What is AMULET OF THE BLOODY GOBLIN? We were able to sit down with Greg Rivera (who most people know as the co-owner/ founder of MISHKA NYC) to find out the origins of this line!

ISH: CAN YOU GIVE ME A SUMMARY OF WHO GREG RIVERA IS?

Greg Rivera (GR): My name is Greg Rivera and most people know me as Greg Mishka the co-founder/ owner of MISHKA NYC. I was born in Bridgeport, CT and moved to Central Florida when I was 9. In 2002, I moved back up North to NYC and helped start one of the weirdest streetwear brands on the planet; MISHKA NYC. 

I'm also a collector of toys, mostly vintage and anything strange and/ or unique. I have one of, if not THE largest collections of MR. T memorabilia including over 200 MR. T soft sculpture dolls. I also paint, draw and sometimes design. 

ISH: WHERE DID THE NAME "AMULET OF THE BLOODY GOBLIN" COME FROM AND WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL GOAL OF THE LINE?

GR: AMULET OF THE BLOODY GOBLIN actually started as the name of a joke band in Florida. Me and my friend Chris Brennan came up with it after we found this package of vintage DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS stickers with a sticker that actually has an Ogre holding the head of a bloody goblin. I forget how the name came to be exactly, but that's how we translated it!

I redrew the drawing for a MISHKA t-shirt called OGRES AXE. Maybe a year or so later I found these stickers at a shop in NYC that is now closed called ALPHAVILLE. 

They were bootleg/ Hong Kong monsters from the 70s which Goblin was to be based on. 

ISH: JON VERMILYEA ILLUSTRATED THE SERIES. HOW DID HE COME ONTO THE PROJECT? WHAT ARE THE MONSTERS AND WHY DID YOU PICK THEM?

GR: I'm fairy certain Mike Jones found Jon's work after seeing his work at a group art show that his friend was also in. Mike said, "I saw this guy's work and it's really good!" and shortly after he started working on some MISHKA NYC graphics. His style was perfect for when we started GOBLIN. 

ISH: WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE LIKE WHEN ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN 2007?

GR: The response was awesome! People loved it! I think at that time we thought that Goblin could be an alternative to Mishka. We wanted a lower price point and offer it to stores that we didn't think were right for Mishka. Looking back, we were wrong about the approach and should've offered it to everyone as an extension of Mishka. It did really well and people still ask for it so I'm glad you brought it back!

Click HERE to see the full AMULET OF THE BLOODY GOBLIN collection.