Jennifer Lopez sells perfume. P. Diddy has a clothing line. Pamela Anderson puts her name on accessories. Now, a Las Vegas celebrity has a line of merchandise all his own, too.
It's Mojave Max. The gift shop at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area began selling Mojave Max items in December. Right now, the selection is limited to two items -- a youth T-shirt and a field pack. Each boasts a smiling Max waving hello.
The T-shirts sell for $11.95 each. The back packs go for $15.95. The items also are available at www.mojavemax.com.
Profits go to support the Mojave Max Educational Program, which reaches thousands of students each year, teaching them age-appropriate information on topics such as native culture, ecology, geology and native plant and animal species.
The program is a collaborative effort among Clark County, the Clark County School District, the Bureau of Land Management and the Red Rock Canyon Interpretative Association. It provides in-class Mojave Max educational presentations, teacher lesson plans, educational resources and Mojave Max school assemblies. All projects support environmental education and environmental awareness.
The program also supports the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest, which invites children to guess when the tortoise will appear from its winter habitat. The winner gets prizes for his or her classroom, including a visit from a human-sized, costumed Max.
The education program costs about $150,000 a year to run. As government agencies cannot produce and sell items to make money, various entities are involved in the Mojave Max merchandising effort.
One is the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association. Blaine Benedict, a volunteer who in 1999 established the Mojave Desert science school, said the line has been in discussion for a couple years and "we thought it was a good way to tie it all in."
As the merchandise has only been available a short time, there were no figures to show how well they were selling.
Christina Gibson, a county management analyst credited with spearheading the idea to merchandise Mojave Max, said, "Whatever we gain will be more we'll be able to do for the education program."
After manufacturing costs (estimated at $6 per T-shirt), 60 percent of the remainder of each sale goes to fund the educational program. The other 40 percent covers overhead and staffing costs.
"Right now, we only have 400 square feet of space," said Tom Roberts, retail manager for the gift shop. "So how we display and carry everything is critical."
In two years, a new building will be completed to house the visitor's center. The new gift shop will occupy a larger space and merchandise can be expanded.
Mojave Max, the character, is requested to be at so many events, the interpretive association is having a new costume made. The cost for the prototype is expected to run about $4,000, with any subsequent costumes costing less. The extra costumes will allow Mojave Max to appear at a variety of functions simultaneously in Southern Nevada.
More items are being developed for the Mojave Max line, such as lunch packs, flashlights, art kits, binoculars and magnifying glasses. T-shirts for adults should be available by summer.
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