Wrap it up
Never underestimate the cultural influence of late-night infomercials.
Packing more rhetoric than President Barack Obama, these seemingly harmless advertisements can revolutionize countless American lifestyles overnight – the Chia Pet, the Slap Chop, the Miracle Knife, the Magic Bullet. All baptized in the flame of inexpensive advertising slots, these seemingly ludicrous products have taken American households by storm with an uncanny popularity.
Now, Syracuse University can have a slice of this glory in the form of the SU Snuggies.
Dominating the late-night infomercial scene only a few years ago, Snuggies, crafted by Fabrique Innovations Inc., have become the latest success story in American excess. The simple yet confounding idea behind the Snuggie is that it’s a blanket – with sleeves. While it may sound like a practical way to keep warm, it’s also the most conventional way to look like Gandalf the Grey.
‘The Snuggie is in the history of the bizarre new invention that get their first life on really cheesy advertisements on TV, often late at night,’ said Robert Thompson, SU professor and the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture.
The Snuggies line recently expanded to include the Collegiate Snuggie. More than 50 different colleges and universities can now have their colors, emblem or mascot printed, because a normal Snuggie obviously wasn’t eye-catching enough.
‘I wasn’t sure how students (would like them),’ said Sarah Douglass, store manager of Follett’s Orange Bookstore. Douglass said she was unsure of whether or not students would be receptive to the offbeat blanket but decided to give them a chance.
‘I started off with six, but then they took off,’ Douglass said. ‘We tried to make them prominent in the gift section.’
The SU Bookstore is beginning to capitalize on the notoriety of the bright orange Snuggies, too. For the price of $19.99, the bookstore has sold several during the two weeks that they’ve been in stock
‘In anticipation of the gift-giving season, the bookstore just placed a re-order to have plenty in stock for the holidays,’ said Kevin Morrow, SU spokesman.
.Of course, this sudden burst in popularity comes with just one question: Why? ‘There’s something about this product that isn’t totally and completely impractical. Now it’s jumped to this level of showing your ironic sensibility,’ Thompson said.
Thompson believes that by consciously wearing something so seemingly gaudy around campus, it will be a new way to show off one’s sense of humor through cultural taboos. ‘(Snuggies) are icons of irony,’ Thompson said. ‘A lot of these novelties that mutate into wise-guy gifts, they turn into valuable products.’
Some students, however, found practicality after purchasing an SU Snuggie with a mocking attitude. ‘The commercials make it look really fun,’ said Nneka Ebbe, a sophomore acting major. ‘I got it because it looked interesting and I love Syracuse gear.’
Not one to care what others think, Ebbe said she might even wear it around campus, making her one of SU’s bravest souls. ‘If people want to laugh, I don’t care … it’s comfortable,’ Ebbe said. ‘I almost brought it to class with me today, and I regret not bringing it.’
Much like SU-themed Crocs, the illegitimate child between water shoes and sandals from years past, Snuggies might not carry an incredibly long shelf life.
‘(Crocs) were huge a couple of years ago,’ Douglass said. ‘They have since lost their popularity.’
In the larger context of SU merchandise, SU Snuggies might just be the flavor of the week. Thompson said that many items in university bookstores across the country only exist to have school logo slapped on them.
‘The stuff you see at the SU Bookstore is not much different from other large college campuses,’ Thompson said. ‘What separates them is the SU logo,’
Despite what the future may hold for SU’s bizarre new fad, it has left its mark on campus as one of the most popular products to jump from tacky late-night commercials to a pop culture phenomenon.
‘That really cheesy ‘As Seen on TV’ stuff can really thrive,’ Thompson said. ‘The Snuggie is not a terrible idea, but it’s not a brilliant idea.’
At the very least, students now have a fail-safe SU-themed Halloween costume.
‘They feel like Harry Potter robes, and you can use them as capes,’ Ebbe said, ‘so I highly recommend them.’
Published on October 13, 2009 at 12:00 pm
