We’re in high gear at the Moonbase and from our respective homes with this year’s run starting very very soon! Beej was rummaging through some boxes in the back and found… oh, maybe some Desert Bus merch you might be interested in?
We’ve also got some important shipping updates we need to share that might impact you, so be sure to read on for the full details. There’s still another three hours until the run starts & the store opens at 6pm Pacific, but first… how about a little merch sneak peek?
Once the run begins, you can find these items at store.desertbus.org. As in previous years, proceeds from merchandise sales are split between the product’s designer, LoadingReadyRun, and Child’s Play Charity. Yep, that means part of the sales goes towards keeping up playing this super… boring… game… just a bit longer. (Boo-ray! But, really, thank you for your support!)
Alright, previews out of the way, let’s talk about logistics. As you may have heard, international shipping is a bit tricky this year for everyone and it’s affecting us too. We’ve done our best to compile this information all in one place, so here’s what you need to know…
Changes to EU & UK Shipping in 2021
Unfortunately, due to issues collecting and remitting VAT, we cannot ship merch orders to the European Union or United Kingdom at this time. We are really sorry about this, as we know there are quite a few of our viewers who will be affected by this. Currently available solutions are prohibitively expensive and would also take quite some time to set up.
We’re still hopeful to be able to solve this in the future though, and with that in mind we’re holding back a small portion of all 2021 merch items. If and when we can re-enable EU & UK orders, we’ll release these items for sale specifically to folks in those areas. We’ll post an update on our blog and social channels when we have an update regarding this, which we are expecting to be likely well into next year at this point.
It is also worth noting that because this is specifically a sales tax collection issue, our ability to ship prizes to the EU & UK is unaffected. If you are in the EU or UK, you should be able to participate in all our giveaways, silent auctions, and live auctions as you would in any other year.
We know this is far from ideal, and please know that we’ll continue to do our best to help our viewers around the world participate in Desert Bus for Hope.
Order Fulfillment
When you order Desert Bus Merch, you’ll be ordering from the LoadingReadyRun store, operated by PMC Fulfillment. Please keep in mind due to COVID-19 safety protocols, and general shipping bottlenecks worldwide, there will likely be a general delay between when you place your order and when it ships. We thank you for your patience and support!
What about the Photo Book? Or the T-Shirt?
Sorry, but due to the remote nature of 2020’s event, we do not have a photo book this year. You can always relive 2020’s memories on our YouTube channel and find some amazing community-submitted photos over at photos.desertbus.org.
The Official 2021 Desert Bus for Hope T-Shirt is designed, sold, and fulfilled by our pals at Fangamer! Visit shirt.desertbus.org to be redirected over to the Fangamer store and get your super sweet Desert Bus shirt. (Of note, Fangamer is still shipping t-shirts to the EU and UK!)
Oh no, something’s out of stock! Help?
Desert Bus merch supplies are limited run, so if you want to buy something, act quickly! If something’s out of stock, use the “Out of Stock – Notify Me” feature to let us know you’re interested. No guarantees, but if we do bring the item back in stock, we’ll let you know. The more folks that are interested, the more likely we are to be able to do an additional run!
Also, heads up that Desert Bus merch is only available for a limited time. Once the event’s over, the Desert Bus store closes up and everything leftover goes back into storage… until next year.
I’ve got some other questions not answered here.
Check out the LoadingReadyRun Store’s shipping info page for additional logistical information and shipping support. If you’ve got a question about the cool merch we have on sale this year, email contact@desertbus.org. Thanks for your support!
We’ve got about three days to go to #DB2021! Today we’re announcing some of the guests that’ll be calling in to this year’s Desert Bus for Hope. We’ve got quite a few, so here we go…
First, longtime friend of the bus and community manager for Child’s Play Charity, Tabitha Sheehan, joins Night Watch on Saturday, November 13th, at 7:00pm PST.
Next, longtime friend of the bus and sponsor of DenglerVision, the DBloons, and International Currency Minute, Steve Dengler, calls in to Dawn Guard on Sunday, November 14th, at 9:00am PST.
Sunday evening, The Garages are here to bring the house down two years in a row with another call-in concert. Tune in live to listen to some great tunes during Night Watch on Sunday, November 14th, at 8:00pm PST.
On Monday, we welcome new guest SungWon Cho (a.k.a ProZD) to Alpha Flight to talk board games, voice acting, and hang out with the bus. We’ll be chatting live with ProZD on Monday, November 15th, at 1:00pm PST.
Monday evening, we have two guests! Longtime friends of the bus Andrew Cownden and Madeleine Suddaby are calling in to hang out and sing a few tunes. They’ll be joining Night Watch on Monday, November 15th, at 7:00pm PST.
Tuesday morning, we welcome a capella folk band and new guests The Longest Johns to chat with us about their latest shanties from “Smoke and Oakum.” They’ll be on Dawn Guard on Tuesday, November 16th, at 9:00am PST.
