Steve Urkel actor Jaleel White launching his own line of designer weed
Yes, Jaleel White — better known as Steve Urkel — did that.
Nostalgic potheads are sure to geek-out over the former “Family Matters” actor’s collaboration with cannabis brand 710 Labs to create a line of purple cultivars with names inspired by White’s iconic role.
The new collection, dubbed “Its PurpL,” features strains of purple bud with names that play on television’s favorite nerd, or his suave alter ego Stefan Urquelle. They’ll have Purple Urkel, a previously developed strain later attributed to the beloved character, and a crossbred variety known as Stefan, which combines Purple Urkel and a lighter-hued strain called the White.
Indeed, the endearingly klutzy character is rumored to have inspired Purple Urkel long after the show aired, named as such due to its reputation for turning users into Urkel-esque characters.
The Its PurpL logo features the young mug of White as Steve Urkel, with his signature Coke-bottle spectacles and high-top fade haircut that blends into a purple haze riding above the floating head.
White, 44, is a longtime smoker, according to Leafly. He said he had been sought out for collaborations in the past following the passing of Proposition 64 in California, but none felt right until now.
“At this point, you know, I have smoked and smoked plenty,” White told the cannabis news site.
“The legacy of the character has just taken on its own life,” he explained. “I’ve been associated with something, an avenue of cannabis that’s respected and known. My criteria was, ‘I cannot do this and put out a, you know, a boo-boo offering of no effort.’ ”
The partnership with award-winning 710 Labs was kismet, as White struck up a friendship with their CEO Bradley Melshenker after two chance meetings on flights in which the pair were randomly seated together in first class. They quickly found their mutual interests: food and weed.
“We have never been a brand that pursued celebrity deals, as our focus has always been quality over everything,” Melshenker told Leafly. “Its PurpL was created through conversations we had while smoking this beautiful plant.”
“The cannabis plant’s purpose is to bring people together and to heal. We are both in it for the long haul,” he added.
White, a self-proclaimed foodie, calls Its PurpL “a lifestyle brand that celebrates adventure and food.”
“And what’s going to enhance adventure and food more than some bomb-ass weed?” he added.
Despite his acting accomplishments, White regards his foray into recreational reefer as a sign of political progress, advocating for what he called a “raceless plant.”
“I’ve been on the cover of cereal boxes. I’ve had my own doll. I’ve had pajamas, sleeping bags, all types of different things. But this is the one right here, because of what it stands for culturally, and the changes that are taking place for legalization and making things right,” he said. “I hope to be seen as someone who was, you know, somewhat of a pioneer. And I say that humbly, because it takes a team to make anything like this happen.”
Its PurpL is due to drop on April 20 — a k a 4/20 — on the web-based pot platform Next Level.
