‘Dadbod’ applicant says Instagram popularity spurred trademark bid

A US resident who applied for a ‘Dadbod’ trademark has told WIPR that the “surprising” popularity of his Instagram account dedicated to the phenomenon encouraged him to explore commercial options.

CJ Cardenas, who is based in California and works on the brand licensing team for Bear Grylls Ventures, said he applied for the US ‘Dadbod’ trademark application on the back of a wave of followers of the social media account.

Bear Grylls Ventures, the management company associated with the British adventurer of the same name, is not involved with the application.

“The term has entered the public lexicon, but it has gone way beyond anything I have expected,” he told WIPR.

Cardenas set up the Instagram account @That_DadBod_Tho and starting posting pictures of various men sporting the ‘dadbod’, including actor Chris Pratt.

“Dadbod refers to a section of the population that has been left out of the spotlight. It is the men who lead active lifestyles, who go on hikes and long trails, but don’t make their life entirely focused on fitness.”

Along with the pictures of Pratt are images of men wearing t-shirts and holding alcoholic beverages next to the statement “working on my dadbod”. This is arguably Cardenas’s ideal audience for the trademark, which covers beer products.

He filed the application on May 29 but said he is unclear about where he is going to take it. The application has an ‘intent-to-use’, meaning he has six months to declare to the US Patent and Trademark Office how it is going to be used.

“We’re still at the exploratory stage,” he said, “but we’re confident we can get something together in the next 90 days.”

He said he possibly intends to license the trademark to micro breweries that are looking to cash in on the ‘dadbod’ phenomenon with branded beers.