New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases the buildings, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, the buildings or even the properties have been razed. Instead of a building, it may be a TV show, personality, or commercial that no one longer exists. Either way, it can’t stop us from taking the Memory Lane stroll!
As always we would rather this be a discussion. No one knows this area better than those who grew up here! Please, leave constructive criticism, feedback, and corrections. We’d love to hear your anecdotes. Please share!
In terms of fondest memories of childhood, Underoos has to be somewhere at the top of the list. If you are a child of the 70s and 80s, you owned a pair. No ifs, ands or butts about it!
Developed in 1977 by entrepreneur, Larry Weiss who purchased license from Marvel, DC, and Archie comics as well as Hanna-Barbara, they didn’t explode onto the market until Fruit of the Loom picked up the product and marketed it a year later. What made Underoos so special? Kids all over the world had an extra tool to turn their make-believe Superhero sessions a bit more “realistic.” It was pretty darn easy to pretend to be Superman (my favorite) when you had Underoos with a giant “S” on the chest!
There were superheros like Aquaman, Captain America, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, the Thing, and Spider-Man – my brother Mike’s favorite. Star Wars was well represented with the Ewoks, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader Yoda, C-3PO, and crew. Your favorite 70s and 80s shows like Knight Rider, A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard (Daisy, Bo & Luke), Buck Rogers, GI Joe, Thundercats were covered – pun intended? Had a favorite movie? Underoos had Gremlins, E.T. and Ghostbusters! Even Pacman and Ms. Pacman!
Remember the jingle?
“Wearing Underoos is fun.
And you can choose from more than on
There’s Spider-Man and The Flash
(something something rhymes with Flash)
(something something something)
Something super-NEW in underwear
YEAH!”
Not only do I think re-releasing Underoos would turn out to be lucrative, I kid you not, if Fruit of the Loom had an adult line, I would snatch up a pair of Superman today!
Underoos are perhaps the greatest mnemonic device ever for me. I can easily recall moments in my childhood, because I had Underoos on, that I wouldn’t normally. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face, and I’m sure if you mention Underoos to someone today, it will do the same!
Which Underoo were YOU?!
More videos: Mashpedia – Underoos
