Strategy February 08, 2019
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Merch Has Gone Viral
Action figures, T-shirts, air fresheners and mugs branded to the justice are among the popular items.
The verdict is in: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s swag game is mighty strong.
Branded merchandise inspired by the 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice has been flying off the shelves in recent months, according to the Daily Mail.
No, for real.
Toy wholesaler FCTRY told the Mail that a Ginsburg action figure has been so popular that it is sold out until March. “We can't keep her in stock,” Lucas Hanna, a product manager of toy wholesaler FCTRY, told DailyMail.com. “Ruth outsells everyone -- Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, even the Pope.”
View this post on InstagramOur favorite desk accessory. 👩⚖️ . . . #FCTRY #RBGActionFigure #NotoriousAF #NotoriousRBG #RBG
Books, dolls, pillows, “judge mints” (get it?), mugs, T-shirts, socks, and even a “dissent” car air freshener are reportedly selling well, too. Vendors have moved more than 100,000 units over the last seven months, the Mail reported.
During the recent holiday season, “customers were seeking out any products with (Ginsburg’s) image. She appeals to a wide age range and has become a pop culture icon,” said Fraser Ross, a retail strategist and founder of retailer Kitson.
The popularity is down, at least in part, to the fact that many with left-leaning politics have to come view RBG, as she’s often referred to, as a champion for liberal values, especially under the Trump administration. A growing list of celebrities, including filmmaker Michael Moore, are fans, which has helped propel RBG’s merch reach.
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Note: Counselor isn’t weighing in on the politics of this. Certainly, the right side of the political aisle has scored major recent successes with branded merch too -- none bigger than President Donald Trump. We just thought it quite a phenomenon that an 85-year-old judge has become a swag icon, and figured it might prove interesting to professionals in the promotional products industry. Here is more of the RBG swag out there:
[From left] “Bader to the Bone” coffee mug from Lookhuman. Buy it here.; RBG-inspired “Dissent” Air Freshener from Archie McPhee. Buy it here.