How Reannon Overbey Turned Her Art & Dog into the Adorably Successful ‘Jollie Ollie’ Brand
Jollie Ollie Owner Reannon Overbey and her dog, the jolly Ollie in question!
A few years back I was perusing TikTok, as one does, when I came across a video that would alter the course of my life forever. I’m being a little dramatic of course, but I’m technically not lying, as the video was recapping an event that offered patrons the ability to “adopt” this brand's adorable ghostly plush. A little guy decked out in a mail uniform and a little mailbag called a Ghostal Worker. As a lover of all things cute, immediately, I was obsessed. What was this magical creature? Who created this beautiful man? I had to know more. Jollie Ollie was the name of the brand, and I soon found myself the owner of a plethora of Jollie Ollie goods from earrings to stationery to hair clips, to my own beloved Ghostal Worker, Herb.
In the time since, Jollie Ollie has only grown, solidifying their staying power in the form of a brick-and-mortar they share with two other small businesses called The Roommate Collective. As I started thinking about the people I wanted to highlight with my very own business, Ribbon Magazine, I knew Jollie Ollie Owner Reannon Overbey was an absolute must. Overbey started the Jollie Ollie project as a literal project for her degree, “It started as my senior thesis project in college.” Going to school for graphic design, Overbey’s capstone project was a bit of a daunting task, “We could do whatever we wanted to. Which was very overwhelming. I feel like everyone in my class was like, Anything? Like, anything anything? They're like, yeah.” She jokes. “As long as it includes graphic design.”
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Overbey went all in, “I was like, I wanna make a fake business…So I had to make a logo and the whole brand, and then I made some actual products for it.” She created screen-printed T-shirts and goodies (a specialty she learned throughout college) and even a social media account for the brand, so her teacher was always up to date with the project. As it started to take shape, she had a decision to make; the name. “I had just gotten a puppy the fall semester. His name is Ollie. And my friend was like, you should name it after Ollie.” Overbey smiled, “I can't even take credit for my name, my friend came up with it. Shout out to Sam. He was just, like, Jollie Ollie because as a puppy, even now, he's still just happy all the time. Just always jazzed.” She says, bemused.
Though the project was a resounding success, with Overbey even selling some of her products at the event, once she graduated Jollie Ollie moved to the back burner. In 2018, following college, she moved from Iowa to Texas, and in 2020 (much like everyone at the time) she found herself in need of some connection, “So I moved here, and I didn't have any friends. I had nothing to do on the weekends. I just hung out with my partner and my dog. And so I was like, okay. Well, maybe I'll restart it.” A decision that would alter the course of her life forever (not dramatic). Overbey opened Jollie Ollie back up as an Etsy to test the waters, “I made homemade pom pom earrings. I designed two stickers, and I think I had an enamel pin. And that was all that I had in my shop.”
The enamel pin in question simply read “happy as heck” and was a callback to a similar shirt Overbey had made for the capstone project years prior. From there, she started slowly working on the brand, building up the items in her shop, “It started as just a 5 to 9 after my 9 to 5 sort of thing. After work, I would do these things. Whatever little money I was making from my full-time job, I would spend on those things.” Since those humble beginnings, Jollie Ollie has grown exponentially in terms of what products they sell and where they sell them. What started as simple stickers evolved from cards into even cuter stationary. Notepads, knickknacks, and then came Halloween.
“Halloween is my favorite holiday. I take it very seriously. That’s the one thing that I decorate for in my house.” As Overbey continued combining her art with her brand, she came to a realization, “I cannot draw people.” She stated, factually. This wasn’t, as it turned out, a looming negative for Overbey, but an opportunity. Enter the idea of ghosts.
“Ghosts are easy. Ghosts are cute. And I felt like there was such a lack of cute Halloween stuff.” A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. After perusing Pinterest, also as one does, Overbey spotted a piece of art with an adorable puppy in a costume. Inspiration had struck, and the idea of a ghost in a costume was too cute to resist. Naturally, a mailman had to come first, “So I made a little illustration, and I posted it. And then one of my followers commented, oh my god. It's a ghostal worker.” Another excellent name credited to someone other than Overbey, “I'm not creative with names.” She jokes, “I messaged her and was like, can I use this? I'll send you a ghostal worker sticker that I made.” And just like that, Jollie Ollie had created its first original character.
