Showtoons
Encyclopedia
Showtoons were a trademark of unisex children's underwear that were manufactured by Hanes
, established in 1989, and disestablished in 2009. Its competitor, Fruit of the Loom
, manufactured the gender-specific Funpals
(for boys) and FunGals
(for girls) brands. The reasoning behind the brand segregation is for marketing purposes (for gender identity purposes).
in the boys' underwear (for easier urination) and the feminine waistband in the girls' underwear (emulating that of women's full cut panties). The softness of the cotton
fabric used could have also determined whether the undergarment was to be worn by a male child or a female child when outside of its original packaging box.
Examples of Saturday morning cartoon
s and movie character
s that appeared on a pair of Showtoons underwear included Tinkerbell
, Blue's Clues
, and the PBS Kids GO!
television show Arthur
. Characters that were considered to be "retro" and "vintage" on Showtoons underwear (and no longer sold in most retail stores) included The Smurfs
, Jonny Quest
, and TaleSpin
. The word "showtoons" was considered to be a pun on the phrase show tune
s (which happened to be music played at Broadway
musical
s) and a portmanteau of the words "show business
" and "cartoons." The Showtoons name by itself does not determine whether the product was suitable for boys or girls. Girls' underwear were always packaged as panties
; the equivalent for juvenile males were always packaged as briefs
. Unlike Funpals which had a large cartoon graphic at the center of the undergarment, Showtoons uses a small but plentiful amount of cartoon graphics throughout the undergarment.
In the Americas, Showtoons were made in either El Salvador
or Honduras
in manufacturing plants similar to adult underwear.
Hanes
Hanes and Hanes Her Way are brands of apparel currently owned by the HanesBrands, Inc Corporation...
, established in 1989, and disestablished in 2009. Its competitor, Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom is an American company which manufactures clothing, particularly underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is currently a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.-Company profile:...
, manufactured the gender-specific Funpals
Funpals
Funpals are a children's underwear name brand that was established in 1985 in order to compete with Underoos. Its trademark was renewed on March 17, 2005 by Mr. William R. Hansen, trademark correspondent.-Summary:...
(for boys) and FunGals
Fungals
FunGals are a brand name of children's underwear; manufactured by their parent company Fruit of the Loom. The trademark for the brand name was registered on May 29, 1987.-Summary:...
(for girls) brands. The reasoning behind the brand segregation is for marketing purposes (for gender identity purposes).
Summary
Each individual undergarment started out as a pair of either plain white briefs or plain white panties until the desired prints are added in the manufacturing process. Differences found between the male and female undergarments included the flyFly (clothing)
A fly on clothing is a covering over an opening join concealing the mechanism, such as a zip, velcro or buttons, used to join the opening. The term is most frequently applied to a short opening over the groin in trousers, shorts and other garments, which makes them easier to put on or take off and...
in the boys' underwear (for easier urination) and the feminine waistband in the girls' underwear (emulating that of women's full cut panties). The softness of the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fabric used could have also determined whether the undergarment was to be worn by a male child or a female child when outside of its original packaging box.
Examples of Saturday morning cartoon
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
s and movie character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s that appeared on a pair of Showtoons underwear included Tinkerbell
Tinkerbell
Tinker Bell , is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy. She has appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan...
, Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
, and the PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
television show Arthur
Arthur (TV series)
Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service...
. Characters that were considered to be "retro" and "vintage" on Showtoons underwear (and no longer sold in most retail stores) included The Smurfs
The Smurfs
The Smurfs is a comic and television franchise centred on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo on October 23, 1958...
, Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest is a media franchise that revolves around a boy named Jonny Quest who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964-65 television series and has come to include two subsequent television series, two television films, and a video game.-1964–1965...
, and TaleSpin
TaleSpin
TaleSpin is a half-hour American animated television series based in the fictional city of Cape Suzette, that first aired in 1990 as part of The Disney Afternoon, with characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature The Jungle Book. The name of the show is a play on "tailspin", the rapid,...
. The word "showtoons" was considered to be a pun on the phrase show tune
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
s (which happened to be music played at Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
s) and a portmanteau of the words "show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
" and "cartoons." The Showtoons name by itself does not determine whether the product was suitable for boys or girls. Girls' underwear were always packaged as panties
Panties
Panties are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area , and a pair of leg openings which, like the waistband, are often...
; the equivalent for juvenile males were always packaged as briefs
Briefs
Briefs are a type of short, tight underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's genitals in a relatively fixed position, which make briefs a popular underwear choice for men who...
. Unlike Funpals which had a large cartoon graphic at the center of the undergarment, Showtoons uses a small but plentiful amount of cartoon graphics throughout the undergarment.
In the Americas, Showtoons were made in either El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
or Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in manufacturing plants similar to adult underwear.
See also
- FunGalsFungalsFunGals are a brand name of children's underwear; manufactured by their parent company Fruit of the Loom. The trademark for the brand name was registered on May 29, 1987.-Summary:...
, Fruit of the Loom's underwear for girls - FunpalsFunpalsFunpals are a children's underwear name brand that was established in 1985 in order to compete with Underoos. Its trademark was renewed on March 17, 2005 by Mr. William R. Hansen, trademark correspondent.-Summary:...
, Fruit of the Loom's underwear for boys