Way Back WhensDay: Underoos

Yoda

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

"Underoos are fun to wear!"  That was the slogan of the popular child's underwear of the 1970's and 80's.  They were a pair of briefs and a tshirt with some sort of character printed on them.  They often came in different colors and made the Fruit of the Loom tighty whities pail in comparison.

Comic book characters, superheroes, even video game icons were printed on the briefs and shirts.  There were a handful of Underoos for girls too, which included Wonder Woman, Super Girl, and Daisy Duke.   DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, and Hanna-Barbera worked with the maker of Underoos,  Larry Weiss.  Eventually, the underwear giant, Fruit of the Loom bought the product and kept the momentum going and adding sets with Star Wars characters, The Transformers, and The Real Ghostbusters.

Superman

When I was a kid I had several different pairs of Underoos.  I remember becoming Aqua Man, Superman, and the all knowing Jedi, Yoda.  Back then (and now still) I wasn't much into the superhero genre, but there was something about Underoos that made me feel invincible.  I also had more traditional cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo.  Sorry, I do not have any pics of me dancing around in them...

I don't know exactly when Underoos stopped being produced, but obviously they were fun to wear before hitting the teen years.  Now as an adult, you can pick up briefs or boxers with just about any character on them.  I've owned my share of Smurfs, Mickey Mouse, and even WWE boxer shorts through the years.  Now fans of Duck Dynasty can even get underwear in honor of the show.  Again, no pics of me stylin' and profilin' in those either.

Underoos were indeed fun to wear.  What kind did you have?