Merch Shrine
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | Itabag, Character Shrine, Cupsleeve Event |
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Merch Shrines often simply refered to as Shrines are an area of the home used to display fannish items such as merch, charms, enamel pins, keychains, fanart, stickers, buttons, and plushes. They may be comprised of official merchandise, Fan Merch and Fancraft, or some combination of the two. Shrines are usually composed of one or more shelves, with stands used to prop up items, and the back wall used to hang framed objects from.
As these shrines are located in a fan's home, they are less public than Itabags, and may be for their creator's eyes only. Alternatively, some fans upload their shrines to sites like Pinterest or Instagram for others to see.[1]
Idol Culture
Merch Shrines have become associated with Idols in the K-Pop and Vtuber fandoms. As these fandoms have a heavy focus on supporting a fan's chosen idol by purchase of Photocards, Prints, and other merchandise, Shrines became a popular way for fans to store and display their collections.
Anime culture
It is common in Anime fandom for a shrine to be focused on Merchandise of a fan's chosen Waifu/husbando.
On Reddit, a large number of fans have shared shrines dedicated to their favourite Genshin Impact characters.[2][3][4][5]
Boy Bands
While less formalised, many boy-band fans have decorated walls with posters and photos of their chosen celebrities. These displays are likely to have predated the modern Merch Shrine.
References
- ^ Pinoy K-Pop Fans Share Their Merch Shrines And We Are Obsessed from Cosmopolitan
- ^ My dedication knows no bounds for this man Xiao Shrine on Reddit
- ^ ganyu merch shrine 🤍 Ganyu Shrine on Reddit
- ^ I pulled all my Childe merch together for extra EXTRA luck Childe Shrine on Reddit
- ^ I have been gifted so many Venti merch that I now have a small Venti shrine in my room Venti Shrine on Reddit