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Pizza John

The image of John with pizza and a mustache, designed by Nerdfighter Valerie2776 from his liking pizza and once having a mustache for five minutes, and sold as shirts at DFTBA.com. Since 2012 it has been the centre of Pizzamas, with new limited designs each year and later hot sauces, and by 2026 John's mustache itself meant Pizzamas.

Early context: John reports the first event of the tour was last night and was great: there was a Star Wars stormtrooper and many people wore the Pizza John shirt. — Shmancy Hotel Room Is Shmancy 00:00:50

in-group term (meme-merch) · in 98 videos, 2009–2026 · peak 2022 (10 videos) · still in use in 2026

Videos per year: 2009: 1 · 2010: 7 · 2011: 8 · 2012: 2 · 2013: 4 · 2014: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 5

Forms heard

How the speakers say this one item, as transcribed from the videos, in order of first appearance.

form videos first heard last heard
“pizzajohn” 1 2011-02-09 · NERDFIGHTERS UNITE! (in your pants) 00:00:06
“pizza john shirt” 8 2011-04-06 · Tales of Nerd Love! 00:01:53 2023-10-27 · I Keep Thinking About Taylor Swift 00:03:32
“pizza john” 57 2011-05-23 · Eating the Unicorn 00:02:50 2026-09-28 · Death. Taxes. Pizzamas. 00:00:00
“pizza john shirts” 3 2011-06-15 · Question Tuesday! Paula Deen Riding Me (and critical reading) 00:01:54 2015-11-12 · Cheez Doodles Guy, Ringo Silver, and Dad Jokes (Pizzamas Day 4) 00:00:53
“pizza john's” 1 2022-10-07 · Planets Don't Exist 00:03:13
“pizza johns” 1 2026-10-08 · The Test of a First Rate Intelligence 00:00:59

Every video

2009

date video use what is said
2009-12-01 Shaving for Pakistan 00:03:54 mention Shaved down to a mustache by the end of the video, John signs off with a drawn-out 'Mustache!'

2010

date video use what is said
2010-02-24 JOHN GREEN IS FAT. in the description The description says the pizza mustache shirt is a pre-order at dftba.com/pizza, closing in a week and shipping in mid-March.
2010-03-01 The Marriage Ref SUCKS 00:02:14 mention John says the funny pizza shirt is available until Wednesday (3 March 2010), with a link in the doobly-doo.
2010-04-07 Shmancy Hotel Room Is Shmancy 00:00:50 mention John reports the first event of the tour was last night and was great: there was a Star Wars stormtrooper and many people wore the Pizza John shirt.
2010-04-21 The Insurrection of Subjugated Knowledges 00:01:34 mention John announces a corndog shirt, a sequel to the pizza shirt, on pre-order for one week only and shipping in about three weeks, via a secret link in the description. → Corndog shirt: one-week pre-order funding tree planting and Hank's 30 presents (2010) (last documented in 2010 (looked back on in 2021), 2021-03-09)
2010-05-10 Advice on Dumb Boyfriends, Going to College, and More 00:01:39 mention To get more Nerdfighter friends in real life, John suggests wearing your pizza shirt everywhere until someone recognizes it.
2010-08-24 FRENCH THE LLAMA! John is 33! 00:03:23 mention Hank's song bids goodbye to 32-year-old John, recapping his year (travel, a son, VidCon, a book with David Levithan) with the refrain 'now you're 33, French the llama'.
2010-11-15 Hey! You! Fix the Budget! 00:00:29 mention John announces the pizza shirt is back in stock at DFTBA.com/pizza; orders placed today ship tomorrow, until it runs out. → John asks Nerdfighters to buy the pizza shirt, back in stock at DFTBA.com/pizza (November 2010) (promotion (not a request), 2011-12-14)

