While not a parent myself, there’s joy in sharing things with the younger folks in my life. Being the “fun uncle” is a great gig, one I’ve been able to rediscover through the nephew and niece I picked up through marriage. They’re cool kids, and ones that carry real passion with them. That’s why one of my most anticipated days from a recent trip to Texas was getting to tour an institution like Austin Books & Comics with them. It’s my favorite comic shop in the United States, and visiting it with them was sure to be a blast.

Of course, my wife and I wanted to make sure they didn’t leave empty handed, so while in the shop, we asked if they wanted anything. That’s when a surprising answer erupted from them.

“We want Jeff stuff!” one said.

“Yeah, Jeff!” the other echoed. 7

Confused but semi-certain I knew who they were referring to, my response was a bewildered, “Do you mean the Land Shark?” Without pause, they turned into beams of pure enthusiasm. That was a yes.

This was unsurprising in a way. It was late December, so not long after the launch of Marvel Rivals, the free to play collaborative shooter video game starring Marvel characters that immediately became enormously popular. With Jeff being one of the standouts from its cast, it seemed natural they’d be fond of him.

The surprising part, though, was that they had never played Marvel Rivals. They were simply into the character because a) he was so popular in the game he’d entered the zeitgeist and b) he’s impossibly adorable. To see Jeff is to love Jeff, and they certainly did. Cultural osmosis did its job, so, I did what any fun uncle would do. I searched the shop to find anything that starred the character.

And I came up empty.

Undeterred, I went to the front counter to ask the staff if they had anything. The immediate response was a mix of disappointment and enthusiasm, as much as that is possible. They wished they did because everyone was asking about him. All things Jeff were seemingly the hottest ticket items for querying customers. Unfortunately, they had nothing to offer people like my soon-to-be-disappointed niece and nephew. While that was a bummer, it was also intriguing. So, throughout the remainder of this Texas trip, I checked for Jeff the Land Shark materials in every comic shop and bookstore I could find.

There was nothing, and that was true everywhere — and I mean everywhere. I asked retailers from around the world about what they were seeing, and the answer was universal: They didn’t have anything besides a whole lot of customer interest in Jeff. That left me with one remaining question, and it was mostly for myself.

What exactly is going on here?