14 of the most unusual Remembrance Day merchandise and memorabilia

Remembrance Day, is here again, a day which commemorates the anniversary of the armistice which marked the end of the First World War in 1918.

The occasion, also known as Poppy Day, also gives people the opportunity to remember all those who died in the war, and during other conflicts that followed it.

Respectful and reflective tone withstanding, the day hasn’t stopped some brands and businesses from selling some... shall we say... unusual merch and memorabilia to commemorate the occasion.

From giving us the opportunity to wear war-themed thongs to poppy ice cream, it’s the way of life our troops fought to preserve (maybe) so here’s a look at eight of the more bizarre items that have graced our shops in the last few years.

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1. Remembrance thong

A remembrance day thong left people reeling when it was first sold by CaféPress in 2015 and it continues to go viral for being utterly tasteless.

Walking around with a piece of cheap fabric riding up your arse crack will probably give you the same level of discomfort as, you know, fighting in a war so it’s a pretty fitting tribute.

But in case the company needs a little help shifting the stock, here’s some suggested marketing copy.

Remembrance underwear: so you can remember the troops, while having a poop.

You’re welcome.

2. Shot glasses

The same company also sells a range of ‘lest we forget’ shot glasses – which is one way of urging your brain to retain all memories during a drunken night out, we guess.

Still, interesting to sell a remembrance product centred on the word ‘shot’...

3. Peaky Blinders badge

Popular crime drama Peaky Blinders follows a family adjusting to life after WW1 so what better way to honour the real troops from that war than by getting a Blinders themed pin? The badge, which can be purchased from small badge-making business The Brummie Badgeman, costs £4.99.

A steal.

4. Remembrance pizza

All this remembrance is sure to work up an appetite so thank goodness for this remembrance pizza, which uses pepperoni, olives and green peppers to make delightful little poppies to munch on.

The “poppy pizza” was spotted by one eager-eyed social media user last year who said the picture was taken in a north London Aldi and it duly went viral. The chain has since denied that it is one of theirs.

It is not the first time a supermarket has cooked up such a treat. In 2014, the Tesco Gatwick Extra in Horley, Surrey used the same ingredients to create a meaty war-themed feast.

At the time Tesco said: “Colleagues in stores have been marking Remembrance Sunday in a number of ways and we hope customers see that their intentions, in this case, were entirely borne out of respect.”

It’s what they would have wanted.

5. Remembrance sundae

Get it? In 2018, a cafe in Stirling really got people into the sombre mood by selling seasonally inappropriate cold ice cream to commemorate Remembrance day.

Flavours included lemon and poppy seed (yum) and vanilla with raspberry blue moon ripple (not so yum).

Due to popular (?) demand, the punny ice creams returned for a second year in 2019.

Since then, snaps of the pud have done the rounds on social media.

They fought so we could live.

6. Remembrance rum

The actual Royal British Legion decided the best way to support veterans in 2021 was by flogging a bottle of rum in the shape of a grenade.

Like a grenade, lucky owners of the rum have to remove an actual pin to open it – which doesn’t sound like it could trigger terrible war memories at all.

It has since mysteriously been removed from the charity’s website.

We remember.

7. Remembrance coffee

A cafe in Manchester honoured troops by selling a remembrance-themed cappu – sorry – HEROccino to its customers last year.

Say what you like, there’s no denying that’s some impressive latte art and a caffeine fuelled adrenaline and dopamine rush will surely mimic what it’s like in the trenches.

8. Football gloves

Facebook/ Wild Gloves

Lest you forget to save a ball during a football game, a goalkeeper glove company sold an emotional pair of mitts in 2019 for a mere £39.99.

9. Remembrance socks

Redbubble

Soldiers got trench foot during the war, so we bet they wish they had a pair of these socks to hand to keep their feet dry. They cost less than a tenner and come with "a strong significance", who can say no?

10. Remembrance train

All aboard the patriotism train! Transport for Wales is marking the occasion this year with trains wrapped in an artwork created by PTM Design, featuring the silhouettes of soldiers on the front line.

It includes the words in Welsh ‘Mewn angof ni chant fod’ – ‘Lest we forget’.

11. Remembrance sheep

Yes, really. Two sisters, Fay and Abigail Johnson from Leicestershire decorated their flock of sheep on their family farm this year because...?

Fay Johnson told the BBC: "It was an opportunity for us here to remember all those who served and sacrificed their lives in the war and helping people to think about them as they drive past."

She said the poppies had been easy to paint on the sheep because they were used to being handled.

"We had a cardboard stencil," she said.

"It didn't bother them in any way at all."

12. Poppy burgers

Lest we forget to have dinner (after munching the remembrance pizza for lunch of course) a butcher has made poppy burgers with Guiness powder. Delicious?

13. Remembrance beer keg

And you can wash the burgers down with some beer stored in this respectful beer keg.

14. Remembrance bedding

A long day of remembering can get pretty tiring, so what better way to end the day than by tucking up in bed under a remembrance duvet and dreaming dreams about Great Britain?

So there you have it. You can observe as many two minute silences as you like, but if you really want to respect those who have fought in the wars, it’s time to slip into your finest poppy thong, sling a pizza in the oven, fill up your shot glasses with weapon resembling rum and save some space for an ice cream after.

This is the freedom soldiers fought for. Enjoy it. Dulce et decorum est pro TATria mori.

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