Peter Forsythe returns with super limited edition Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary collab with Teton Gravity Research

The Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary TGR collaboration has landed! Check it out here

I’ve always believed that the best collaborations come from shared roots—not just in what we do, but in how we grew up, what lit us up when we were young, and the scenes that shaped our lives. Peter Forsythe is a perfect example of that.

His Dead journey started like so many of ours did—not in a stadium or a field, but in a middle school notebook. He saw a kid sketching a Stealie, followed that spark to the kid’s house, heard his first Grateful Dead record around ’79 or ’80, and from that moment on, he was hooked. By 1982, he was at his first show at the Syracuse War Memorial, soaking in the color and the freedom. That same freedom inspired him and his best friend to start making their own shirts—hand-drawn Stealies and Jerry portraits—and selling them at shows. They even got arrested once for selling shirts in the parking lot. That’s how deep in it they were.

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Through college, Peter ran a t-shirt business out of his basement. In 1987, one of his shirts caught the eye of a guy from a Dead shop in New Paltz, NY and that turned into a job—and a whole career. The shop had just landed a license to make official Grateful Dead merch, and Peter jumped in as assistant to artist Greg Templeton. He helped bring the now-iconic Space Your Face design to life—Peter was the first to silk-screen it. From there, it was full-on tour life, selling shirts, creating new artwork, and being part of the extended Dead family.

In 1989, Peter drew what might be the first Dead shirt with a snowboarder on it—a moment of crossover that would come full circle decades later, when TGR tracked him down. Brian had seen that snowboard shirt and recognized Peter’s style, which sparked the start of our collaboration.

View the Peter Forsythe x TGR X Gratefule Dead Collab Merchandise here

Peter had already worked with Burton and K2 on Dead-themed gear, but what stood out was how naturally his mind went to adventure. His Dead art always leaned toward motion—mountains, snow, movement, freedom—because Deadheads aren’t just music lovers, they’re explorers.

Working with Peter on the Dead’s 60th anniversary was pure fuel. The design feels fresh, alive, and full of movement. It wasn’t just Peter—it was a true collaboration with his wife too, who shaped the bears and action-forward elements in the new TGR x Dead line.

The anniversary shirt was one of those rare projects where the creative energy just flowed. Peter had been burned out on the usual merch—it wasn’t lighting him up. But once we started talking about something special for the 60th, rooted in San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, everything shifted.

Peter came up with the idea that made it sing: a joyful scene of skeletons and bears arriving for a gathering—biking in, paddling canoes, hopping tour buses. It feels like the tribe migrating to a show. We suggested dialing up the action sports energy, and from there it all clicked.

His wife helped bring it home—especially in giving the bears that signature attitude and flow. The whole thing came together naturally. No friction, just shared vision, mutual trust, and creative momentum. That’s the space we aim to live in.

When and how did you first discover the Grateful Dead:

There was this kid who sat next to me in class—kind of a bad boy, drawing all over his notebook. One day, I looked over and saw this skull with a lightning bolt going through it. I was like, What the hell is that? It just hit me. I had to know more.

We started hanging out—he had all this rock ’n’ roll scribbled on his notebooks, and one day he invited me over to his house. He played me some Black Sabbath, which was cool, but it didn’t totally grab me. Then he put on the Dead... and that was it. That was the moment. I hadn’t really listened to them before—was into more classic rock—but hearing the Dead for the first time like that just flipped a switch. This was probably around late ’79 or 1980.

From there, I was all in. I started digging into the music, the culture—and by ’81, maybe ’82, I was at my first show at the Syracuse War Memorial. Total game-changer.

When did you start making and selling T shirts on the dead lot:

So that’s how it all kicked off. After my first show, I knew I had to make shirts for the next one. I’d always been into art, and it just felt obvious—we need a Dead shirt. So me and my best buddy started making tie-dyes in his mom’s basement. We got our hands on some Rit dye—whatever we could find at the grocery store—and then we built a screen.

We hand-drew a Stealie with a picture of Jerry playing guitar in the middle, did a one-color print, and laid it over the tie-dye. That was our first shirt.

We brought them to the next show—my second Dead show, at the Binghamton War Memorial, or Broome County Arena—and sold them out front. Classic parking lot hustle. And of course... we got arrested. They grabbed us for selling shirts, took our stash, and made us show up in court the next day. Full initiation.

Tell me about your first job working on the infamous “Space your Face” graphic for the Dead and how you reluctantly took that job:

So I had a little business going in the basement of my college house. One day I was walking through town and there was this Dead shop, and out of nowhere this guy comes running out—totally wild guy—and says, “Hey! That’s a cool shirt you’re wearing. Where’d you get it?”

I told him, “I make them. In my basement. I go to school just down the road.” And he goes, “You want a job?”

And I was like, “Well... I’m not really into jobs. I kind of make my own money. I’m not much of a job guy.” But I asked him, “What do you got?”

And he says, “I just got a license to make official Grateful Dead shirts for the band.” This was around 1987. He told me, “We’re working on a design right now that we’re going to pitch to the Dead—they’re into it. If you want to come help out, the shop’s right upstairs.”

I had no idea there was even a shop above the store—I thought it was just retail. It was in New Paltz, New York, in this three-story building. Upstairs was this full-on tie-dye operation. It looked like a house that had been turned into a studio—every room filled with hippies making shirts, dye everywhere. Total scene.

The design they were working on was Space Your Face—probably the second most famous Dead graphic after the Stealie. They still use it on everything. And that’s where I jumped in.

Peter Forsythe:
Yeah, the first idea I had just didn’t hit. It didn’t strike the way I wanted, so I shelved it. I didn’t really do anything with it.

Todd Jones:
Well, when they announced the Dead 60th and it was going down in San Francisco, I was like, Okay, this feels right. Like we’re bringing it home. The Dead is so rooted in that place—the whole movement started there. The first image I saw in my head was the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s when I was like, We’ve got to call Peter. This is the time to do something together.

Peter Forsythe:
Yeah.

Todd Jones:
And then you came in with the idea of everyone coming to the show—on bikes, in canoes, however they could get there. I loved that.

Peter Forsythe:
Right. And then you guys added to it—you brought up the bus, the Golden Road vibe—and that really opened it up. I love working that way. When I design, I want to hear what people are seeing too. Some artists are like, “It’s my vision only,” but I don’t work like that. It’s way more fun when it’s collaborative—when the client brings in ideas, throws in things they’re excited about. That energy gets me going.

Todd Jones:
Totally.

Peter Forsythe:
That’s why the second version of the artwork looked so different from the first one. It evolved. It came alive because of those shared ideas.

Todd Jones:
Exactly. That’s what the 60th is really about—a gathering. Everyone coming together, rolling in from all angles. The bus, the canoes, the bikers…

Peter Forsythe:
Right. That’s what a Dead show is. People ask me to describe it, and I always say: just picture every type of person you can imagine… and then throw in even more weirdos you didn’t think of. And they’re all coming in from every direction—drifting into town like a circus.

Todd Jones:
Yes—the circus coming to town.

Peter Forsythe:
Totally. It’s not a straight line. It’s messy, beautiful, spontaneous. Capturing that energy in artwork isn’t easy, but when you can, it’s magic.

Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary TGR collaboration

Some shots of the finished shirts and hoodies for the limited edition run. The artwork will also be available in a limited edition run poster signed by Peter Forsythe