We’re on to Wednesday where, once again, Mikey Neumann calls in to join Dawn Guard in morning shenanigans. Do we have a new coffee pong challenger on our hands, perhaps? Mikey joins the Dawn Guard crew on Wednesday, November 17th, at 10:00am PST.
Wednesday afternoon, we’re holding an Emergency Meeting with new call-in guest Victoria Tran, community director for Among Us and the newly released Unpacking. We talk about the art of organizing stuff on Wednesday, November 17th, at 2:00pm PST.
And… that’s it! Or… is it? You’ll just have to stay tuned to the feed and the official #DB2021 schedule at https://desertbus.org/events/schedule to see if there are any further surprises in store between now and the start of the run: Friday, November 12th at 6:00pm PST! You can learn more about each of our guests by visiting our Guests page at https://desertbus.org/events/guests.
Today you can check out the live auctions, silent auctions and giveaways that have been donated by our super sponsors and creative crafters!
And of course donations are live! So if you want to get a head start on this journey feel free to donate! And remember to make sure to update your donor account while you are there! Or just update your donor account anyway!
Also Fangamer shirts are available for order, so go and get your #DB2021 shirt today!
Can you believe Desert Bus 2021 is just a little more than 40 days away? We can’t! But nonetheless we’re getting everything ready for this, our FIFTEENTH Desert Bus for Hope marathon, giving the bus a tune-up, checking the tires, swapping the air freshener, all that good stuff. As a reminder, we’ve already announced the start date & will be looking forward to seeing you on Friday November 12th!
With #DB2021 fast approaching, we wanted to provide an update on this year’s event structure. As with last year, our first and foremost priority is the safety of all of our team members, and while the trend is positive in British Columbia, things are still too risky to return fully to normal yet. For this year, we’ll be adopting a hybrid model with part of the event in-person with a limited Skeletor skeleton crew and part of the event going remote similar to last year.
Two of our four daily shifts, with a very limited set of staff, will be broadcasting in person! The other two shifts will continue to broadcast fully remote in a format similar to last year. As part of this change, some of our entertainers you’ve known from years past will be moving to different shifts. We’re also asking our volunteers for all four shifts to participate remotely where possible in order to minimize risk. We know you’re excited to learn more and we’ll have more to share during the lead-up to the event.
We’ve gotten our vaccinations, but Desert Bus is still an event with a lot of international travel. We’re working hard to ensure that we’re putting on the best event possible while continuing to ensure the comfort and safety of our volunteers. We’re following the latest provincial health guidance available and will adjust our plans as needed.
We know things aren’t quite normal yet, but with this hybrid approach we’re excited to take a step towards resuming a full in-person Desert Bus for Hope. As always, we are endlessly grateful for your patience and understanding. If last year was any indication, whatever happens we’ll create something special as a community, together.
Desert Bus for Hope 2021 Craft-Along Submissions are now Live!
Do you paint? Sew? Crochet? Use found objects to create adorable sculptures of creatures and characters from your favourite games? Any number of other things that one can consider crafty? Are you interested in being a part of this year’s Desert Bus? Well I have good news for you, because it’s that time again!
As of today, May 3rd, submissions for the Desert Bus 2021 Craft-Along are now officially open. We’re inviting crafters of all backgrounds to consider crafting & donating a wonderful prize to help Desert Bus For Hope raise money for Child’s Play this year. Crafters will have until May 24th to get their proposals in, so that we can review what folks are interested in doing & get back to you soon with enough time to complete your crafts. We’re excited to see what our community comes up with, but because we get so many incredible applications, submissions will be limited to one item per crafter. We appreciate the enthusiasm, but we’d like everyone to have a chance.
We’re hoping to have all submissions reviewed & provide our wonderful crafters with a response by May 31st. Once that’s sorted, our accepted crafters can start crafting those masterpieces! The deadline for receipt of finished crafts this year will be September 30th. The earlier you can get your item in, the easier you make things for our prize team!
If you’re new to the Craft-Along, and have a great idea for a craft, the process is simple: just click here to get to the Craft-Along submissions page and fill out the form! We’ll need your contact information, a description of your proposed craft, and a few other pieces of info.
The Desert Bus For Hope Craft-Along community is full of incredibly kind and gifted people who give so much of themselves, and for that we continue to be eternally grateful. It’s folks like you who make Desert Bus what it is, a positive gathering of people from across the world to help kids be kids.
The entire Desert Bus team thanks you, and we can’t wait to see all the incredible work you put together this year!
We thought we were done. We thought we had parked the bus for the year. But then. Oh, but then. After all of the numbers were crunched for this year, with all of your generous donations, all of your merch purchases, and one last Fangamer drop for t-shirt sales, we realized something. We figured out that we raised a total of…
$1,052,902.40
That’s right, 2020 is the year that we broke one million dollars raised for Child’s Play. There were tears, y’all. Thank you all so, so much. 2020 was a rough year, and for you all to show this much amazing generosity floors us. You all did so much to help an amazing cause. We go live and act ridiculous, but you all make the donations for The Children. Each year, we are staggered by what you do. Thank you. You even got us to bus one more hour, bringing us up to a record breaking 165 hours!
