It looks like pop star JoJo Siwa‘s plans for a new merch drop hit a snag after Tool fans caught a peak of what appears to be the famous Tool wrench logo adapted for use on her merch.
Though Siwa herself had included a photo of the merch in a recent Instagram photo drop, the items don’t appear for sale in her online shop and plans to release it appear to have been scrapped. This comes after the artist received plenty of blowback after Tool fans noticed similarities after videos started popping up online.
Video shared by one fan quickly spread on TikTok and then inspired a thread of outrage by Tool fans in a Reddit forum. Siwa herself had included a photo of the merch in a The merch seen in the video showcased the top of the Tool logo wrench with separation, though the nuts are still visible from the sides. This branding was apparently being used on a bright yellow T-shirt as well as an orange colored safety suit, similar to the one donned by Siwa in her construction-themed video for the title track off her Guilty Pleasure EP.
Who Is JoJo Siwa?
The 21-year-old musician first came to fame as a dancer and media personality in the mid-2010s thanks to her appearance alongside her mother on the series Dance Moms. After that, she signed with Nickelodeon to act and sing in several shows and films, including releasing the kids-centric feature film The J Team.
She’s also competed on Dancing With the Stars and The Masked Singer and was announced as a judge for TV’s So You Think You Can Dance.
Earlier this year, Siwa attempted to undergo an image change moving from her child star years into a more adult image. Once again, Siwa appeared to lift from a well-treaded rock trope, adopting a demon look many felt lifted from the rock band KISS. She debuted the look during an appearance at the iHeartRadio Awards, teasing the new single “Karma” and her return to music.
Debuting the “bad girl” look, she noted to E! News, “Creating art is such a special, special thing, and I’m very lucky that I get to be one of the people in the world that gets to create art.”
Gene Simmons defended JoJo against those attacking her over lifting the band’s imagery, telling TMZ, “”JoJo is cool. Everybody who doesn’t get it is just jealous, period. Never be ordinary. Always be extraordinary. JoJo is extraordinary and she looks cool. Of course she looks like me, but that’s another story.”
What Fans Were Saying of JoJo Siwa’s Apparent Tool Lift?
As stated, social media lit up after word of the merch drop began to spread. “Everything I know about her, I know against my will,” noted one person on the X social media platform.. “Of all people, I don’t think Tool would care for this added another.
On Reddit, fans found the fun in it all, suggesting that Tool should lift “giant bows” and “flimsy Walmart party plates” with their name on it in response. “She has a long history of stealing IP,” noted another person on the thread. “I guess she figured if Kiss was okay with her stealing their look, then Tool would be okay with her stealing their wrench,” added yet another Tool fan on the thread.
Tool’s Own Legal History With the Wrench Logo
The Tool “wrench” design was originally created by artist Cam DeLeon. DeLeon filed suit agains the band, their label and the retail chain Hot Topic after feeling he hadn’t been properly compensated for the continued use of designs he had come up with for the group.
READ MORE: Study Reveals People Retain Rock Logos More Than Any Other Genre
This also led to an additional suit with an insurance company hired for the band’s defense and kept the group tied up in legal issues for several years. By 2015, the lawsuits were finally settled allowing Tool to focus on their next album, Fear Inoculum, which finally arrived in 2019.
