Brand Mashups You Never Saw Coming

Big companies know that one of their most valuable assets is their brand, plain and simple. So it follows that the only thing better than leveraging the power of one big name is joining forces with another — which probably explains the dizzying number of brand collaborations we’ve seen in the past several years. Still, these matches made in marketing heaven can make for some bizarre combinations. Here are some of the most memorable — including an unlikely name coming soon to Walmart and several special-edition Crocs that have us scratching our heads — including a new one from a luxury fashion house.

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Balenciaga unveiled their Spring 2022 collection on June 7, surprising fashionistas everywhere with two Crocs collaborations: stiletto heels and rain boots. The boots look, well, like most rain boots and are available in three colors (green, gray, and black). On the other hand, the stilettos, called Balenciaga Crocs 2.0, look like standard-issue Crocs clogs with a pillar-like heel. They're available in tasteful black (if you can call Crocs tasteful) or very vivid green. Don't expect to see them in Balenciaga boutiques. Experts predict they'll sell out immediately, just as the designer's first such collaboration, an $850 pair of platform clogs, did in 2017.

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Hidden Valley Ranch, which has progressed from a mere salad dressing to a seemingly all-purpose condiment, is no longer content to stick to food but is ready to smear itself all over some shoes. The brand has joined forces with Crocs and streetwear brand The Hundreds for ranch shoes that look good enough to eat (possibly). The off-white shoes will have green speckles (for ultimate similarity to ranch dressing) and will come with Crocs' Jibbitz charms in the shapes of chicken nuggets, French fries, veggies, and pizza — all foods that are improved with a dollop of the dressing. The shoes will be available to purchase later in the year, but no release date yet.

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The company that brought you pleated khakis, pocket T-shirts, and more jeans and hoodies than we can count announced in May that they would be launching their first-ever line of home goods in an exclusive partnership with Walmart. Starting June 24, some 400 items, including bedding and bedding sets, towels, curtains, and other home goods (think denim throw pillows and blue-hued dinnerware) will be available only on Walmart's website.

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The spicy, fried chicken sandwich wars just got a little ... weirder. Pringles has announced plans to release Spicy Chicken Sandwich Pringles, a chip flavor using the same spice blend found on the actual sandwich, in stores for a limited time. Even better, each can will come with a code on the seal redeemable for a free chicken sandwich at Wendy's, making it easy to compare the two should you be so inclined. 

This isn't the first time Pringles and Wendy's have worked together. In June 2020 they released a Baconator-flavored Pringle said to capture the burger's beef, cheese, ketchup, mayo, and bacon flavors. 

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As if Peeps aren’t polarizing enough as it is, Pepsi partnered with the candy brand to release a Peeps-flavored cola just in time for Easter this year. The compact, candy-colored cans were never available in stores, and were instead sent to lucky fans who entered an online sweepstakes. How’d it taste? “Just like liquid candy,” Delish raved.  

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Imagine this: A hot Colonel Sanders (played by none other than Mario Lopez) seduces a young heiress with his dashing good looks, subtle charm, and, of course, his secret recipe for the world’s tastiest fried chicken. Insane fever dream? Nope, just a “mini movie” dreamed up by KFC and everyone’s favorite guilty-pleasure network, Lifetime. If you missed it, fear not: The entire thing is available to watch on YouTube. 

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Considering most Ikeas resemble a giant Lego brick, maybe this one isn’t all that weird? The Swedish furniture giant recently joined with the Danish toy maker to produce a line of Lego-compatible storage boxes with building surfaces integrated into the lids. The line, called Bygglek, is still available online and in Ikea stores.

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If only “Just do it” meant “dive into a pint of ice cream tonight,” we’d be a lot closer to our fitness goals. Despite the seeming incongruity of their missions, Nike and Ben & Jerry’s collaborated last summer on — wait for it — Chunky Dunky sneakers, with a design inspired by one of Ben & Jerry’s most popular flavors, Chunky Monkey. The shoe even featured a furry faux cow print. They’re still available online for over $1,000 (which would buy a lot of ice cream ... just sayin’).

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Some would argue that Crocs are funky enough on their own, but that didn’t stop the company from teaming up with KFC to create a “truly Original Recipe.” Its limited-edition chicken Crocs even came with two charms made to look and smell just like a KFC drumstick. (If you’re asking yourself who would possibly want chicken Crocs, the joke’s on you — they sold out in half an hour.)  

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Levi’s trucker jackets are one of the most familiar sights in fashion, but you’d never know what’s embedded in some of them: smart “Jacquard” sensors, courtesy of Google. A swipe of the sleeve then lets users get news or calendar updates, get directions, take a photo, play music, or even take calls. They’re still available online for about $100 a pop. 

