Shopping for Bengals fans is easy at the holidays; Between jerseys at the Bengals Pro Shop and memorabilia available in stores all over Cincinnati, gifts are in no short supply.
But it’s not a jersey or a hat that you’ll find in the front window at Romualdo’s in Madeira.
Proudly standing in the Christmas lights, glowing in the shop's front window, is a unique Bengals-themed lamp — just like the one featured in the iconic movie, A Christmas Story.
West-sider Matt Boylson said he got the idea during the 2022 Super Bowl run when a friend sent him a meme of Ralphie staring up the leg.
Except the leg lamp featured Bengals kicker, Evan McPherson.
“When Evan McPherson was hitting all those field goals to bring us to the Super Bowl, somebody had posted a meme of Ralphie staring up at the lamp in the window and it was like, Evan McPherson’s leg,” Boylson said.
So last year, Boylson began trying to replicate the iconic leg lamp. He said it took awhile to engineer the first one as he worked to piece it together using old cleats and socks from local thrift stores.
“Last year it was more of a frantic running to the thrift store trying to find lamp shades and things like that,” he said.
So this year, he bought the materials in bulk ahead of time.
“There’s real Nike cleats, the mannequin legs can be expensive, lamp shades,” he said.
He has enough supplies to make 50 lamps. He’s sold 40 this season, just a handful are left.
Boylson thinks he has up to $150 in materials in each leg lamp and he sells them for $250 on his website, cincinnatikidshop.com.
He has an assembly line going in his shed and has some help from his wife, Anna, who helps with things like the stripes on the pants.
And it was Anna who helped Matt get his lamp in the window at Romualdo’s. She is a seamstress at the Madeira boutique.
“It was so exciting, I was smiling ear to ear,” Boylson said. “It just makes it so much more real when you see it up on display.”
Several Bengals players and coaches shop at Romualdo’s and have seen the lamp.
“My wife texted me and said hey, Kevin Huber’s signing your lamp. I said I’ll be there in 20 minutes, I came running,” Boylson laughed.
Boylson tracked down the inspiration for the lamp and McPherson himself signed one of the first leg lamps at an autograph event.
Boylson said he would love more autographs from players like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but in the meantime, the leg lamp is standing proud waiting for more ink.
