Sleeved blanket

A sleeved blanket is a body-length blanket with sleeves usually made of fleece or nylon material. It is similar in design to a bathrobe but is meant to be worn backwards (i.e., with the opening in the back). The product has been marketed by various brands but the Original company was 'Slanket' created by Gary Clegg then other companies like Snuggie'', ''Snuggler'', ''Doojo'', ''Toasty Wrap'', copying the brand later. It comes with varying sizes, colors and qualities of materials but similar basic design.

Popularity

In late 2008 and early 2009 the Snuggie brand of sleeved blankets became a pop culture phenomenon, sometimes described humorously as a "cult".

The product became famous after a direct response commercial promoting the product was aired. It was featured on television programs like ''Today'' where cast and crew donned Snuggie blankets for a segment which was described as looking like a Black Protestant choir. Others have described mass-snuggie wearing as looking like a Harry Potter convention. The Associated Press likened it to a "monk's ensemble in fleece" and proclaimed it the "ultimate kitsch gift". The Snuggie initially sold singly for $14.95, and later in sets of two for $19.95.

The Slanket was mentioned in an episode of NBC's '' 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. Comparisons have also been made with the Thneed, a highly promoted, amorphous garment in the Dr. Seuss story, ''The Lorax''.

On January 30, 2009, a group organized a pub crawl wearing Snuggies in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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 events throughout the United States. An employee at Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative think tank, started a Facebook page called "The Snuggie Cult" and convinced fellow conservatives including Joe the Plumber, Tucker Carlson, and Andrew Breitbart to pose wearing the robes.

The phenomenon resulted in sales of the Snuggie and its rivals that far exceeded their distributors' expectations: more than 4 million Snuggies as of December 2009 and 1 million Slankets as of February 2009. The phenomenon has even resulted in variations such as "Snuggie for Dogs" and Snuggie with printed patterns.

Australian radio program ''Labby, Camilla & Stav'' on B105 tested the claim that one can wear a Snuggie at sporting events, such as a soccer game, a football game or a basketball game. 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.

In the summer of 2009, the Designer Snuggie was released to the public, as well as the Snuggie for Kids and the Snuggie for Dogs.

On March 5, 2010, at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, Snuggie wearers broke a world record for sleeved blanket wearing. Over 22,500 fans wore custom-made, limited edition Cavaliers Snuggie blankets for 5 minutes. A Guinness World Records representative was on hand to present the official World Record certificate to KeyBank, the Cavaliers, and Snuggie. However, in just a little over a month the feat was broken during a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim home game when over 40,000 spectators wore a promotional Hideki Matsui sleeved blanket for five minutes.

In March 2018, Allstar Marketing Group, owner of the "Snuggie" brand, was fined $7.5 million by the US Federal Trade Commission for deceptive marketing and to provide refunds to deceived customers.

Parodies

Several hundred parodies of the commercial have appeared on YouTube, as well as numerous fan pages on Facebook. Mockings of the product and its commercial have also been made by comedians such as Daniel Tosh, Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Maher