Ready for the latest merch news? A legendary jam band finally releases special glassware tailored to a particular fan favorite, a candy company capitalizes on a football team’s go-to game day snack, and a sandwich chain releases limited-edition streetwear for charity.

1. Grateful Dead Glassware

Legendary jam band the Grateful Dead have embraced branded merch for decades, and their lightning skull logo (aka “Stealie”), dancing bears and other emblems have become iconic. The band has also long been famously associated with marijuana, but curiously never released a band-branded bong, even as various states legalized cannabis. Of course, fans have been making their own pipes and other merch (and the band seems cool with it) for decades as well.

After many years and much deliberation, the band has partnered with Stündenglass, a maker of award-winning “glass gravity infusers,” to create an infuser in red and blue to match the Stealie skull logo emblazoned on the frame. They’ve also teamed up with G Pen for a Stealie-branded vaporizer. “We want to make sure that the brands we partner with are the right partner for the Dead,” Mark Pinkus, president of Rhino Records, who’s also in charge of Grateful Dead Properties, told Bill Shapiro for Esquire magazine.

Grateful Dead branded bong

IMAGE CREDIT: Stündenglass

ICYMI: The Cannabis Industry Prepares For 4/20 Holiday With Promotional Products

2. Game Day Gummy Worms

When Rice University athletics trainers were looking for a new way to deliver quick carbs to players on the sidelines, one of the coaching staff suggested gummy candies. The sweet-and-sour treats were an instant hit with players – and fan videos of the guy handing them out went viral, with over 30,000 views overnight.

Candy maker Trolli noticed the #gummywormguy trending and showed its support by sending almost 140 pounds of its sour gummy worms to Daniel Domian, the team’s strength and conditioning intern (aka the Gummy Worm Guy), plus a branded duffel bag to carry them in and a branded hat. The first 2,000 students at the October 28 game also received free worms and Trolli-branded spirit posters. Sports Illustrated picked up the story, spreading the love for both the Rice Owls and their tasty treats.

3. Jimmy John’s Jackets By Starter

Sandwich chain Jimmy John’s jumped on the ’90s nostalgia train with a limited-edition jacket by athletic and streetwear brand Starter. Released on November 3 – National Sandwich Day – the half-zip pullover celebrates the brand’s colorway in black with red and white highlights on the shoulders and neck, with the Jimmy John’s logo emblazoned in red on the torso pocket flap.

Part of the JJ Clothing Store’s collection benefiting the JJ Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the jacket sold out almost immediately. The items for charity are only a slice of the Jimmy John’s merch on offer. They include a plush blanket and baby swaddle printed like the paper wrap for the chain’s sandwiches, as well as branded joggers, a pickle bucket hat and more.

Jimmy John's Starter limited edition jacket November 2023

IMAGE CREDIT: Jimmy John’s