An ignitable cake burns away a Kansas City Chiefs logo to reveal pop superstarTaylor Swift’s image underneath. Prayer candles feature the Grammy winner and her star tight end boyfriendTravis Kelce. Sweatshirts are emblazoned with “Kelce’s Best Catch” and “Go Kansas City Swiftie.”
With the Chiefs preparing to face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Kansas City’s fourthSuper Bowlappearance in five years, stores can hardly keep in stock any of the caps, sweatshirts and other odds and ends (some odder than others) commemorating the sports and pop crossover romance.
Highlights of their courting are featured in the merch. On tour in Buenos Aires, for instance, Swift changed a lyric in her song “Karma” from “Karma is the guy on the screen” to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” Now Karma sweatshirts are proliferating, part of thesurgeof Chiefs merchandise hitting store shelves in Kansas City and far beyond.
“I think it’s amazing,” said Katie Mabry van Dieren, owner of Shop Local KC, which sells merchandise made by local artists, including the Karma sweatshirts. “I have never shipped so many items from our stores to different states.”
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She said she thought the busiest weekend would be when Kansas City hosted the NFL draft in April. But she said Swift’s The Eras Tour concert stop at Arrowhead Stadium over the summer blew that away.
The July concert also was what set the stage for the relationship. Kelce was thwarted in his effort to woo the superstar with a friendship bracelet. But the romantic gesture, and public admission of defeat on his “New Heights” podcast, caught Swift's attention nonetheless. It also fueled a hot market for Chiefs-themed friendship bracelets.
“I hope Taylor and Travis stay together forever,” van Dieren said. “That would be great for us.”
About 73 percent of adultssay they plan to watch the game this year, about 10 percent higher than in recent previous years. And theromancethat has been dominating headlines throughout the NFL season might be helping drive interest.
The “Taylor Bowl” is what Maddie Schmitz, owner of Something Sweet by Maddie Lou in the Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids, is calling this Sunday’s contest in Las Vegas.
![Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift merchandise selling like hotcakes — including this ignitable cake by a Minnesota baker (1) Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift merchandise selling like hotcakes — including this ignitable cake by a Minnesota baker (1)](https://i0.wp.com/img.apmcdn.org/6d00fa1113002c64ef7e41414146599d0dcebd7c/uncropped/f7cb3f-20240207-merch-with-taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce02-600.jpg)
The self-described Swiftie is behind the ignitable, so-called burn-away cakes. She uses an edible image printer with edible inks to print the Chiefs- and Swift-themed images on two sheets of — you guessed it — edible paper.
“A lot of women are ordering these, in secret and then bringing them to the Super Bowl party to surprise their husbands because it is a whole Chiefs-themed cake on the outside, but then on the inside reveals the Taylor Swift love that all of the females seem to have for her,” Schmitz said.
She isn’t the only romance confectioner. Dolce Bakery, in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas, has an entire“Swiftie Collection”of heart-shaped cakes it is hawking.
Pre-game news conferences are sprinkled with questions about the songstress.
After Swift earned herfourth career Grammyfor album of the year on Sunday, Kelce vowed that he has to“bring home some hardware.”Even NFL CommissionerRoger Goodellwas asked a few times about Swift, who was front-and-center in the stands when Kelce scored a touchdown while leading the Chiefs to a 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city has been lucky to have experienced the economy jolt. “She is welcome,” he said in a pre-playoff statement, “to stay forever.”
Anything Swift wears is particularly hot. For instance, a ring bearing Kelce’s jersey No. 87 is backordered after it was spotted on Swift’s finger.
The ring’s maker, Emily Bordner, from eb & Company, suspects thatDonna Kelcebought the ring for her son’s star-studded sweetheart. The Kansas City store also gave the superstar of NFL moms (her oldest son,Jason Kelce, is a center for the Philadelphia Eagles) a pair of sold-out earrings bearing her youngest’s number on a Chiefs jersey. Swift has since been spotted wearing those, too.
It’s been all hands on deck ever since, with Bordner’s husband, mother and all her friends enlisted to help out.
“Bananas,” she said. “It’s been absolutely bananas. I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard in my entire life, hands down. Absolutely not.”
At Westside Storey, it all started when Swift placed an order last fall. She later was spotted wearing a hat and sweatshirt the Kansas City boutique sent her, recalled Chris Harrington, the store’s owner. He said he initially thought the flood of business would be short-lived, just a fun story to share when the mania ebbed.
“People talk about the Taylor Swift effect, and you hear about it or read about it or whatever, but to like, personally experience it, you know, is is another level,” he said, adding that it is “almost becoming like an identity of the store.”
The store generally does well when the Chiefs do, but this year is far busier than other recent Super Bowl years. Harrington credits the couple’s star power, saying it has elevated everything to a “global level.” Often, he added, customers are on a mission.
“They were sent from their sister in Philadelphia to just buy a product in the store that Taylor shopped at,” he said. “So it’s crazy.”
He acknowledges that “everybody has an opinion” on the romance. But, he adds: “I love it for a million reasons.”
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Regarding the concepts mentioned in this article, let's break them down:
Ignitable Cake:
An ignitable cake is a type of cake that can be set on fire. It burns away to reveal a hidden image or design underneath. In the context of the article, an ignitable cake was used to burn away a Kansas City Chiefs logo and reveal a Taylor Swift image underneath.
Kansas City Chiefs:
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the National Football League (NFL) and compete in the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The Chiefs have a strong fan base and have made several appearances in the Super Bowl, including their fourth appearance in five years in the article.
Taylor Swift:
Taylor Swift is a popular American singer-songwriter and one of the biggest names in the music industry. She has won numerous awards, including Grammy Awards, and has a large and dedicated fan base. In the article, there is a mention of Taylor Swift's image being revealed underneath the burning Kansas City Chiefs logo on the ignitable cake.
Travis Kelce:
Travis Kelce is a professional American football player who plays as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is known for his skills on the field and is also mentioned in the article as Taylor Swift's boyfriend.
Merchandise:
The article mentions that stores are having difficulty keeping in stock various merchandise related to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Taylor Swift-Kelce relationship. This includes caps, sweatshirts, and other items that commemorate the crossover between sports and pop culture.
The Eras Tour:
The Eras Tour is a concert tour by Taylor Swift. In the article, it is mentioned that Swift's concert stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City set the stage for her relationship with Travis Kelce.
Super Bowl:
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the NFL, played annually between the champions of the AFC and NFC. It is one of the biggest sporting events in the United States and attracts a large audience. The article mentions the upcoming Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
These are the main concepts mentioned in the article. If you have any specific questions or would like more information on any of these topics, feel free to ask!