The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 10

Once again, you can thank that pop culture random generator for today's theme. This one almost didn't happen. But thanks to a single (yes, just 1!) officially licensed ornament, I was able to stick to the will of fate. Let's take a very brief look at Dirty Dancing, holiday style.

The lone officially licensed ornament to feature the 1987 massive hit movie is from Carlton Cards. Released in 2008, it was part of Carlton's Heirloom collection. It depicts that iconic moment when Baby sticks that tricky lift into Johnny's arms and over his head. It's a pretty cool looking representation of Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze. Along with stills from the movie added around the base of the stage, a hidden button plays 7 quotes from the film, including the ubiquitous 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner.'

I don't know what I am more surprised about. The fact that Carlton didn't release other ornaments based on the movie or that Hallmark has never gotten in on this property. 

Though this is so far the only officially licensed ornament for the Dirty Dancing franchise, it's not the only ornament out there. Thanks to sites like Etsy, there are a few handcrafted ornaments devoted to the film.

First up is this white frosted glass ornament from Etsy. It's got the movie logo, Johnny and Baby in a romantic pose and a very 80s looking purple satin bow with black sash that acts as a handle in which to hang the bauble from your tree.

Poshmark offers an ornament that bears the same image as the previous ornament but with a twist. Instead of a globe, the image is encased in a lovely silver frame with a hoop attached for hanging. Another difference is that the logo is now pink instead of purple.

I could have posted probably a dozen more ornaments that all bear the exact same image as the previous two. But I didn't want this post to get boring and decided not to. The only other ornament I could find that was unique was this other globe ornament found on Etsy. Yes, on one side of this plastic globe, you get the main characters in the same pose. But below that image, you've got Baby and Johnny smooching amongst some fake snow.

On the flip side, there's an image of the two in that iconic lift pose plus a couple of teeny presents and some more fake snow. 

And so we finish our very brief look at Dirty Dancing ornaments. There's so many other classic images from that movie that have just been left unexplored for fans. I mean, who wouldn't want a trinket of Baby carrying those watermelons from the opening scene of the movie? And while Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights might have been a giant flop, the Dirty Dancing musical was very popular. I am surprised an ornament or two wasn't released during any of the tours. 

The film Dirty Dancing takes place in 1963. It was during the Christmas season of that year that troubled musical genius Phil Spector released a holiday album featuring many of the talented artists he had worked with. I've shared Darlene Love's 'Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)' many times before in Advents past. Wanting to do something different, I took inspiration from the opening of the 1987 movie. At the very beginning, The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby' plays while slo-mo dancing occurs. Thus, as my Advent present for you today, set the mood with this Ronette's offering from Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You. Here's 'Frosty the Snowman'.

Enjoy!