It’s a merch experience that proponents say is sure to be a knockout.

They’re talking about “The Rocky Shop,” a new store at the base of the “Rocky Steps” outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Just opened on Oct. 5, the shop is selling a range of branded merchandise based on Philadelphia’s favorite fictional hero – boxer Rocky Balboa. It’s reportedly the first time in four decades that official Rocky merch is being offered at the iconic site.

Yo Adrian! Did you know there's a new store at the Art Museum that's selling "Rocky" themed merchandise? @FrancesWangTV was there today for the grand opening. https://t.co/zpRdnqddqe

— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) October 5, 2023

If you’re a fan of the Rocky movies, you already know why the shop is positioned at the Art Museum steps. There’s the famous scene in Rocky where the titular character runs up the 72 steps and holds his arms up in triumph – a symbol of the hardworking underdog persevering and rising to a big challenge.

A statue of Rocky – one of Philadelphia’s most famous pieces of public art – resides at the bottom of the steps. The statue/steps draw an estimated 4 million people annually, making them the second most visited tourist attraction in the United States’ sixth largest city by population.

Fans flock to the steps, race up them as Rocky did, and hoist their fists to the sky in champion-celebrating style. From a merchandising standpoint, all that love and enthusiasm from visitors makes the steps an ideal spot to sell Rocky-branded products. And that’s now happening.

Items include T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts that say, “Mighty Mick’s Gym,” a Rocky fedora, silky boxer’s robes that say “Italian Stallion” on the back, replicas of the Rocky statue, the American flag boxing trunks, a satin-style baseball jacket with a tiger on the back that Rocky wore and more.

Today we are officially announcing and open for business our first retail store located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Rocky Statue!#sylvesterstallone #slystallomeshop #rocky #rockybalboa #rambo #johnrambo pic.twitter.com/TkssHRgBMw

— Sly Stallone Shop (@SlyStalloneShop) October 5, 2023

The shop is within the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation’s Parkway Visitor Center Outpost, which opened last March. The merch is official stuff from the Sly Stallone Shop and Rocky franchise.

Stallone, who played Rocky of course, had the idea of selling merch at the steps and contributed $100,000 to getting the Visitor Center Outpost built. Notably, he set the wheels in motion for the shop/outpost by contacting the mayor of Philadelphia.

“[Sylvester Stallone] went to visit the statue, as he often does when he’s in town,” Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, told Billy Penn, “and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could sell the Sly Shop merchandise right here at the center of it all?’ So he then reached out to the mayor, and the rest is history.”

This jacket is available at The Rocky Shop. (Photo: Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation)

The Visitor Center gets a percentage of merch gross sales in the first year to help fund its operation. The outpost doubles as an information hub with maps and tickets to other attractions.

According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, the Rocky franchise has remained a global phenomenon “because it presents moviegoers with universally relatable themes – ambition, passion, determination and giving it your all to be a champion, even when the odds are against you.” MGM’s Rocky and Creed films have generated more than $2 billion in worldwide box-office sales. The original Rocky garnered three Academy Awards.

“I’m incredibly proud of my association and roots in Philadelphia,” said Stallone. “Without Philly I never would’ve had such a blessed life. I will always be indebted to the people and the fighting spirit of this unique city, and myself and ‘Rocky’ will always cherish the memories from the City of Brotherly Love. Every day, I think of thousands of people from all over the world, who run up those amazing steps and have a piece of the dream, and that alone makes my heart swell with pride.”

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