2011

date video use what is said
2011-01-17 Cheating Cheaters of Cheatery: The Amazing Story of Brazil's Cotton War with the U.S. 00:00:16 mention Telling Nerdfighters the American taxpayer already paid for much of his shirt, John invites them to pay the rest at DFTBA.com/pizza: $18, 'thanks to bad economic policymaking'.
2011-02-09 NERDFIGHTERS UNITE! (in your pants) 00:00:06 callback John reveals the Pizza John mustache 'for the second time in human history', comparing it to herpes and the Transformers franchise that never go away for good. · “pizzajohn”
2011-04-06 Tales of Nerd Love! 00:01:53 mention In story three, Janice emailed that a boy, Andrew, asked if she was a Nerdfighter when she wore her Pizza John shirt in Elementary Statistics, then invited her to a Gaming and Anime Society meeting; they're now in Nerdfighterlike.
2011-05-23 Eating the Unicorn 00:02:50 mention John says Tumblr seems to be the top destination for Nerdfighter jokes, Looking for Alaska quotations, DFTBA tattoos, Pizza John jokes and Humpy Hank sites.
2011-06-15 Question Tuesday! Paula Deen Riding Me (and critical reading) 00:01:54 mention Pizza John shirts are back in all sizes at DFTBA.com/pizza. · “pizza john shirts”
2011-09-09 10 Years after September 11th, and Diablo III 00:03:26 mention Hank asks viewers to follow Eff Yeah Nerdfighters on Tumblr, which finds the best things in Nerdfighteria, such as Sharkeye Jones's laser-eyed Pizza John art.
2011-10-19 Question Wed — THE COVER OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! 00:01:32 mention Asked by a viewer who grew to hate pizza, John says he once stopped liking pizza because he had a diseased gallbladder and needed abdominal surgery, so yes, something is wrong.
2011-12-14 Greek Phallic Disco Golf Balls: A Free Association Game 00:01:35 mention John jokes that disco golf balls are now available for pre-order at DFTBA.com, then says not really, but viewers can get a Pizza John shirt.

2012

date video use what is said
2012-09-25 Do Businesses Need to Suck? 00:01:27 mention John says that as DFTBA grew Hank wanted YouTubers to sell wristbands, posters and shirts and keep most proceeds, and Nerdfighter merch has always been designed by Nerdfighters.
2012-11-08 VOLT! A Dream Comes True. 00:03:01 mention For about the next 72 hours, six variations Hank made on Valerie2776's original Pizza John shirt design are on pre-order at DFTBA.com, then disappear forever.

2013

date video use what is said
2013-01-15 An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall 00:58:19 mention John says the Pizza John shirt comes from his liking pizza and once having a mustache for five minutes; Nerdfighter Valerie2776 merged the two into the design.
2013-01-29 Across Three Continents: A Tale of Tumblr, Copyright, and Excellent Posters 00:00:58 mention John says this is why their shop now focuses on royalties for Nerdfighter designers: he splits Pizza John shirt royalties half-and-half with its designer Valerie2776.
2013-07-02 The Perks of Being John's Assistant 00:00:45 mention She jokingly lists duties: having John's Pizza John shirts sorted in rainbow order, his car seat warmed, commuting three days a week to Indianapolis, crossword lookups. · “pizza john shirts”
2013-11-08 VidCon, Punishments, Comments, and Pumpkins 00:02:35 mention Hank says they are in the middle of the 12 Days of Pizzamas: instead of last year's (2012) limited-edition Pizza John designs, the Pizza John face goes on many different products. → Pizzamas 2013 edition: the 12 Days of Pizzamas, the Pizza John face on many products (completed, 2014-11-12)