As a reminder, if you want to re-watch your favorite moments, check out our youtube, and keep an eye on our social media for news on next year’s run. We’ll be posting there before you know it.
We’ll see you next year. For real, this time.
Thank you, we love you all.
Throughout Desert Bus for Hope 2020, we asked you to share what Desert Bus and Child’s Play means to them, and what impact these have had on your life. We’ve been honored by the numerous voices that shared their feelings and experiences using the hashtag #DBToMe on Twitter.
Today, as we celebrate the historic milestone of raising $1,000,000 in one year for Child’s Play, we wanted to take one more opportunity to highlight you, our community, and your experiences. In case you missed a previous post, here’s a link to some of the other highlights we shared throughout this year’s run…
Nov. 15th | Nov. 16th | Nov. 18th | Nov. 19th
As always, thanks to you for being a part of our community and your support of Child’s Play! Let’s wrap things up with a few additional highlights from the year (posted in November 2020)…
In a year full of terrible uncertainty, loneliness, &heartache, I told myself I could keep going if @DesertBus was still happening. The highlight of a hurricane of a year, this outpouring of goodness was more powerful than I have the words to say. Thank you, everyone. #DBTOME
— Kayla M. (@kdomarsh) November 20, 2020
Desert Bus truly reminds me that there’s still truly good in the world. When the world seems to be on fire, either globally or personally, I always know that come November I’ll have something that shines a light through the darkness. I’m forever grateful to all the crew!💜#DBtoMe
— ArtemisKit 🌻🌈 (@ArtKit) November 20, 2020
Like many people, this year has been a struggle for my mental health. However, for one beautiful week I was reminded of the sheer positivity, kindness and generosity that humans are capable of. I'm so happy to be able to support such a good cause organized by good people. #DBTOME
— Google Dot Calm (@AleriaCarventus) November 20, 2020
Thirteen years ago @DesertBus helped me through the dark days of Fall, way back in highschool when everything seemed awful and hard.
in 2020 – 7 million dollars and over a decade later – it still does.
Thanks, Desert Bus. for everything. <3
#DBToMe— L.igotti's Mansion 3 (@deathdriveme) November 20, 2020
This year has really helped show me what DesertBus means to me. Earlier in this run when this challenge went out I had no idea what I wanted to write, what does DesertBus really mean to me. It's more than giveaways, it's more than the skits and silliness on stage 1/5#DBtoMe
— StarWarsTHX1138 (@starwarsthx1138) November 20, 2020
@desertbus i was in and out of a childrens hospital before Childs play was a thing, so having games and distractions then was huge and i fully understand the good Child's Play does, Thank you! #DBTOME
— ReverseCreations (@ReverseCreation) November 20, 2020
There are so many things I could say about what Desert Bus means to me. I could talk about how I've been watching since 3, making silly GIFs since 7 and modding since 8, and how proud I am to be in this community that does incredible things for charity #DBToMe
— Will G (@CantWearHats) November 19, 2020
You thought it was over?
Folks, we have never done this before but we’ve also never hit this milestone before. We’ve tallied our final numbers for the year to include donations from merch sales & Fangamer shirt pre-orders, and…
We are proud to announce that Desert Bus For Hope 2020 has officially raised over ONE MILLION DOLLARS for Child’s Play.
We can’t quite believe this is real either, so let’s reveal the numbers and celebrate this incredible milestone together. Please join us for a very special Desert Bus For Hope million-dollar bonus stream right here at desertbus.org on Saturday January 16th, 1pm Pacific.
THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!!!
This year has been tough for a lot of folks, and we weren’t sure how we were going to bus this year. But we knew that we were going to bus. That was certain. Even though we couldn’t be together in person, we still came together. And we bussed. We bussed so, so much.
This year, we broke so many records. We raised over $7,000,000 lifetime. We bussed for an amazing 164 hours, and thanks to you, this year we raised…
$986,793.00
That is amazing. We cannot thank you all enough for all of your generosity, your humor, and your constant support as we drive from Tucson to Las Vegas, and back again. We are so blown away by the giving nature of our community, and how much you donated to Child’s Play Charity.
While we may have parked the bus for another year, don’t worry! If you want to re-watch your favorite moments, check out our youtube, and keep an eye on our social media for news on next year’s run. But for now, we’re all going to bed.
Thank you. You made it a great one. We’ll see you next year.
This is it, y’all. The very final giveaway of Desert Bus For Hope. This is the annual Mystery Box! What is in the Mystery Box? We don’t know! No, actually, we don’t know. The Mystery Box gains prizes as it gets packed, so we can’t really tell you what’s in there, but we can say that it’s awesome!
Everyone that has donated $5.00 or more has been entered to win already, but if you haven’t donated yet, now is the time! We are running this donation drive until 6am PST, so get your donations in! We would really like for No Donor Account to not win our final giveaway, so please make sure your donor account is up to date!