Jollie Ollie's adorable Ghostal Workers! Each comes with a cute little letter, and adoption papers. (JollieOllieDesigns on Instagram)
A year or so later her Ghostal Workers had gone 4D in the form of plushes and were on full display at the “adoption” event held at The Paper + Craft Pantry, a cozy stationary store owned by Overbey’s friend, Pei Sim. It was at one of Paper + Craft’s many pop-up events that I eventually got my very own Ghostal Worker. And while Overbey will tell you, the process for creating the fluffy creatures certainly had its challenges, “The manufacturers are in China, so sometimes I will be up at 1, 1:30 in the morning just messaging them.” It’s something she’s excited to continue, expanding Jollie Ollie through its products and its location.
Since Jollie Ollie’s inception, not counting the capstone, the business has called five different places home, “[First] It was in a duplex.” Overbey counts, “Then I had my own one-bedroom apartment, and that was basically just in my living room. Then my partner and I got the secondary bedroom…Then when we got this place, they let me use the backspace as my studio. Then I got a warehouse that I share with a friend.” But perhaps Jollie Ollie’s favorite home now is The Roommate Collective, the new store Overbey opened with Pei, from Paper + Craft, and Steffi Lynn, an illustrator and creator of Have A Nice Day.
In my mind, Jollie Ollie’s sudden jump from the digital to the physical was a no-brainer. A goal she’d been steadily working towards since the beginning. Through speaking with Overbey, I quickly learned that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The space right next to Paper + Craft had opened up, and the company was quickly leaving and needed to find a new tenant. Overbey found out about the whole thing through Pei, in the middle of some serious gaming, “We were playing Valorant, and I remember looking at my stories. I responded to it and was like, That'd be so funny if we were neighbors.” Little did Overbey know, “She responded with, Yeah. And then she went if you found a third person, I would totally open another store with you.”
The three roomies in question (Roommatecollectiveatx on Instagram).
Turned out Pei had always wanted a store with things for children, cute toys, and kid-friendly products. She had even started a line called Little Note, but the vibe didn’t exactly match that of Paper + Craft. At the time, Overbey couldn’t think of anyone and wasn’t even certain about the idea of the brick-and-mortar. That’s when Steffi Lynn entered the picture, “The next morning, Steffi from Have A Nice Day messaged Pei as well, being like, can you imagine if I had a store in Austin?” A moment later Pei messaged Overbey that she may have found the perfect person. Overbey was familiar enough with Steffi, they’d worked together previously and been virtual supporters of each other for a while. One thing led to another, and before the trio knew it they’d signed all the papers, created a logo, and had their grand opening all within 3 months.
“I really like having it. It's very fun if I'm at a market in town to just be like, oh if you want to see all my stuff? I have so much more in a shop.” Just walking through The Roommate Collective, you get a sense of what Jollie Ollie is all about. Jollie Ollie is bright, bubbly, and so dang cute, “I know that the name kind of instilled it, but, I want all my stationary and everything to be cute and pretty and fun and not boring.” Everything Overbey sells is something she would want in her own home. She’s worked hard to make sure each item under the Jollie Ollie name matches the aesthetic of Jollie Ollie’s bright persona, “I do get a lot of people who like my style, but they don't like how colorful it is. And they'll be like, can you make it in neutral? And I'm like, I'm not a neutral person, so unfortunately, no.” However, Overbey is happy to suggest brands and friends who create things like that!
Jollie Ollie has come a long way since the days of stickers and pins, and while those items are still staples of the brand, they are far from the only products Overbey offers. As it stands right now Jollie Ollie currently sells hair products, book-themed products, notepads, socks, coasters, home decor, jewelry, and much more. While Overbey loves all her products equally, her current favorite is, of course, Halloween-themed “ I really like the bat hair claw. I think it just looks really cute in hair.” Though an honorable mention goes to the Dilly Dally Tote she owns, which even has a jolly little Ollie drawn on the front, “I custom designed the tote bag itself. It has my little tag in it, [and] it has pockets and stuff.”
My personal favorite item I own would still have to be my Ghostal Worker Herb, but I’ll offer a shoutout to the silicone rainbow coaster I’m currently using to prop up my blue Gatorade. Easy to clean and wildly cute! Jollie Ollie is everything I never knew I needed in a stationary brand; adorable, affordable, and so heckin fun. Through talking with Reannon my love of the brand has only grown, and it’s so inspiring to see someone walk the walk and talk the talk. Reannon is Jollie Ollie. She’s colorful and bright with a bit of a Halloweeny edge. As a fellow lover of all things cute, Jollie Ollie has blown my expectations out of the water, and it’s safe to say I’ll be a supporter for many years to come!
Check out Jollie Ollie right here, make sure to follow Jollie Ollie and Reannon on socials.
