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“…if your Mickey Mouse ears fall off, that nice Mr. Disney is not unduly perturbed. If someone buys a Discworld t-shirt and the colours run in the wash, I am the person who gets the email.”
- Terry Pratchett, Science Fiction Book Club interview 1996.
Welcome to the Discworld Emporium, founded by Sir Terry Pratchett and Bernard & Isobel Pearson in the bewitching county of Somerset, land of cheese, cider, myth & magic!
From releasing the first ever Discworld merchandise as Clarecraft in 1991 we've strived to create authentic tributes to Terry's incredible body of work, studying the books with great care and ensuring our wares met the creator's strict approval.
At the Discworld Emporium we design, paint, sculpt, cast, print and collaborate with renowned artists, illustrators and craftsmen including the esteemed Paul Kidby to produce original Discworld collectibles of the finest quality. We take great pride in purveying souvenirs of the books that have meant so much to so many.
For twenty years from 2000 - 2020 we welcomed visitors through the door of world's only bricks and mortar Terry Pratchett shop here in Wincanton. The Emporium has always resided at the heart of a fandom, a place where the author himself wandered brandy glass in hand, where cunning plans were hatched and friendships forged between author and fans. Still based in our auspicious Wincanton HQ, Bernard and Isobel are enjoying retirement and our little literary shop now exists exclusively online serving magic to Discworld fans around the world!
We had the enormous honour of working with Sir Terry Pratchett for over 25 years, beginning with the creation of the first ever Discworld merchandise as Clarecraft in 1991.
In those early days Discworld merchandise was a rare and limited beast. In an interview with GameSpot UK, Terry said: “Usually when people have a really big series they franchise it, which I thought is a bit of a no-no, so I thought what I'd do is I'd franchise it to myself.”
Throughout Terry Pratchett’s career Discworld merchandise remained very much a cottage industry. Not being one for grand commercial pursuits, Terry entrusted his merchandise to a small band of close friends and associates including ourselves, Paul Kidby, Josh Kirby, PJSM Prints and Stephen Briggs.
Although Terry’s priority was, of course, writing books, he maintained a passionate interest and active role in the creation of Discworld wares, overseeing our designs, nipping, tucking or adding a sprinkle of magic where he saw fit. If Terry wanted something made, or had an idea for a product or companion publication, then we would create it to his vision and exacting standards - Terry would insist on the finest craftsmanship to achieve a level of authenticity deserving of his fans – a principle we continue to strive for to this day.
The Emporium opened its doors under Terry’s patronage in 2000, long before geek culture exploded into the mainstream. Why Wincanton, you may ask... well, on signing the deeds Terry said that we would be close enough to work with, but not too close as to be a nuisance, and we couldnt argue with that! Now, twenty years later our doors have closed, but our heritage as the original Discworld shop remains much hallowed and celebrated!
In 2002 Wincanton was officially twinned with Ankh-Morpork in the world's first ever town twinning with a fictional place. In 2007 Discworld was put on the map, quite literally, when Terry Pratchett opened a new housing development which bears Discworld street names including Treacle Mine Road and Peach Pie Street. Terry also established the Emporium as the official Ankh-Morpork Consulate providing passports and safe haven for denizens of Discworld, and as an official branch of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office on the publication of Going Postal.
It rather tickled Terry to have a shop dedicated to his books, a place where his fans could meet and celebrate Discworld, often with the author himself. If Terry wanted anything made from his work we'd make it, and he would often use the creation of merchandise as research for his books.
Our shop may not appear to resemble a true 'emporium' in the sense that we sell only Discworld merchandise. However, we are a portal into Discworld offering a variety of goods from all manner of merchants and organisations from Terry Pratchett's books including Gimlet's, CMOT Dibbler, Ankh-Morpork Post Office and the Unseen University.
From our beginnings creating figurines and models sold via snail mail to a few hundred collectors, our little Discworld shop has transformed into a thriving online mailorder service, peddling our creations and Terry Pratchett books to fans all over from all over the world, shipped with love from our fantastically frantic mailroom in Emporium HQ!
When Terry Pratchett wasn't writing books, he would write more books! All of the wonderful Discworld side projects were masterminded and presided over by Terry, and he would entrust close friends to aid and abet all manner of maps, guides and companions.
Over the years we enjoyed the privilege of collaborating with Terry on an array of Discworld publications, working with publishers Orion and Transworld to provide editorial, illustration, art direction and production services. Our publications include The Unseen University Cut-Out Book, The Discworld Almanak, The Compleat Ankh-Morpork, The World of Poo, Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook, The Compleat Discworld Atlas, and the Discworld Diaries 2015 - 2017.
Terry also enlisted us to create everything from film props to exclusive gifts and ephemera for book releases and DVD's, including banknotes for Making Money, stamps for Going Postal, and even traditional cigarette cards for Unseen Academicals.
Our work can also be seen in the official Discworld App from Transworld, in the Ankh-Morpork and The Witches board games from Treefrog and in the 2001 mass market edition of Thud! the great game.
As the turtle swims towards an exciting new chapter in the Discworld story and the ripples of Terry Pratchett’s legacy spread further and wider, we aim to preserve the heritage of the Discworld fandom and community, and continue the legacy of crafting souvenirs from this rich and multidimensional world in accordance with the standards set by Terry himself. Under the command of brand guardians Narrativia - the production company set up by Terry to ensure the protection and legacy of his work - the Emporium hopes to continue making little pieces of Discworld real enough to touch, and sending precious parcels of Discworld merchandise to all corners, nooks and crannies of the roundworld long into the future.
-THE TURTLE MOVES! -
