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Dec 20, 2024 By Mark Redfern Photography by Mark Redfern and Wendy Lynch Redfern

‘Tis the season…to wear Christmas sweaters. Some are legitimately ugly, others are trying too hard to be garish, and quite a lot these days are rather geeky. And those are the ones that we’ll concern ourselves with in Part 6 of Under the Radar’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide. Yes, this is a bit of a last minute guide, but perhaps there’s still a holiday party to attend in the next couple of weeks or you can stock up early for next year.

Last weekend my family had our Seventh Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at our house and prizes were given to the best grownup sweater and the three best ones worn by kids, as voted by all the attendees. This trend of companies designing purposefully ugly Christmas sweaters based on characters from movies, TV shows, and comic books has been going on for at least those seven years, if not longer. Every year we’ve included such sweaters in our larger gift guides for collectibles and geeky gifts, but this year we decided to do a dedicated guide to the fun and festive jumpers (as they call them in the UK), as we were sent a few just in the last week.

Also check out the other parts of our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 1 on tabletop and board games, Part 2 on modern films on Blu-ray, Part 3 on classic films on Blu-ray, Part 4 on books, and Part 5 on music reissues and vinyl.

Alf Ugly Christmas Sweater (Fun.com)

RRP: $49.99

Everybody’s favorite cat eating alien from a 1980s sitcom gets his own Christmas sweater. Okay, there’s really only one character who matches that description, but if you grew up in America in the ’80s and had a TV then you likely know who Alf is. If you didn’t, then you probably have no idea who we’re talking about. Alf wears a Santa hat and a scarf on his sweater, which even features some cats for him to try and feast on. (Buy it here.)

Invincible Ugly Holiday Sweater (Skybound)

RRP: $75.00

Invincible is further proof that superheroes aren’t just for kids. In fact, the successful Amazon Prime animated show is decidedly not for the youngsters. Based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series of the same name for Image Comics, the show was also co-developed by Kirkman and co-executive produced by him (alongside Seth Rogen and others) and it’s incredibly bloody and adult. Imagine if your dad was a Superman-like hero beloved by the world and you were also developing your own powers to follow in his footsteps, only for you to discover that Dad conceals a terrible secret about his true nature. That’s the very basic premise of the show, which aired its second season this year. Skybound is Kirkman’s entertainment company and they have produced this colorful sweater for Invincible. It features Invincible (aka teenager Mark Grayson) as he faces off against his dad (aka Omni-Man aka Nolan Grayson). I wore it at this year’s aforementioned Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. (Buy it here.)

The Joker Dark Knight Ugly Sweater (Fun.com)

RRP: $49.99 (Currently on Clearance for $14.99)

Why so serious? Christmas time is supposed to be a time of joy. Or else! This Joker sweater is modeled after Heather Ledger’s iconic portrayal of the dark prince of crime in The Dark Knight, which nabbed the actor a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. My 11-year-old daughter actually wore this to school today, the last day before Christmas vacation, and her history teacher complimented the sweater. (Buy it here.)

Labyrinth Character Ugly Sweater (Fun.com)

RRP: $49.99

We have featured a Labyrinth holiday sweater in one of our previous gift guides and here’s another one. It’s based, of course, on Jim Henson’s beloved 1986 fantasy film, which wasn’t a hit when it was first released but is now regarded as an ’80s classic. The sweater features the eyes of Jareth the Goblin King (aka David Bowie), as well as various other more Muppet-like characters from the film. (Buy it here.)

Narwhal Ugly Holiday Christmas Sweater (Fun.com)

RRP: $44.99

This sweater refreshingly isn’t based on an existing IP, it just features two narwhals roasting marshmallows over a campfire as it snows. It’s quite pleasing to the eye and a bit glittery. (Buy it here.)

Nintendo Kirby Stars Patterned Sweater (BoxLunch)

RRP: $59.90

Everyone’s favorite car-swallowing video game creature Kirby also has his own sweater. Unlike the other geeky clothes found in this guide, it’s not particularly festive. Instead this truly bright and colorful sweater can be worn year-round. It’s a great gift for any Nintendo nerds out there, such as my daughter, who adores Kirby and plays Kirby and the Forgotten Land on her Switch. (Buy it here.)

Our Universe Studio Ghibli My Neighbor Totoro Patterned Totoro Holiday Sweater (BoxLunch)

RRP: $59.99

My Neighbor Totoro gets the holiday sweater treatment with this delightful and handsome muted sweater from BoxLunch. The 1988 film is one of the most adored in the filmography of Japanese auteur Hayao Miyazaki and his company Studio Ghibli and it still finds new audiences of kids and adults over three decades later. The sweater features Totoro front and center, so much so that you just want to reach out and hug him. (Buy it here.)

The Walking Dead Ugly Holiday Sweater (Skybound)

RRP: $62.00

Nothing screams Christmas like murdering walkers in the zombie apocalypse. No? Well regardless, fans of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead may want to get their hands on this sweater inspired by the hit show and comic book it’s based on. The flagship series may have gone off the air in 2022, after 11 seasons and 177 episodes, but the world of The Walking Dead lives on with various spinoff shows still being produced. This sweater features various images from the bloody show, including hero Rick Grimes riding a horse, as seen in the first episode. (Buy it here.)

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