Why Hello There

Shit Dad Made started as a lighthearted joke—at least, the name did. It all began when I handcrafted some Christmas gifts for my wife and daughter. Wanting to present them nicely, I decided to create some packaging for them. As a graphic designer, I couldn’t resist the urge to add a fake business name and logo for fun. I wanted it to be something that would get a good laugh at Christmas time, and that’s how 'Shit Dad Made' was born. But I didn’t stop there. I thought, 'How funny would it be if the packaging included a real web address?' So, I purchased a domain and set up a website. The gag ended up being a hit at Christmas, and that was supposed to be the end of it.

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Fast forward six months, and while I was tinkering and solving problems—as I often do—I ended up creating what would become SDM’s first product: the Portrait Pro adapter. At the time, Apple had just started allowing emulator apps into the App Store, and I was eager to try out Delta, an app that emulates various Nintendo platforms, including the Nintendo DS. As an avid video game collector with over 800 physical games, I normally prefer to play games with physical copies and original hardware. However, some DS games are just too pricey to justify purchasing, so I turned to Delta. I loaded some of them into Delta and started playing using my Backbone One controller. I quickly realized it was frustrating to use the Backbone One controller in landscape mode, as it forced the DS emulator screens to display side by side, instead of stacked vertically like the original.

Determined to fix this, I designed, modeled, and 3D printed adapters that allowed me to use the Backbone controller in portrait orientation. After refining the design, I shared it on the Backbone subreddit, and the response was immediate. People were asking where they could get the adapters and how I managed to use the controller that way. When I mentioned that I made them myself, I received even more inquiries: 'Can you make me one?' 'Do you sell these?'

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After receiving enough requests, I decided to open a store and sell them. Thanks to the Christmas joke, I already had a brand, domain, and website ready to go. And that’s how what started as a playful Christmas gag has grown into what you see here today.