Ohio State Buckeyes x Die-Cast Cars Christmas Advent Calendar

In Columbus, December is bowl season and playoff season as much as holiday season. The Ohio State Buckeyes x Die-Cast Cars Christmas Advent Calendar keeps both on the counter: a red, white and grey box with Ohio Stadium in the snow, Brutus Buckeye on the front and 24 windows of Buckeye-coloured car characters.

The box beside the clear tray showing the full set of car designs.

The Horseshoe, Brutus and a 12-Team Title

Ohio Stadium, better known as the Horseshoe, hosted its first game on October 7, 1922 and was dedicated two weeks later against Michigan before 72,000 fans. Brutus Buckeye, the walking buckeye nut with the big grin, joined the sidelines in 1965. And at halftime of home games the Ohio State marching band still performs Script Ohio, first played on October 10, 1936, with a sousaphone player stepping forward to dot the “i,” a job held by a sousaphone since 1937.

The program’s most recent national title is still fresh. On January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Ohio State beat Notre Dame 34–23 to win the first College Football Playoff championship of the 12-team era. For a lot of young fans, that was the first title they ever watched, and it is a good reason to start a scarlet-and-grey Christmas tradition.

Then there is The Game. Ohio State and Michigan first met in 1897, and the rivalry that grew out of it closes the regular season every November, which means the result of that one Saturday shapes how an entire state feels going into the holidays. Fans greet each other with “O-H!” and wait for the “I-O!” in reply, in stadiums, airports and grocery stores far from Columbus.

What Is Inside

The box art names it a “24 Character Die-Cast Cars” calendar. The designs fall into a few groups: race cars with Block O badges and racing stripes, tow trucks and pickups hauling Christmas trees and presents, and festive characters in Santa hats. The numbered layout in our photos shows the whole set at a glance; it does not tell you what sits behind each window. Each piece you receive is a flat acrylic charm printed on both sides with one of the character designs.

The Standard box weighs about 135 g.

Each version comes with either a hanging hole for a hook or ribbon or a small stand. Peel off the protective film before use.

Car character designs hanging on a Christmas tree with red ribbon.

How Families Use It

Set it up on December 1 in the kitchen or the family room where game day happens. The kids open a window each morning, hang the new car on the tree and, by the time bowl games and playoff matchups arrive, there is a line of scarlet-and-grey characters on the branches. The stand version suits a home office or a dorm desk for a student counting down to the end of the semester.

As a gift, it fits a grandchild in Ohio, an alumnus who lives out of state, or a family that already has a Brutus ornament on the tree.

A desk display with a row of car characters in front of the box.

Our sister shop League Locker Gear carries an NCAA 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes Brutus Buckeye Ornament and an Ohio State Buckeyes 2026 Mini Collectible Character Set. More countdowns are in our advent calendars section.

Questions Fans Ask

Are the cars real die-cast models?

No. The pieces are flat acrylic charms printed on both sides with the car characters, designed to hang or stand.

Is Brutus on the calendar?

Yes. Brutus Buckeye appears on the front of the box beside the Ohio Stadium artwork.

Which version is better for a tree?

Premium pieces are larger and read more clearly on a full-size tree. Standard suits a desk tree or shelf.