The Adventures of Robbo-T - Pins, Projects & Ice Cream Letdowns

A throwback to my design for the collaboration with Dessertopia

I’ve been a bit quiet lately, but there’s plenty in the pipeline—so I thought I’d take a minute to update the blog.

You might remember I’d been toying with the idea of putting out a limited pin and sticker set a couple of times a year—just something to share with people I meet or include with Robbo-T store orders. The good news (especially if you’re collecting them) is the new packs are finally here. Give me a yell if you’d like to get your hands on the latest instalment!

In other news, I was super excited to be invited by @sheepart.cologne to contribute to his #unitedwestick project—a global collaboration with artists from around the world. The final result turned out awesome. Keep an eye out for them around Melbourne, and be sure to check out @sheepart.cologne and follow the project.

My work has always nodded to nostalgia and childhood influences—but sometimes it goes off on tangents. Consider this your warning: this is definitely one of those times.

It started when I heard Dessertopia—an amazing dessert spot I’d once collaborated with on a t-shirt—was closing down. I managed to swing past one last time and sample the deliciousness… and shortly after, I found myself creating a Robbo-T ice cream design.

It felt random at the time, but honestly, it made perfect sense. I love ice creams. And for some reason, I have a lot of vivid childhood memories tied to them.

I remember the Paddle Pop “Lick-a-Stick” promo, where you could win prizes by collecting ice cream sticks that made up a full picture. My drawing probably explains it better than this explanation does, but as a kid, it didn’t matter. You believed in the magic. You were blissfully unaware that the odds were stacked against you. In your mind, a brand-new BMX was only a Paddle Pop away. Realistically, it was three or four away—if you could collect the full set of sticks—but hey, you liked those odds.

And then there’s the classic ice cream letdown, which I think is a rite of passage—maybe even the first time you realise you’ve been duped by big business and flashy marketing.

Case in point: the Bubble O’ Bill.

On paper: a cowboy-shaped ice cream, chocolate back, bubblegum nose—what more could you want?In reality: a distorted mess that never looked like the picture, and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever had one where the bubblegum was actually positioned on the nose. The cruelest twist? After carefully eating around the misplaced gum ball, you’d find it had been so frozen it couldn’t blow a bubble even if your life depended on it.

In the wise words of Blink-182: “I guess this is growing up…”

Thanks for sticking around for my ice cream rant! Let me know in the comments—what was your childhood ice cream favourite, or your biggest frozen treat letdown?