2014

date video use what is said
2014-10-17 MY FACE ON A BUS 00:03:48 mention Hank says he is extremely happy Vlogbrothers is too weird ever to be mainstream, and that they are dedicated to keeping it weird.
2014-11-10 The Woman Without a Face - Pizzamas Day 1 00:01:12 mention Hank says the Pizzamas before last was just T-shirts; this year (2014) mixes new weird Pizza John designs with products they have never done before.
2014-11-11 Lacey and Angela Question Tuesday: Pizzamas Day 2 00:03:38 mention John wishes Hank a happy Pizzamas, the only time of year his face is available on an astonishing variety of items.
2014-11-12 The History of Pizza John! 00:01:32 callback Hank says Pizza John began when John, in a video about Pakistan, slowly shaved his Movember beard, ending with a few seconds of mustache, crazy eyes and big hair; Hank dates it to 2011.
2014-11-13 The History of Pizza and the History of John: Pizzamas Day 4 00:00:13 mention John enjoyed Hank's history of the Pizza John design, which made him wonder about the history of pizza and the history of Johns.
2014-11-17 Combines and Movie Magic: Pizzamas Day 6 00:02:43 mention P.S.: only four days are left in Pizzamas, so viewers who want John's mustachioed face on any item must order within four days (link in description). → John asks viewers to order Pizzamas 2014 items with his mustachioed face before Pizzamas ends (2014) (promotion (not a request), 2014-11-21)
2014-11-21 The Sleepiest Sleepyhead in Sleeptown 00:00:22 mention John: today is the last day of Pizzamas, the last day to buy items with his mustachioed face, such as Pizza John shirts or a baby onesie; link in the description.

2015

date video use what is said
2015-01-23 Interviewing the President 00:00:59 mention Wearing his Pizza Bowie John shirt, Hank expects to wait hours at the White House before the interview and to spend all that time panicking.
2015-11-06 Announcing VidCon 2016! June 23 - 25 (and Pizzamas 2015!) 00:03:37 mention Pizzamas also brings limited-edition Pizza John shirts; last year's (2014) cannot be had, and this year's (2015) new designs will be shown when Pizzamas begins on Monday with Hank's video.
2015-11-09 Enjoy My Stupid Dancing! (Pizzamas Day 1) 00:01:04 mention Hank points those confused by Pizza John to his video from last year (2014) on the history of Pizza John, which he worked hard on and thinks is good.
2015-11-10 It's a Pizzamas Miracle! (Pizzamas Day 2) 00:00:27 callback John shaves his beard on camera and declares it a Pizzamas miracle that his moustache is back.
2015-11-11 Watch This If You Want To Smile (Pizzamas Day 3) 00:00:01 callback Hank says everything about Pizzamas is exciting except John's mustache.
2015-11-12 Cheez Doodles Guy, Ringo Silver, and Dad Jokes (Pizzamas Day 4) 00:00:53 callback John says he shaved his beard mostly for the mustache joke. · “pizza john shirts”
2015-11-18 SUIT UP! A Very Fancy Reunion Video (Pizzamas Day 8) 00:00:45 mention Asked whether there will be Dear Hank and John merch, John instead plugs the Pizza John merch available now at DFTBA.com.

2016

date video use what is said
2016-10-28 Give Me Your Tweets, I'll Give You My Phone · Last Video Before Leave! 00:00:51 mention Hank says this year's (2016) Pizzamas designs differ: he asked favourite internet designers for their take on Pizza John, producing a diverse, weird set he is excited to share. → Pizzamas 2016 edition (past edition (2016), 2016-11-15)
2016-11-07 It's Pizzamas!!! (Thoughts From the Place Where they Print Our Shirts) 00:00:00 mention Hank thanks this year's (2016) Pizzamas designers: Tekst, Ming Doyle, Judy Kaufmann, Rude, Julia Pott, Sara Cervantes, Duncan Gasiewicz and Rachel Calderon Navarro, each with their Pizza John design.
2016-11-08 A PIZZAMAS MIRACLE 00:00:35 callback John declares a Pizzamas miracle as his mustache returns; he cut himself shaving and grew a beard for two months for the joke.
2016-11-10 The Museum of Pizza Johns Past 00:01:00 callback Valerie gives the ten-second history of Pizza John: John likes pizza, once had a mustache in a video, and all of this followed.
2016-11-14 Who the Eff Is Hank? 00:02:11 callback Calling the Pizza John moustache crucial, Craig says the oldest portrait of a moustache is an Iranian horseman from 300 BC (first saying AD, then correcting himself).
2016-11-15 Good News/Bad News: A Pizzamas Video in Nine Slices 00:00:10 mention John says only a few days are left to order Pizzamas items, such as Pizza John shirts and PJs, from DFTBA.com before Pizzamas ends.
2016-11-17 Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday 00:01:37 mention Asked which of his characters he would vote for as president, John picks Hazel's mom from The Fault in Our Stars: cool under pressure, thoughtful, cautious, played by Laura Dern.

