2^0 + 2^5 (20 Years of Merchandise)
- Jordan
- Jul 22
- 5 min read
Welcome to another entry in "2^0 + 2^5!" In this entry, I'll be going over the different types of merchandise Dancing with the Stars has offered in the show's first 20 years.
With any phenom, dollar signs are bound to shine in the eyes of the powers that be. They wanna capitalize on the success that's accrued in ways beyond the source. Thus comes merchandise.
To clarify, this particular entry isn't necessarily gonna cover all Dancing with the Stars merchandise for a multitude of reasons. One, it's hard to track down everything Dancing with the Stars has offered. Some things might be out-of-print and therefore out of the public's knowledge unless you do some digging, and while I do dig the absolute fuck out of stuff to ensure accuracy, I don't really have a real lead into what to look for in order to find essentially all Dancing with the Stars related merch. Second, listing every single piece of merchandise individually would be a little monotonous and tiresome for me to write. I don't need to explain every shirt they've printed for you to understand that they've sold clothes. Third, this page could get a little long if I did list everything. In short, I'm gonna try my damnest to list as much "worthy to write about" merchandise on here as possible, but don't expect it to be a logged list of everything the show has cranked out of its machine.
This leads me to another thing. The merchandise I'm going to show off is officially licensed merchandise. Anything not officially associated with the show (even if the product is done by a talent like a pro or a host) isn't going to be counted. I'm also not going to show off merchandise from the show's many tours they've done or merchandise from special insider events (think "goodie bag"). Not only is that stuff embedded into their respective cultures, but they're also way too difficult to track down. It's also not really in-line with what I want to show off (again because of the nature of these cultures. I want to show things that have come from the apex of the show's existence that otherwise wouldn't have if the show wasn't successful).
Alrightly! Explanation complete. Let's get on with the merch!
Workout DVDs
To cash in on the at-home fitness craze sweeping America for a good tenure of years, Dancing with the Stars released multiple DVDs with ballroom inspired workout routines taught by various pros from the show. At the time, there was a big emphasis on the show being a catalyst to lose weight. These DVDs were just a result of that. Cringey and indulgent, they were a nice giggle to recognize amidst the world of Dancing with the Stars merchandise (because when you look at it, were they really any different from your typical workout DVD?)
Videogames
Videogames based on the show were released on multiple platforms including the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2 for people to enjoy greatly. Timed controls, 3D models of couples on the show, and pure shovelware written all over it, they were just another notch and how willing they were with keeping the profits surging.
Similarly, Dancing with the Stars has been involved in other gaming endeavors including a gaming app that was moreso a Bejeweled clone mixed with Dancing with the Stars-esque structure than anything else. In the case of said app, the likeness of the show's cast wasn't plastered in (though Alan Dedicoat's classic announcer voice from the show, which was heard in those videogames, is heard throughout here as well).
Card Game
For those that prefer a more traditional way of gaming, a card game based on the show was made utilizing the cast from the show's first five seasons. The objective apparently has something to do with obtaining the most "Dance Cards" through use of "Dancer Cards" (which is very confusing to understand from a first glance, but I'm sure you'll get it if you actually spent your money on this).
Apparel
Shirts, pants, bags. You get the point. Here's just a couple that have been offered over the 20-year timespan.
Barbie Dolls
In 2011, Barbie dolls inspired by the couture of the show were released in collaboration with Barbie's parent company Mattel. Looks based off the wardrobe worn in samba, waltz, and paso doble dances, they certainly made sense from a fashion point-of-view. From a consumer point-of-view however...not so much. Unless you're a youngin' or just an uber fan of the show, the average viewer (or consumer for that matter) isn't really in-line with the world of femme figures as part of their purchase interests.
Book
Dancing with the Stars: Jive, Samba, and Tango Your Way into the Best Shape of Your Life
Long ass title aside, this book pretty much was a behind-the-scenes offering of the show with pictures and...you guessed it...a fitness workout plan added. They sure couldn't stop themselves in going toward the weight loss angle, you know what I'm saying?
Miscellaneous
For stuff you can't wear, here's some novelty stuff Dancing with the Stars has put out for consumers to purchase.
Well then! What an interesting array of things Dancing with the Stars has tried to sell. Now for a bit of semi-bummer news: this'll be the last blog entry for this series. I know! It's sad to hear. It's been fun writing about the show's first 20 years through paragraphs and imagery, but don't fret! This isn't the end of the celebration. I'm just moving it over to this site's Instagram!
The reason behind going fully Instagram for the rest of this homage is because I felt that the rest of the stuff I have up for celebration is better off as short visual posts than as full-on blog entries with loads of text. I already have loads of stuff on there already which you can check out, and I'm just gonna solely go there from this point forward. (I actually never did announce on here that I was going to be doing stuff on Instagram as well since it's really only been used for promoting stuff on the site. Lol. But hey. Content's there, and it'll continue there.) The handle for this site's Instagram is @howipopculture.
While I may be moving the celebration for "2^0 + 2^5" over to Instagram, I'm not leaving the main site dry. I'm gonna be going back to the "Top Chef and I" series and finishing up the rest of season 1 contestants. (I know. It was a rather abrupt hiatus with no formal announcement, but I was always planning on coming back to it. I just needed to dedicate my time solely on this era during the planning stages so that everything loaded out properly. I can't wait to dive right back into the culinary world!)
Going back to "2^0 + 2^5," I'll also be celebrating the show's 34th season of Dancing with the Stars with Instagram stuff despite me making it very clear that I didn't count it as part of the 20 years for evergreen purposes (and to not mess up the mathing of this series' title). I still don't, but I never said I wasn't going to embrace it if such a season was going to exist. I just was going to consider it to be an additional celebration in honor of the show's first 20 years, and hey, more celebrating equals more fun!
So, adieu to the blog's dedication to covering the show's first 20 years. May it represent boldly for readers abroad!
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