PPB November 2015

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First Things First
NOBODY DISPUTES THE FACT that the plain white t-shirt
originated as part of the standard issue U.S. Navy uniform in the
early 20th century. But the facts surrounding the first promo-
tional t-shirt are a bit hazy.
Many internet sources say that the first promotional t-shirt was creat-
ed in 1939 to market the movie The Wizard of Oz. John Fricke, Oz histo-
rian and author of several Oz-related books said, “I had a list of the origi-
nal 1939 MGM licensees—about four dozen in all—and the products
they proposed to produce. Only a small percentage of the companies fol-
lowed through, however, and the minimally-considered concept of Oz
garments pretty much went by the wayside. Given the historical lack of
evidence, it seems they were never realized.”
But on July 13, 1942, the Air Force Gunnery School’s t-shirt was fea-
tured on the cover of Life magazine. The shirt was reportedly part of a
softball uniform and represented the first time someone was pho-
tographed wearing a printed t-shirt—on the outside rather than under-
neath their clothes. While this probably wasn’t an intentional promotional
t-shirt, after its debut on the magazine cover, t-shirts became very popu-
lar, especially among men.
Just six years later, New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey printed promo-
tional t-shirts for his 1948 presidential campaign, with the slogan, “Dew
It With Dewey.” The shirts didn’t help Dewey’s doomed campaign,
although the Chicago Daily Tribune was fooled and printed its infamous
premature “Dewey Defeats Truman”
headline. The Smithsonian Institute
has the fabled t-shirt in its collec-
tion today. This, then, is perhaps
the first true intentional promo-
tional t-shirt.
In 1969, Incentives Corp.
founder Max Scharf purchased
screen-printing company
K-Studio and introduced
promotional apparel to the
promotional products
market as a supplier,
setting the stage for the
exploding popularity of
promotional t-shirts.
INNOVATE 16 • PPB • NOVEMBER 2015
EYE ON APPAREL
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PHOTO OF TIN MAN BY EVERETT HISTORICAL/SHUTTERSTOCK