Smokey and the Bandit 50th Anniversary 2026 Advent Calendar

The box is a sunburst of late-’70s nostalgia: the black-and-gold Trans Am, the Bandit, Frog and Sheriff Buford T. Justice, and the quote "Some people just come along for the ride. – Bandit." The 24 keepsakes round up the film’s whole world — the black Trans Am, the red Kenworth big rig, the Bandit in his cowboy hat, Frog (Carrie), Sheriff Justice, Fred the basset hound, a CB radio, the Firebird eagle emblem, a Georgia "BAN 1" plate, aviator shades, cowboy boots and an "I-20 East · Atlanta" interstate sign.

It is a love letter to one of the defining car-chase comedies of its era, timed to the film’s 50th anniversary.

The 1977 film turned a beer run into a cultural landmark

Smokey and the Bandit premiered in 1977, starring Burt Reynolds as the Bandit, Sally Field as Carrie, and Jackie Gleason as the relentless Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Its plot — a high-speed bootleg run to haul Coors beer across state lines, back when it wasn’t sold east of the Mississippi — made it one of the year’s biggest hits and a cornerstone of American car-chase cinema. This set marks the approach to its 50th anniversary.

Every keepsake is pulled straight from that story, which is what makes the calendar sing for anyone who grew up on it.

The ’70s-nostalgia box with its 24 keepsakes, from the Trans Am to Fred the hound.

The black Trans Am is one of film’s great cars

The black-and-gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, with its screaming-eagle hood decal, is as much a star of the movie as any actor — the car that sent a generation of buyers to Pontiac dealers. Rendering it as a keepsake, alongside the red Kenworth rig it ran interference for, puts the film’s iconic chase duo front and center.

The "BAN 1" Georgia plate and the Firebird emblem are the details that tell a fan this was made by someone who knows the film cold.

The black Trans Am, the big rig, the Bandit, Frog and Sheriff Justice.

CB radio and Fred the hound are the film’s texture

The CB radio keepsake nods to the trucker culture and "smokey" slang the film popularized nationwide, while Fred — Sheriff Justice’s long-suffering basset hound — supplies the comedy. The aviator shades, cowboy boots and interstate sign fill out the sun-faded, highway-bound mood of the whole picture.

It is a nostalgia countdown for classic-film and muscle-car fans alike. For more of the same era, pair it with the vintage Western advent calendar or the Smokey and the Bandit decanter.

The CB radio, Fred the hound, aviators and the I-20 Atlanta sign.

The highway-and-truck tray behind the 24 doors.

Twenty-four days eastbound and down — the chase, the car and the CB, all over again.

Written by Nadia Marsh, Collectibles Specialist at DoesignUs.