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Always a cult favorite, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos got the fashion fiesta they so justly deserved a couple years ago, when Forever 21 released a line of apparel celebrating everything orange and cheesy. It included everything from Cheetos crop tops to Cheetos underwear to a bodysuit featuring Chester Cheetah, the snack’s eponymous sunglasses-wearing mascot. 

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A couple of years ago, runaway Netflix hit “Stranger Things” was everywhere, including your local Baskin-Robbins. The partnership makes sense only if you’re a fan who knows about Scoops Ahoy, a scoop shop where one of the main characters works. Promos were rolled out chain-wide, but a couple of Baskin-Robbins shops completely transformed into an ice cream parlor from the '80s. There was even a “ship shape” ice-cream truck giving out USS Butterscotch, a limited-time flavor based on the show.

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The only thing weirder than designing shoes based on iced tea? Selling them for 99 cents. Adidas and Arizona unveiled their flowery collab with the gimmick that they would cost as much as a can of Arizona. Of course, the pop-up shop proved so popular with sneakerheads dying for $1 kicks that the NYPD had to shut it down. Shoes from a more recent collaboration are still available (and they definitely aren’t 99 cents).

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When it comes to kitchen appliances, function usually comes before form. But when Dolce & Gabbana partnered with Smeg a few years ago, the two brands turned out Sicilian-inspired toasters, juicers, and other appliances that make colorful Kitchen Aid mixers look like child’s play. Williams Sonoma still carries the line, which includes a (gulp) $50,000 refrigerator.  

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Spanish lollipops and an Italian-turned-Korean sportswear brand: A match made in heaven ... we guess? The capsule collection of Fila apparel and footwear was only available in Asia, and featured everything from Chupa Chup-emblazoned bucket hats, hoodies, and sandals to candy-hued bras. 

Taco Bell has never shied away from head-scratching menu items (some of which have turned into major success stories — more on that in a minute). File its collaboration with Kit Kat under, well, “not a major success.” Its Kit Kat quesadilla — er, “chocoladilla,” — was literally just a melted Kit Kat inside a grilled tortilla. Much to the dismay of stoners everywhere, it never appears to have made it past the testing stage in the U.S. 

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Imagine hopping on Tinder only to discover that Ford wanted to whisk you away on a blind date. It happened to five couples after the Tinder users swiped right on the “profile” for a yellow Ford Mustang. They were filmed driving around London, awkward small talk and all, before finishing their dates at a drive-in movie. (No word whether the stunt paved the way for any happily-ever-afters.) 

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Would you pay $650 for a Mickey Mouse T-shirt? How about $1,980 for a teeny Donald Duck backpack? That’s the going rate for some of the merchandise from Disney’s collaboration with one of the most recognizable names in high fashion, Gucci. You can also get Bambi on a Givenchy T-shirt for a cool $790. (Take heart: It’s still a lot less than a trip to Disney World.) 

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“I want to look like Yoda,” said no one ever, but that didn’t stop Covergirl from rolling out a “Star Wars” makeup line during the release of “The Force Awakens.” The collection included everything from a shimmery gold and silver lipsticks (think C3PO and Captain Phasma) to mascaras featuring quotes from the movies. 

When Vetements, a luxury fashion brand, sent a canary-yellow DHL logo T-shirt down the runway in Paris in 2015, it raised plenty of eyebrows. Was the Swiss company bringing "anti-fashion back to fashion," as The Guardian speculated, or was it simply playing a joke on the fashion world? Judging by the public’s reaction, it was the former: Not only did the pricey shirts sell quickly, people started buying non-Vetements DHL shirts to strut around in. 

Today, the Doritos Locos Taco has practically reached icon status, but don’t pretend you didn’t scratch your head when you first heard of this mashup of two guilty-pleasure brands. The idea took a surprising amount of work to pull off, though, with teams from Taco Bell and Frito-Lay testing more than 40 recipes over two years and going through untold numbers of shell prototypes in order to get the crunch and seasoning just right.

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By now, Target collaborating with just about anyone is old news, but in 2011, the concept of a high-low partnership between a big-box retailer and a high-end brand still felt fresh. The 400-piece Missoni for Target was so popular with budget fashionistas that demand crashed Target.com and created a run on stores. (Of course, history repeated itself a few years later with the Target-Lilly Pulitzer debacle.)

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Supreme, a streetwear brand with a major cult following, has collaborated with what seems like just about everyone. But a muppet? Yep, it totally happened, after mysterious photos of Kermie in a Supreme shirt started appearing around New York City. Shirts from the zany partnership still go for hundreds on eBay.