When it comes to advent calendars, it’s no longer just about chocolate; it’s about offering customers a fully immersive experience with their favourite franchises through collectible goodies and daily surprises. With the market seeing a strong shift towards themed, non-confectionery calendars, choosing the right franchise assortment for your shelves is crucial. So, which brand deserves to be the hero line for this Christmas retail season?
We’ve narrowed it down to four heavy hitters, Hello Kitty, Harry Potter, Minecraft and Stitch, each bringing a unique twist to the 24-day countdown. Whether your customers are families buying for children or dedicated collectors, these calendars are designed to drive excitement and repeat store visits throughout the festive period.
Hello Kitty Keepsake Box Advent Calendar
Hello Kitty vs. Stitch
Let’s start with Hello Kitty and Stitch: both undeniably cute but on opposite ends of the energy spectrum. Hello Kitty is the embodiment of peace and friendship. Her world is calm and built around adventures with her close companions. Not only that, she’s the second-highest global media franchise, so it’s safe to say she’ll always be a popular choice for themed goodies.
Stitch Stationery 24 Day Advent Calendar
Stocking the Hello Kitty Keepsake Box Advent Calendar brings a guaranteed touch of cuteness to your Christmas range and makes an excellent gifting option.
Stitch, on the other hand, brings chaos wrapped in a bow. He’s extremely cute but also unpredictable, loud, and a little weird (in the best way). Although Hello Kitty may be globally adored, that doesn’t mean Stitch is any less popular: he’s actually the second most searched-for term on Disney E-commerce (and that was before the recent reboot, which has just added more fuel to his popularity). His playful, unpredictable character brings energy to any product line, appealing to consumers seeking fun, quirky collectibles.
The Stitch Stationery 24 Day Advent Calendar invites customers to bring a sense of playful chaos to the season, making it ideal for impulse purchases.
Harry Potter 24 Day Premium Advent Calendar
Harry Potter vs. Minecraft
Then there’s the battle between magic and mechanics: Harry Potter versus Minecraft. They couldn’t be more different in tone but both excel at delivering immersive, imaginative worlds and boast huge, devoted fan bases. Our Harry Potter advent calendars are made for superfans who know their house colours by heart and get goosebumps at the words “Merry Christmas, Harry”.
With its extensive and passionate global following, the Wizarding World continues to perform exceptionally well across both gifting and collectibles categories, making a themed calendar like our Harry Potter 24 Day Premium Advent Calendar an essential addition to your seasonal range.
Minecraft 24 Boxes Advent Calendar
Minecraft, by contrast, trades spells for building blocks. After building an empire on creativity and exploration, Minecraft has become the world’s bestselling video game, attracting a wide and highly engaged audience of both children and adults. What fan (casual or mega) wouldn’t want themed goodies leading up to Christmas? For retailers, this represents high-margin, high-repeat purchase potential, with a strong cross-generational appeal.
Feel like the advantages of a Minecraft calendar are stacking up? Then stock our Minecraft 24 Boxes Advent Calendar and tap into this creative spirit.
Which Type of Calendar is Best?
Selecting the right franchise is only part of the strategy; choosing the type of advent calendar to stock is equally important. Our keepsake boxes are premium boxes that are packed with themed gadget decals, arts and crafts, stationery, and notebooks, all tucked into a sturdy, beautifully designed container that can be kept long after the Christmas tree has been taken down. All four franchises are available with keepsake advent calendars.
For shoppers looking for practical options, stationery advent calendars offer daily surprises with functional value, making them ideal for school or office use. These formats are particularly appealing to Hello Kitty, Minecraft, and Stitch fans who prefer lighter, everyday products from their favourite franchises.
That said, when it comes to sheer variety, Harry Potter takes the crown. Alongside a classic keepsake box and a stationery calendar, the Wizarding World steps it up with more immersive options: a Pop-Up Book Advent Calendar that unfolds like a magical story, a 3D Puzzle Calendar for hands-on fun, and a Premium 24-Day Calendar packed with upscale surprises. Each style of advent calendar caters to a broad range of consumer preferences.
So Which Calendar Should You Stock?
Ultimately, there’s no single winner because each calendar offers a unique selling point. In a market where consumers are actively looking for new traditions and memorable experiences, these calendars deliver 24 days of brand engagement that goes well beyond Christmas Day.
