Ringo Starr has long been a supporter of environmental causes, and he recently collaborated with the Earth Day Network on a merchandise collection celebrating his classic 1969 Beatles tune “Octopus’s Garden” that’s promoting the organization’s mission of keeping the oceans and our planet’s water sources clean.
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The items, which are on sale now at EarthDay.store, include a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, a limited-edition framed print, a hat, and a tote bag. They feature an illustration of an octopus watering a garden, and the following note: “An octopus’s garden needs clean water.”
[RELATED: Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Have Announced Additional 2025 US Tour Dates]
According to a description of the collection, the various items (not including the print) are made of “100% organic cotton,” and “each piece is a reminder that clean water matters—for the octopus, the oceans, and all of us.”
The “Octopus’s Garden” merch only will available until Starr’s 85th birthday, this July 7.
Proceeds from sales of the merch will benefit the nonprofit EarthDay.org. The organization is “the global coordinator of Earth Day and [is] dedicated to promoting environmental education, conservation, and action.”
In addition to his support of Earth Day, Starr is a longtime supporter of the WaterAid organization, which focuses on making clean water available to people around the world.
Meanwhile, in honor of World Ocean Day on Sunday, June 8, the Earth Day Network posted a special animation on its social media pages bringing the “Octopus’s Garden” T-shirt to life.
More About “Octopus’s Garden”
Starr wrote “Octopus’s Garden” with a little uncredited help from his Beatles bandmate George Harrison. The tune, which was sung by Ringo, appeared on The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road.
The inspiration for the song came to Ringo in 1968 while he was on a boat belonging to comedian Peter Sellers in Sardinia. During the trip, the captain told Starr about how octopuses gather objects from the sea bottom and make “gardens.”
Ringo also explained that the song’s lyrics were influenced by his desire at the time to escape the tension between his bandmates.
Starr collaborated on an illustrated children’s book inspired by “Octopus’s Garden” that was published in the U.S. in 2014.
Starr’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Starr and his All Starr Band have U.S. tour dates lined up in June and September.
The both legs of the trek feature 11 concerts. The first kicks off June 12 Bridgeport, Connecticut, and is plotted out through a June 27 performance in Omaha, Nebraska.
The second leg runs from a September 10 show in Chicago through a September 27 performance in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas gig is part of a six-date residency at the Venetian Theatre. Starr’s other Vegas concerts are scheduled for September 17, 19, 20, 24, and 26.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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