Dbrand’s April Fools’ gag is actually buyable and lets you touch grass anytime
Summary
- Dbrand, known for its gadget skins, has launched a new ‘Touch Grass’ collection for April Fools’ Day that features artificial turf coverings for a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming consoles.
- Despite the April 1st timing, these grassy skins are real products available for purchase, with prices ranging from $19.95 to $70.
- The new skins and grips have been tested for durability. Regardless, Dbrand has explicitly indicated that it would not be able to replace it Touch Grass products in the future.
Touching grass, in literal terms, is the physical act of making contact with grass. In internet culture, however, the phrase has evolved into a suggestion — a suggestion you give to someone who spends way too much time online — someone who needs to get out of the digital world and literally ‘touch grass.’
One tech company, however, is taking that very concept and turning it on its head, essentially wrapping grass around the very same devices you’re often told to leave behind.
Toronto-based Dbrand’s April Fools’ Day gag is a new range of skins and grips for your phones, handheld gaming devices, consoles, tablets, laptops, and earbuds — all laden with artificial turf grass. Unlike other schticks, though, Dbrand’s ‘Touch Grass’ line of skins and grips are actually available for you to buy — but as is the case with the case maker’s products, they come at a steep premium. The line starts at $19.95 for the Nintendo Switch, and goes all the way up to $70 for MacBooks.
On the smartphone side of things, Dbrand’s Touch Grass line is available for Google Pixel devices, including the Pixel Fold, Samsung’s S and Z series devices, and Apple’s iPhones.
You tell yourself you’ll go outside. Tomorrow. Next weekend. Eventually. The machine knows you won’t. The solution? Turn the machine into grass. Experience a simpler, happier time. Touch grass—without touching grass.
According to the case-maker, in a statement given to The Verge, the new skins and grips are made of tiny polyethylene strands — the same material used in artificial turf.
Each square centimeter of a Touch Grass product features over 1,000 strands, all of which are electrostatically charged, causing them to stand upright. Additionally, the company also reportedly put the new line through stringent durability testing, including 10,000 abrasive rub cycles, and it found “no issues with strands detaching or ‘bald patches’ forming.”
Regardless of the durability, Dbrand does explicitly wash its hands of all responsibility on its website. “This is a truly limited edition product. If you have any long-term issues with your skin, it’s entirely possible that we won’t be able to replace it with more Touch Grass.”
Additionally, the case-maker also acknowledged that the Touch Grass line does tend to attract lint, but it also added that it can be easily cleaned with a gentle wipe.
Dbrand Touch Grass
Dbrand’s April Fools’ Day gag is a new line of ‘Touch Grass’ skins and grips that feature artifical turf grass.
Available for a range of devices, including Pixel, Samsung, and Apple smartphones, consoles, handhelds, and even laptops, the new range starts at $20 and goes as high as $70.
Related
What type of case do you normally buy when upgrading to a new phone?
I, for one, usually run my phones free of cases, but after a recent drop that obliterated my Redmagic 9s Pro, I decided to pick up a Pixel 9 as a replacement. With that new purchase came a strong sense that I should probably splurge on a case this time around. So I went all out. I wanted something that looked good, made of leather, so a Bellroy case is what I purchased. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m pretty happy with it, so feel my money was spent well.
But what about you? What kind of case do you normally go for when you purchase a new phone? What’s your go-to? Is it leather, plastic, rubber, colorful, muted, expensive, or cheap?