2017

date video use what is said
2017-10-30 I Mustache You: A Pizzamas Reunion! 00:00:15 callback John hasn't shaved since the book came out; when Hank guesses luck or AFC Wimbledon, John answers 'That's the business!'
2017-10-31 Where are Whale Balls? Question Tuesday: Pizza Edition 00:00:39 callback John acknowledges 'the elephant in the room': he has shaved his mustache.
2017-11-01 Pizza Cocktails with John and Hank! 00:00:08 mention John and Hank make pizza cocktails, using John's Pizza John shot glass and a hotel glass because Hank forgot his.
2017-11-06 Banana Milk and Almond Orchards 00:01:27 mention The brothers stop to make John's video at a roadside pet area: a dog wearing a crown, a trunkless 'tree made out of dirt', a joking 'Pizza John photoshoot' with a dirty chain, and an unlocked farm.
2017-11-07 Definitely Not A Pecan Orchard: A Pizzamas Question Tuesday 00:00:51 mention Asked how to explain Pizza John, John says he doesn't: it is not something you explain, just something you accept.

2018

date video use what is said
2018-08-14 Question Tuesday: Secrets & Primes 00:03:20 callback John thanks Tuataria for making a glorious Pizza John in Fortnite playground mode.
2018-10-29 PIZZAMAS IS HERE! 00:00:59 callback John's mustache is back for Pizzamas; he claims to be one of the people who can pull a mustache off.
2018-11-05 Reading Mean Comments with John 00:03:06 callback A separate category of comments describes John with his mustache: the guy you glance at at Walmart, an 80s substitute teacher, a Ned Flanders double, the protagonist of Her.
2018-11-08 Let's Talk Money: The Bank of Nerdfighteria's Semi-Annual Report 00:01:37 mention John says he has always felt kind of guilty being paid for Pizza John t-shirts and thinks there are better ways to spend that money, so they will.
2018-11-16 Doing This Makes Me Happy, but Maybe it Doesn't' Seem that Way? 00:00:33 mention One respondent wanted Pizzamas merch without John's weird face on it; Hank understands and agrees it is a weird face.

2019

date video use what is said
2019-10-11 Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths 00:02:54 mention Hank announces Pizzamas from October 28, when the brothers make videos every weekday as in 2007 and sell Pizza John products. → Pizzamas 2019 edition (completed, 2019-11-08)
2019-10-15 I'm Having a Lot of Feelings 00:00:00 mention John was anxious TSA would ask about the Pizza John Halloween masks in his backpack, but got through with no problem.
2019-10-28 PIZZAMAS IS HERE!!!! 00:00:00 callback John jokes that he might need to grow a mustache, and one appears on camera; he calls it terrible, worse for being subtle.
2019-11-29 My Most Controversial Opinion 00:03:38 mention Because they made a Pizza John bandana this year (2019), DFTBA is now also doing a 'Hank-erchief'; Hank doesn't expect to sell many but they had to make the joke. → Hank: DFTBA won't sell a lot of Hank-erchiefs (2019)
2019-12-10 On Loneliness 00:00:00 callback Replying in a channel comment to a viewer who says one can hear the mustache, John laughs that it is still present.

