free shipping.
We provide FREE shipping
for most patch and decal orders to destinations within the U.S.
(unless otherwise specified in the item's description). Our free
shipping offer does not typically apply to conversion kits or
bulky items (see that specific item's description for details).
And, shipping is (unfortunately) additional for ALL international
orders.
Does PoP "outsource"
the manufacture of its products to China or other countries?
No. We're not fans
of outsourcing American jobs to foreign countries. Instead, we've
chosen to keep the production of our products right here in the
USA. Nearly everything on our website is made right in America's
heartland (Illinois), while the rest is produced down in the
great state of Texas! As a result, our prices are not always
as low as our competition (hardly ever actually), but we feel
it is more important to keep Americans working, support free
enterprise, and strengthen the capitalism, freedom and democracy
our forefathers intended for us to enjoy. Hoo-rah!
Does PoP take product
suggestions or accept custom orders?
Absolutely! Simply
e-mail or call Mark
at 217-337-1706 to submit your suggestion for upcoming products.
We promise to produce as many as we possibly can. Please let
us know if you're looking for anything in particular. Chances
are, we've already made it, and just haven't had the time to
list it yet.
Does PoP
barter or accept items in trade?
Yes. As a matter
of fact, our "Trader's
Bucks" program is very popular. It's a great way to
exchange your extra toys and turn them into PoP store credit,
good towards ANYTHING we sell. Some of our customers use this
barter system exclusively, and NEVER paid a single penny for
Patches of Pride merchandise.
How do
I contact Patches of Pride?
EMAIL: mark@patchesofpride.com
SNAIL MAIL: Patches of Pride, 303 E. Sherwin Drive,
Urbana, IL 61802.
PHONE: (217) 337-1706 (9AM-9PM CST).

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