ThinkGeek Kids Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt: This One Goes to 11!

One of the more popular shirts for adults at ThinkGeek, their Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt, is now available for kids! The shirts are short sleeved, but don’t let that stop you from rocking out this winter. (You can always wear a long sleeved shirt underneath, preferably white, black, red, yellow, or orange, to match the shirt.)

A guitar in a shirt? you ask, quizzically. Why yes. It’s all very ingenious. Your first thought may be, as mine was, how do you wash the thing? No worries there. The guitar neck is attached to the shirt with hook and loop closures. The amp is connected by a cable, which is also removable. Then hand wash or machine wash cold on gentle cycle. Hang dry or tumble dry low. Then reconnect everything, and rock out some more!

The itty bitty amp runs on four AAA batteries (not included). It has an on/off switch, an output jack, and tone and volume dials. It can fit into a sewn-in pocket inside the shirt, or there is also a clip on the amp for clipping to your belt or pocket.

To play, press down on certain parts of the neck and then strum. No just touching the thing, you need to actually firmly press down. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but of course I was playing the thing without wearing it, since the shirt is for kids. There are two magnetic guitar “picks” that you use to strum while you use your left hand to make power chords on the neck of the guitar. They conveniently store magnetically stuck to the amp speaker.

The shirt will play 15 different chords, which should be enough to play your favorite songs. These chords are mapped out for you on the shirt’s packaging. I don’t know how to play guitar, but the ease with which you can play chords on this shirt might just have me figure out a few songs. Of course, it’ll be easier for my kids, who can actually wear the shirt. For reference, we received a kids’ size L, which is a good fit for my lean but muscular 9 1/2 year old daughter.

And lest you worry, yes, the volume knob does actually go to 11. But the shirt is not just hip and cool. It was also awarded 2010’s Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award!

The Kids Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt costs $29.99 and is available at ThinkGeek. Their Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt for adults also costs $29.99. Either one would make an excellent last minute holiday gift purchase!

If you want to get a whole band together, you can do that, too! ThinkGeek also has an adult Electronic Music Synthesizer Shirt, and both kid and adult Electronic Drum Kit Shirts!

Note: ThinkGeek was kind enough to send me a shirt (and batteries) for review purposes.