2020

date video use what is said
2020-10-05 Thank God It's Over and PIZZAMAS IS HERE!!!!!!! 00:00:58 callback John says his returning mustache is real bad, even catastrophic, and smiling makes it worse.
2020-10-13 Me from the Past: A Pizzamas Miracle 00:00:00 callback John announces his mustache is back, a Pizzamas miracle, adding that not all miracles are good.
2020-10-14 John Predicts the Future! 00:01:02 mention Hank says they blew John's shirt prediction out of the water, selling more than 95, an example of how imagining the future affects the future.

2021

date video use what is said
2021-03-09 Hank Rebranded Without Any of Us Noticing 00:02:26 mention As proof of Hank's rebrand, John recalls the Corndog Hank t-shirt made to go with the Pizza John t-shirt: Pizza John is still here, Corndog Hank forgotten to history.
2021-03-12 A Crisis of Branding 00:02:30 mention Hank honestly loves Pizza John and They Might Be Giants.
2021-08-17 Who Owns Nerdfighteria? 00:01:27 mention John's example is Pizza John: does he own it because it is his face from a screenshot of his video, or Valerie because they made the design? And who owns it when Alice makes one?
2021-10-04 PIZZAMAS IS HERE! 00:00:28 callback John, wearing his Pizzamas mustache, says it is hard to say anything serious with it.
2021-10-13 The Web of Care 00:00:00 mention Hank says he is going 'Pizza John Classic' today.
2021-10-14 Pizza Sized Johns or John Sized Pizza? It's Question Thursday 00:00:00 callback John's favorite Pizzamas merch is the Pizza John zine in which people drew Pizza John from memory: it's magic. He also loves the blanket.
2021-11-09 Hank Green's Million Dollar Ideas 00:01:46 callback John says if the idea of 2D glasses could become 2D glasses, then a conference could become VidCon, an educational video company Complexly, and John with a mustache a t-shirt.

2022

date video use what is said
2022-03-04 The 2022 P4A Meme Review!!! 00:11:11 callback Hank says John Purple fan art has a very good Pizza John style.
2022-04-22 My Life is on My Walls 00:03:16 mention Hank shows the meat Furby, the bean Furby, Pizza John art whose maker he thanks, and the map of the realm of Narnia that will always be behind him.
2022-09-26 PIZZAMAS IS UPON US 00:00:00 callback John says his mustache is back and not for the better: letting it grow longer this year (2022) did not help, it looks like it does every year.
2022-09-27 The Wildest Way it Could Possibly Have Gone - Our 16 Year Anniversary 00:02:21 mention Asked whether a spherical pizza could have toppings inside and out, Katherine imagines a conceptual Mobius strip pizza.
2022-09-28 How My Book Became a Hit with Elderly People 00:00:00 mention Breathless from a workout in his Pizza John football jersey, hand towel and water bottle, John says all of it is available only at Pizzamas.com for 12 more days.
2022-09-30 COMMIT TO THE BIT 00:02:36 mention John says buying the Pizza John floor rug shows utter commitment to the bit; no one will question your commitment with it on your floor.
2022-10-05 Asking an AI Image Generator for Pizza Johns 00:00:00 callback The title brings back Pizza John: John asks an AI image generator for Pizza Johns.
2022-10-06 The Pizzamas Magic Is Almost Over… 00:00:00 mention John shows his Pizza John Nalgene bottle, saved until near the end of Pizzamas.
2022-10-07 Planets Don't Exist 00:03:13 mention At the Stephen Sprouse exhibit, Hank told Katherine that someday there would be a museum show like it of Pizza John art; the brothers muse about a Pizza John gallery. · “pizza john's”
2022-10-14 The Surprise Revelation of NerdfArters 00:00:58 mention Hank runs through early prompts: DFTBA, Pizza John Yourself, Breezy Fall Day (a reference to his second novel), Just the Word Pelican, Surprise Fiddle Concert, Nerdfighteria and Pizzamas.

