Aquarium Capitalizes on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Otter Love, Raises $2 Million for Conservation Efforts
Most people agree that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are “otterly” adorable together. The 30-somethings really did manage to find love, it seems, and plenty of people are happily benefiting from their very visible romance. Back in August, Taylor Swift shared that her soon-to-be-husband has a dream of owning a “very specific” type of pet otter. More recently, she wore a vintage tee-shirt featuring otters, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is now benefiting. In fact, a t-shirt rerelease after much interest from Swifties helped the aquarium raise $2 million for otter conservation.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has raised $2 million thanks to a t-shirt
The Monterey Bay Aquarium found itself inundated with calls shortly after Taylor Swift wore a vintage t-shirt from the California-based aquarium in the movie event attached to the release of her album, The Life of a Showgirl. The t-shirt, which featured two sea otters floating on their backs, hit a sweet spot for fans. Not only did Swift wear the shirt, but it seemingly referenced her and Travis Kelce. Fans were calling up in droves to see if they could get their hands on the memorabilia. There was one major problem, though. The tee was last produced in the 1990s.
According to the AP News, the phone calls gave the nonprofit a big idea. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation decided to re-release the t-shirt with a goal of raising $1.3 million in honor of Swift’s favorite number. That might have seemed like a big ask at the time, but it wasn’t. Fans were asked to donate at least $65.13 to the foundation’s fundraising campaign to snag a shirt. it took just a few hours to surpass the goal. The re-release earned $2 million, which will go towards the foundation’s sea otter conservation program.
What is Taylor Swift’s connection to sea otters?
If you didn’t know Taylor Swift, you’d think the shirt was just comfortable and easy to toss on. Not everything is that simple with the starlet, though. Taylor Swift loves to hide Easter eggs in almost all of her work; it seems the t-shirt might have been one. So, what exactly is Swift’s connection to sea otters? While the “Opalite” singer is an animal lover, Travis Kelce is the person with a connection to otters.
Apparently, the 6’5 NFL tight end harbors a dream of owning a sea otter as a pet. Swift shared this fun fact during her appearance on New Heights, Kelce’s podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce. The record-breaking appearance brought news of her new album, but the pop star also revealed that Kelce has a little fantasy about rescuing an injured sea otter, nursing it back to health and keeping it as a pet. The story had fans swooning, and the t-shirt seems to be referencing that little dream. We love that for them, and for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter program.
