ROSCOE VILLAGE — “Live. Love. Rat hole.” These are the inspiring words emblazoned upon a 3D-printed piece of wall decor inspired by the iconized rat hole in Roscoe Village.
You can buy it on the artist marketplace Etsy for $24.99 plus shipping.
The piece is just one of dozens that have popped up on the website in recent weeks, with artists and designers from around the world receiving requests for custom rat swag.
Danielle Vogel, a 52-year-old graphic designer who lives in Stockholm, Sweden, said she received a commission through her CookieLux Etsy shop for a cookie cutter in the shape of the rat hole.
“It’s very surprising to see the tremendous impact this phenomenon has,” Vogel told Block Club. “It seems to me as if the people in Chicago form a strong community that seems to care and really love their public spaces — and I assume that they have a great amount of humor, as well.”
Vogel and her husband, Guillermo, designed and 3D-printed the custom kitchen accessory and sent it back to the customer, who posted about it on Reddit. Since then, images of the cookie stamp have gone viral on social media, prompting Vogel to make a special listing for the product.
Vogel’s sold about 200 of the rat hole design in a matter of days, she said.
A search for “Chicago rat hole” on Etsy yields an array of merchandise, including patches, jewelry, tree ornaments, keychains, bumper stickers and tote bags.
Whether you want heart-shaped rat hole earrings, a “Long Live Rat Hole” distressed dad cap, an “I got the bubonic plague from slurping Malört out of the Chicago rat hole” shirt, or a “What if we kissed at the Chicago rat hole” sticker — there appears to be a budding cottage industry dedicated to the rodent shape.
The creation of the rat hole economy is an extension of the hole’s extreme popularity. The cartoonish crater has amassed a cult-like following, with revelers making pilgrimages to the North Side attraction, much to the dismay of neighbors.
Visitors have treated the sidewalk deformity as if it’s a holy place, leaving coins, candles and other offerings. Remnants of a Chicago-style communion in the form of empty Malört bottles litter the grounds nearby. An engagement and a gay wedding have occurred at the befallen rodent’s altar.
When someone tried to fill in and cover up the rat hole last month, neighbors were quick to come to its rescue.
Comedian Jimmy Fallon even joined the rat hole hoopla. The “Tonight Show” host recently referenced the landmark during his opening monologue, singing people “cared more about the Chicago rat hole” than Florida Gov. Ron Desantis’ presidential poll numbers.
Last month, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) told NBC5 the city is considering moving the piece of concrete that includes the rat hole after myriad complaints from neighbors.
In a text message to Block Club on Friday, Waguespack said no specific date for its removal had been scheduled.
Block Club’s Quinn Myers contributed.
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