2023

date video use what is said
2023-05-05 New Office Tour!! 00:01:53 mention The room has a place for Hank's Pizza John rug, and for the first time in his life he has more shelves than stuff to put on them.
2023-09-25 PIZZAMAS IS HERE!!! 00:00:13 callback John says during Pizzamas the brothers make videos back and forth every day as in 2007, celebrating the seven minutes in 2008 when he had a mustache.
2023-09-26 THE REVEAL 00:02:15 variant Hank says his shaving has reached a classic Pizza John, the mustache running down for peak ridiculousness, but he will clean his up: that one is John's, so what is his?
2023-09-29 Like Apocalyptic Horsemen 00:01:27 callback John says the family is concerned that Hank hinted his mustache might become permanent, and insists it should only be a Pizzamas mustache.
2023-10-02 The Hottest Place and the Coldest Place in the Universe are the SAME PLACE 00:04:09 mention Hank says the hottest thing in the universe since the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago, happened on Earth: particles in a particle accelerator reached 7 trillion Kelvin.
2023-10-06 I Quit 00:07:20 callback Hank says he told Katherine this was his last Pizzamas video so he could shave his mustache, and she said he didn't have to.
2023-10-27 I Keep Thinking About Taylor Swift 00:03:32 mention At the summit venue Hank spotted a test-print fabric scrap from their shirt maker: a dual shirt with Pizza John and Three Wolf Moon on it.

2024

date video use what is said
2024-09-23 IT'S HERE! 00:00:00 callback John opens Pizzamas saying it is Monday and he has a mustache.
2024-09-27 Is It 2010? IT'S A PARTS VIDEO 00:03:07 mention John's favourite available item is the hot sauce subscription, four bottles through the year, which he calls epic and a pretty good deal.
2024-10-01 On Fame and Chappell Roan 00:00:00 callback John opens with an image of his mustachioed face as Chappell Roan, who he says has been publicly struggling with fame lately.
2024-10-04 Trees are Destroying the Earth (Again) 00:05:21 mention To clear undersold warehouse inventory, the leftover sale discounts the lunchbox, blanket, pimple patches, tattoos, clog charms, BRAT shirts and past years' items; the blanket comes with a free Pizza John print.

2025

date video use what is said
2025-09-16 After seven long years… 00:00:00 mention John lists the community's real accomplishments: tens of millions of dollars raised for stronger health care systems, lower prices for TB diagnostics and treatments, and, playfully, the legacy of Pizza John.
2025-09-29 PIZZAMAS IS UPON US! 00:01:03 callback John says he did not grow a pizza mustache this year (2025) because he made a call to stay married.
2025-10-01 Real Reasons for Hope 00:02:26 callback John plugs the 2025 Pizzamas pin subscription: monthly bookplates featuring John and his mustache as a different literary character each month, beginning with Frankenstein.
2025-10-07 Luck vs. Work vs. Skill vs. Privilege 00:05:16 callback John jokes that he doesn't deserve to have people buy a Pizzamas keychain featuring his mustachioed face as a cat, available only for the next few days.

2026

date video use what is said
2026-09-28 Death. Taxes. Pizzamas. 00:00:00 callback John says his mustache can only mean one thing: it is Pizzamas.
2026-09-29 Pretend You Don't Know This 00:01:45 callback Hank says Pizzamas rests on a Nerdfighteria bit about John having a mustache for 20 minutes in 2008, and in 2026 they are still doing it.
2026-10-01 Are We Still YouTubers? in the description
2026-10-08 The Test of a First Rate Intelligence 00:00:59 mention John shows his Pizzamas hoodie, which made it into the meager supplies of the carry-on suitcase he has lived out of for almost a month: it has "pizza" on the aglets and Pizza Johns inside the hood; he praises DFTBA for committing to the weirdest bit.
2026-10-09 The Productivity Lie 00:00:00 mention In a comment, Hank instead recommends the Pizza John Hot Sauce, which people have begged them to bring back for years, and the third annual Pizza John One-Shot TTRPG.