As we reach the 15th day of our Tolkien Advent Calendar celebration, we are thrilled to offer up something a little different: our 2020 official merchandise!

'Be Of Good Hope' TheOneRing.net's 2020 T-Shirt
‘Be Of Good Hope’ TheOneRing.net’s 2020 T-Shirt – https://teespring.com/be-of-good-hope

Early this year, Middle-earth Enterprises gave us the official go ahead to produce a new shirt for 2020, but unfortunately, due to time and resources, we never had a chance to post it. (As you may or may not be aware, TheOneRing.net is a not-for-profit website run by 100% volunteer energy – and we’ve been this way for our entire 21 year history. psst – it is one reason we’re pretty much the same team as we’ve always been!) We support our efforts by selling shirts and more at conventions and gatherings. Clearly this year was a bit different; BUT we’re delighted to be able to bring you this new design now – and just in time, as ‘hope is kindled’ for better days in 2021!

Excitingly, the design is available not only in a number of different shirt styles, but also as a sticker, a mug, a tote bag, and – perfect for right now – a face mask! The link to purchase is below – there are many colors and cuts of shirt available to customize your on-demand order. Oh, and you can even place orders in the EU!

TheOneRing.net is proud to offer our ‘Be of Good Hope!’ design. Officially licensed, these quotations from JRR Tolkien remind us all that when we are able to be together again, it will be a merry day indeed! Perfect for any fan of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or any of the worlds and works of our favorite author. Say goodbye to 2020 by treating yourself and your loved ones, and enjoy these words of comfort from the Professor. Hope is kindled!

There will be better days ahead; ‘It’s only a passing thing, this shadow … And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.’ We here at TORn are holding on to that, and we’re wishing happy days in 2021 for you and your loved ones. Start the year with a positive message: purchase your shirt and more today at TeeSpring.com. Thank you for supporting TheOneRing.net!

Our 'Be of Good Hope' Shirt is offered in a variety of styles and colors at https://Teespring.com/be-of-good-hope
Our ‘Be of Good Hope’ Shirt is offered in a variety of styles and colors at https://Teespring.com/be-of-good-hope

Editor Note: Join TheOneRing.net as we focus on the recent cast member announcements for Amazon TV’s The Lord of the Rings inspired TV series. Throughout the month, and as part of our Tolkien Advent Calendar celebration, we will be taking a deep-dive into their previous work, relating that to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. And some days, we bring you something a little different, as an Advent Calendar surprise! Today’s calendar is below!

Day 15 of TheOneRing.net's Tolkien Advent Calendar Celebration
Day 15 of TheOneRing.net’s Tolkien Advent Calendar Celebration

Bilbo wins Best Hero 2013The MTV Movie Awards just announced that Bilbo beat out all the other contenders, including Iron Man, The Hulk, Catwoman, Batman, and Snow White, for the coveted “Best Hero” award. A massive fan effort that spanned continents lead to Bilbo’s victory by a margin of more than 100,000 votes. Using the hashtag #votebilbo, fans cast their votes on Twitter and Instagram and forged a dedicated fellowship committed to showing the world that even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

With more than 1.63 million votes, Bilbo was the clear winner, much to the chagrin of legions of Kristen Stewart and Twilight fans who gave our little hobbit a run for the money. In addition to tweeting, fans created thousands of images that they uploaded to Instagram to share their love for our favorite hero. We’ll have a gallery of some of our favorites online soon.

It’s been a true adventure riding the wild voting rollercoaster, and it’s brought many Ringers together and strengthened our community. From #votebilbo, we’re now united under #BilboTheHeroClick to read about how TORn’s MrCere went from thinking this campaign was “harmless but pretty useless,” to wholeheartedly jumping on board the #votebilbo train as, “A funny thing happened during the process: It became really fun on Twitter to #VoteBilbo!”

[MrCere’s “#VoteBilbo becomes a thing]