The Best (and Weirdest) Pope Merchandise From Francis' Ireland Visit

By Sarah Semple

Pope Francis is set to make his appearance in Phoenix Park, Ireland this weekend. In past years, we’ve seen our fair share of pope merchandise, including bobbleheads, flags and signs. This year, there's a good mix of classic and new promotional products to note.

Local shops have been pushing out tons of merchandise in preparation for Francis' arrival. And, of course, we’re all for it. Here are a few of the best and weirdest items. We expect these products to sell out fast regardless. We hear the pope is a pretty big deal in Ireland.

1. Pope Lollipop

At this point, we’ve officially seen it all. Stores all over Ireland are selling Pope Francis lollipops, or as most are referring to it, the “LolliPope.” There are some good ideas here for distributors working with clients buying promotional candy and food items. Placing large logos (or faces) on lollipops and other snacks can be a new way to catch end-users' attention. Talk about a sugary food promo we don’t typically see!

LolliPope pic.twitter.com/kP09pWg8PR

— Adrian Legg (@memenow) July 11, 2018

2. Pope Francis Graphic Tee

The graphic tee is a staple piece that will likely remain popular for infinity. For promotional apparel distributors, it's another reminder that there’s always going to be a way to add T-shirts for any promotion, but especially for events.

The Pope has fab merch 💁🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/dOis98FEfi

— Nicole 🌿💫 (@NicoleConnolly_) August 13, 2018

3. Pope Francis Portable Chair

If you're like us, you're just happy that someone finally created a folding cardboard chair with Pope Francis’ face on both sides.

Don’t forget to get your pope chairs in. You’ll need to request a reminder when they’re back in stock. These convenient, eco friendly bad boys are currently out of stock #hotcakes https://t.co/JhD7avUEJm pic.twitter.com/SHX420WBPo

— Mrs O’Culchie 🪬🧙👩‍🌾 🐭🐓🐘 (@MsProcurement) August 19, 2018

Local Dubliner John McGarry is the mastermind behind this one. Did we mention the chair is 100 percent recyclable and sold out online? The best promos are usually the ones that solve a common problem—in this case, having to stand for hours at a time.

4. Pope Francis Beer

Who can say no to holy water infused beer?

5. Pope Francis Baseball Cap

Like T-shirts, baseball caps are good for just about any promo. This particular style has been around forever, but is trending again. This is great news for promotional products distributors, as hats remain one of the top-selling promo products. Plus, this one commemorates a huge event. What more could end-users want?