Sleeved blanket
A sleeved blanket is a body-length blanket with sleeves usually made of fleece material. The product has been marketed as the Slanket, Snuggler, Toasty Wrap, and Snuggie with varying sizes and qualities of materials but similar basic design.[1]
"Snuggie" cultural phenomenon
In late 2008 and early 2009 the "Snuggie" brand of sleeved blankets became a pop culture phenomenon,[2][3] sometimes described humorously as a "cult".[2][4][5] The Snuggie has become a camp icon.
The product became famous after a direct response commercial promoting the product was aired, leading to a mocking of the product and its commercial by comedians such as Jay Leno,[5] Ellen DeGeneres,[2] Bill Maher, and Jon Stewart. It was featured on television programs like Today where cast and crew donned Snuggies for a segment which was described as looking like a gospel choir.[6] Several hundred parodies of the commercial have appeared on YouTube as well as numerous fan pages on Facebook.[7][8] The slanket was also mentioned in an episode of NBC' 30 Rock entitled "The Ones." The product has also been ridiculed as a "backwards robe" or simple reinvention of the coat on radio and television talk shows in the United States.[7] Comparisons have also been made with the Thneed - a highly-promoted, amorphous garment in the Dr Seuss story, The Lorax.[9]
On January 30, 2009 a group organized a pub crawl[10] wearing Snuggies in Cincinnati, OH. In the following months they went on to complete over 40 more across the nation. Later, a group organized a Snuggie pub crawl in Chicago to raise money for an African orphanage, which led to similar sanctioned and independent events throughout the United States, however futile.[3][4] A worker at Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative think tank, started the Facebook page "The Snuggie Cult", and convinced fellow conservatives including Joe the Plumber, Tucker Carlson, and Andrew Breitbart to pose wearing the robes.[11]
The phenomenon resulted in sales of the Snuggie and its rivals that far exceeded their distributors' expectations: more than 4 million Snuggies and 1 million Slankets as of February, 2009.[5] The phenomenon has even inspired similarly-marketed imitation products such as The Wearable Towel[12], and variations on the original Snuggie product, such as Snuggie for Dogs [13]
Australian radio program Labby, Camilla & Stav on B105 tested the claim that one can wear a Snuggie it at sporting events. To test this, Labby and Stav wore Snuggies to a State of Origin game. The test was successful. They also dressed a statue of Wally Lewis, which stands in front of Suncorp Stadium, in a Snuggie live on the air. Security guards found it amusing at first but it was removed shortly after.
A reference to the Snuggie was made in the iCarly episode "I Think They Kissed", where they had a commercial spoof for a fictional product called the "Sack", which was a over-sized laundry bag that kept the wearer's arms trapped.
Julie Chen wore a Slanket to the Big Brother 11 Finale
Rock band Weezer is releasing their own Snuggie, which is simply a solid color with the name "Weezer" on it in white font, as of November 2009. It has been rumored to be called the "Wuggie".[citation needed]
Commercial variations
The product was first commercialized as the Freedom Blanket.[14]
The Slanket was created by Mike Raimondo (before the Snuggie) in Maine in 1998 using a sleeping bag. Clegg's mother made him a blanket with a single sleeve for use in his cold dorm room. Clegg later developed that into the Slanket with two sleeves.[15][16]
The Snuggie is a copy of the Slanket, a popular similar product sold in the United States, Canada and Australia. It was marketed primarily through a memorable television commercial.[17] As of January 2009, over 4 million of the product had been sold.[7]
Fosdick Corporation, the company which markets the Snuggie via its website and television commercials along with many other as seen on TV products, has received several hundred consumer complaints and has received a failed rating from the Better Business Bureau.[18]
Another well known variant, the Toasty Wrap, has been sold via infomercials hosted by Montel Williams as a method for saving on heating costs.[19] However, based on the similarities of the Toasty Wrap's advertising to that of Snuggie, it is probable that both brands originate with the same manufacturer.[20]
Another variation is known as the Cuddlee, which is sold in discount and variety stores.[21]
See also
References
- ^ How to tell the difference between a Snuggie and ..., Chicago Sun-Times, January 31, 2009
- ^ a b c Maria Puente (2009-01-29). "Snuggie gets a warm embrace from pop culture". USA Today.
- ^ a b "Revelers ready for New York City Snuggie pub crawl". New York Daily News. 2009-03-25.
- ^ a b Reyhan Harmanci (2009-03-29). "Warming to the cult of Snuggie". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c Andrew Adam Newman (2009-02-26). "Snuggie Rode Silly Ads to Stardom Over Rivals". New York Times.
- ^ Celizic, Mike (February 04, 2009). "Matt said he'd never wear a Snuggie, but..." Today's Family Blog. NBC News. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Puente, Maria (2009-01-28). "Snuggie gets a warm embrace from pop culture". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ Gavin, Patrick (2009-03-27). "Conservatives embrace the Snuggie". Politico. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ Dara Lind (January 12, 2009), You Shall Know Them By Their Slankets, Culture11
- ^ Snuggie Pub Crawls
- ^ Patrick Gavin (2009-03-27). "Conservatives embrace the Snuggie". Politico.
- ^ Ernie Smith (2009-06-07). "Infomercial junk: The Wearable Towel Snuggies into your life". ShortFormBlog.
- ^ "Snuggies go to the dogs". Chicago Sun-Times. 2009-09-30.
- ^ Snuggie Rode Silly Ads to Stardom Over Rivals, New York Times
- ^ The Slanket, GadgetSpy, October 19th, 2006
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Feeling chilly? The answer may be the Slanket, RTÉ, 24 November 2008
- ^ Stephey, M.J. (2009-01-13). "Suffocating in Snuggies: That Ubiquitous TV Ad". Time magazine. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "Reliability Report for Fosdick Corporation". Better Business Bureau of Connecticut. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ CLIFFORD, STEPHANIE (December 21, 2008). "Montel's Back, and Does He Have a Deal for You". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ "How do Snuggies and Toasty Wraps differ, and should you care?", BrandFreak.com, February 9, 2009
- ^ "The Cuddlee Blanket".
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