Wednesday, March 21, 2018

#MyBroadwayThing: Show-Specific Merch

As you may have guessed from my previous #MyBroadwayThing blogs, I'm a collector.  And so it follows that over the last three and a half decades, I've done my fair share of show merch collecting. I buy far less of it these days, mostly the occasional souvenir program of a newly beloved show. But I remain interested in it, even if I don't buy much anymore.

I am particularly interested in merch that references some thing or some aspect of a show; I'm less interested in the "standard" merch: t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, pins, magnets. (Full disclosure: I have at least one of each of those...).

Two of my favorite show specific pieces that I actually own are my Show Boat playing cards (does anything say riverboat gambling like playing cards?) and Starlight Express poker chips from the Las Vegas production (does anything say Vegas like poker chips?) Note: neither of the items pictured below are my personal items.


One of my all-time shows, Next to Normal had one of my favorite of such items: a pill case.

Current shows certainly have their share of show-specific merch, some obvious, some clever:

YOU, TOO, CAN DRESS LIKE YOU ARE IN THE SHOW:
Hello!: Dress like a Mormon; Stick it to the man!: School of Rock

Dress like your favorite undersea squirrel!

A BRONX CHEER AND WHAT BAKING CAN DO
Nothing says "Broadway" like a pennant and an oven mitt

HOW ABOUT A TRIP TO EMERALD CITY?

What all the chicest Ozians are wearing this season...

TWO SHOWS ON 44TH STREET FEATURE MUSIC BOXES

Why not take a replica home with you? Both the Phantom and Anastasia would approve!

DO YOU FEEL THE MUSIC?

You can conduct your own band at home, just like Twefiq!

Start your own band at home!

DRINK YOUR WAY TO MARGARITAVILLE


(I hear you may need to use all of the above just to get through it...)

HMMM....SHOW CARDS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED

Are you as self-absorbed as Evan Hansen?
If you aren't from Greenville, SC, do you need to waste your shot on this Hamilton poster?

I'm sure I'll have more blogs about show merch. Some day, I might even share my adventures as a merch seller for Wicked and Phantom...







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