The Story of Plunja: How Ninja's joke inspired Fortnite's 1st ever creator cosmetic

The Fortnite community has a lot of influence in the game. They have had a say in storyline changes, content creators having their own Icon skins, and of course, community-made cosmetics.

This healthy relationship between fans and developers has helped create a strong bond in-game. So, when Richard Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja, joked about the lack of content, Epic Games replied in the most hilarious way possible.

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The birth of the Plunja in Fortnite

Ninja is synonymous with Fortnite. During the early days of the game, both of them were one singular entity. This made him a powerful voice within the community and the developers diligently listened to whatever he had to say.

One faithful day, he decided to Tweet to Epic Games and asked them to add new content to the item shop as it felt rather stagnant. Here's what he said:

"There was a period of time when the item shop had no good skins or new skins. So I tweeted and said, 'Dear Epic Games, I want to spend money on your game. I would even buy a plunger-ax. I literally don't care, just give me new stuff in the store'."

Given how popular the game was even back in Fortnite Chapter 1, Ninja did not expect Epic Games to reply. However, to his sheer shock and utter surprise, they added an item to the shop based on his request.

"The following day, they designed and released the Plunja. A plunger with a katana sticking through it. So now guys, whenever you are unclogging a toilet, or you see a katana - you'll think of me."

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Is the Plunja harvesting tool worth purchasing in Fortnite?

The Plunja harvesting tool costs 800 V-Bucks when listed in the item shop. Although it may not look like much and is not officially part of Ninja's icon series set, the design and item itself were directly influenced by Ninja's statement.

If Ninja had not tweeted out to Epic Games, the item would have never been created. In many ways, this makes the item a precursor to the official Icon series. For all these reasons, the item is well worth the price.

Unfortunately, given the item's "OG" status, it hasn't been brought into rotation for quite some time. It was last seen in the item shop on November 22, 2020. For those wanting to purchase the item, it's unclear when it will be featured next featured.