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Commentary December 03, 2019

Opinion: The Five Most Fun Holiday Merch Items From Food Brands (So Far)

There’s a hat with a built-in spork holder, and so much more. Plus, one bae-tastic honorable mention.

By  Christopher Ruvo

When it comes to holiday-themed branded merchandise, food and restaurant brands are stepping up their game in 2019. Indeed, they’ve released a raft of seasonally-themed promotional products. We conducted an entirely unscientific combing over of the collections, and curated some of our favorite seasonal swag below. What did we miss? More importantly: As a promotional product distributor, could you be doing more to generate seasonal sales by delivering merch for food and hospitality brands, both large and small? The opportunity appears to be there.

Campbell’s Chunky Dad Hat With Spork Holder

Campbell’s Chunky, that purveyor of fine soups, released a limited time holiday-themed collection with products that include a plaid sleevie blanket, plaid slippers, a branded spork, and “soup-holding” gloves.

Still, the crown jewel of the Campbell’s collection is the dad hat with the built-in spork holder. Fun, practical and a perfect example of cross-selling. Or as Campbell’s said: “It’s comfy, breathable, and stylish, with an adjustable strap for your head and a plastic nook for your favorite spork.”

Red Lobster 'Ugly' Holiday Sweater

Red Lobster, the seafood-themed casual dining chain, put out a holiday collection that, in our opinion, is a bit lacking in holiday emphasis, with much of the merch having a look that’s not seasonally specific. (Judge for yourself here.) That is, except for a certain glorious item: The Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit “Ugly” Holiday Sweater. Sure, the sweater bears knitted shrimp, lobster, snowflakes and, of course, biscuits in celebratory holiday colors and pattern. However, the real stroke of genius is the insulated pocket, made especially to keep those beloved Cheddar Bay Biscuits nice and warm.

Busch Beer Cooler Stocking

Want to keep all your precious cold ones cold for Christmas, but there’s no room in the fridge? Fear not: Busch Beer has you covered. For the 2019 season, the maker of budget-friendly, crushable suds launched the Buschhhhh Cooler Stocking – an insulated, five-foot long cooler that can keep a dozen cans of beer (or pop or whatever) cold for up to four hours. The cooler, which mounts to a ledge or over the fireplace via hooks, quickly sold out. Still, Busch was this week running a sweepstakes, giving those who missed out a chance to win the cooler stocking, which was priced at $20. Busch Latte anyone?

Dunkin’ Pajamin’ One Piece

Dunkin’, also known as Dunkin’ Donuts, decided to holiday hard this season as far as merch goes. The coffee/donut/quick service food chain recently debuted a seasonal collection with a fairly wide selection of apparel and accessories. Items range from cozy sweaters and scarves, to gloves, joggers, snowflake-themed pint glasses and even peppermint-scented wrapping paper.

That said, the standout item for us was the Dunkin’ Pajamin’ One Piece, one of the boldest and cuddle-upiest sleepwear items (with hood) you’re likely to find.

dunkin pajamas

Photo from Dunkin’

Taco Bell Inflatable Holiday Sauce Packet

So, truth be told, we’re not sure anyone is going to spork over $200 for Tex-Mex fast food chain Taco Bell’s six-foot tall Fire Sauce Packet Inflatable Airblown Holiday Decoration, which features a little Santa cap. Nonetheless, we love that the Bell went big with this seasonal piece, which is part of its holiday collection. “Want to make your holiday display the most fire on the block? You’re in luck,” the Bell proclaimed. “The Taco Bell Fire Sauce Packet holiday inflatable is the perfect mix of cheer and sauce packet glory.” All good, Taco Bell. All good.

holiday taco bell inflatable

Photo from Taco Bell

Honorable Mention: Oscar Mayer’s "BAEcon" Blanket

Oscar Mayer’s “BAEcon” Blanket isn’t holiday specific, but it is particular to the chillier months we’ve now entered. See, the maven of meat products released the blanket on the cusp of cuffing season, that time of year where singles partner with “baes” (think of them as like a boyfriend or girlfriend light) for a bit of not exactly formal companionship during the winter. The sweepstakes for the blanket, and corresponding social media campaign tied to the initiative, ran in November. Netflix and chill y’all.

Christopher Ruvo

Digital News Director; Editor, PromoGram

Chris spearheads ASI Media’s news coverage, leading the creation of daily articles, in-depth feature reports, podcasts and videos that tackle the most important topics in the promo products industry. His writing and multi-media work has earned numerous regional and national awards, including the 2019 and 2022 Neal Awards for “Best Range of Work By A Single Author.”