[1][2] He began printing bumper stickers in July 2000 and operated the website keepaustinweird.com until his death in 2020[3] and published Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town.
Despite a challenge from Wassenich, the slogan was later trademarked by Outhouse Designs and used to market T-shirts, hats, and mugs.
[5][6][7] Other cities have since mimicked the nickname, including Portland in 2003, Louisville in 2005,[8] and Indianapolis in 2013.
[9] A 2010 book on the topic, Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas,[10] discusses the cultural evolution of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement as well as its commercialization and socio-political significance.
[11][12] The origins of Austin's unique culture have been claimed to be the product of unusually cheap housing prices following the end of a housing boom in the 1980s, combined with the location of the University of Texas at Austin in the city.