Top 2009 trends include Twitter, Snuggies

By Lauren Tsugawa

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has ended and the new year has begun, we can take a look back upon the eventful year that was 2009: the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States, the outbreak of H1N1, the death of a pop-icon, and an explosion of pop-culture. Defined as "contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted," from the Snuggie to Twitter, 2009 was the year to see and to be seen with the latest gadgets.

With over four million sold in just three months, according to USA Today's interview with Allstar Products Group of Hawthorne, N.Y, the Snuggie has become an instant pop-culture phenomenon. Advertised as "the blanket with arms," the Snuggie is a huge, one size fits all, fleece throw with two luxurious sleeves sewn in, somewhat like an extra-long robe worn backwards.

The origin of this Snuggie sensation is quite a toss up: perhaps it was Snuggie's notorious infomercials that sparked the trend, or perhaps it was the publicity derived from the many comedians who proceeded to make fun of them. The infomercials consist of a collaboration of clips showing adults dramatically struggling to change the television channel, eat popcorn, or read a book while remaining under the warmth and comfort of their blanket. Then suddenly, TA-DA, the Snuggie's built-in sleeves, and the free book-light that comes with every purchase, provide easy solutions. Thus it comes as no surprise that comedians like Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and Jon Stewart took jabs at the Snuggie while simultaneously showering it with publicity.

"Every once in a while, a product transcends advertising to become part of pop culture," said Scott Boilen, the CEO of the company that markets and manufactures Snuggie.

Available in an array of different colors, including special logo Snuggies for your favorite football team, the Snuggie, which also comes in children and dog sizes, sells for as low as $14.99 and can be found at many convenient locations such as Target, Walgreen's, Bartels and even Amazon.com.

With global warming creeping up on our planet, 2009 was also all about "going green." Though SIGG bottles were originally released in 1998, it was not until 2009 that they took their place in the pop culture hall of fame. Manufactured in Switzerland, SIGG bottles are simple aluminum water bottles that come in a variety of designs and colors and can even be personally customized to your liking. Some designs are so spectacular that the bottles themselves are showcased in the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Deemed "the toughest bottle" by Backpacker Magazine, the SIGG bottle, said Steve Wasik, CEO of SIGG, is all about being "environmentally responsible." SIGG bottles are toted proudly by celebrities like Gisele Bündchen and Zac Effron which only add to their increasing popularity.

Reminiscent of Tiger Co.'s Furby, released in 1998, another electronic pet made its mark on pop culture in 2009. The Zhu Zhu Pet, or Go Go Hamster, is a small robotic hamster which, like Furby, responds to various outside stimuli while zooming around on little wheels. Zhu Zhu Pets come in nine different characters and can be set to nuturing, adventure or sleep mode depending on their habitat. Accessories such as clothing, blankets, cars and hamster tubes and wheels can also be purchased to further engage the Zhu Zhu Pets.

A real hit during the Christmas season 2009, according to ABC News, the hamster's price skyrocketed from $8 to $40 due to shortages and sold for even higher online. Originally marketed by the company Cepia in Shenzen, China, a single factory with 16 people was opened in St. Louis, Missouri and joined by popular toy company Toys-R-Us within the past few years. A Cepia analyst projects Christmas sales to be around a whopping $50 million.

Said Deb Mondesano, a parent interviewed by CBS News, "It's the toy that everyone wants that you can't find."

However, perhaps the most distinctive facet of 2009 is the explosion of the social networking site, Twitter. Created by Jack Dorsey and a group of 10 individuals in 2006, it was only this past year that Twitter gained national and worldwide fame.

The Twitter website showcases individuals' text messaged "tweets" or messages that can be up to 140 characters long in response to the question "What are you doing" or "What's happening." Celebrities such as Britney Spears, Lance Armstrong and even Barrack Obama tweet their messages to an astounding audience of over 55 million viewers, or what Twitter calls followers.

Twitter was ranked as the "fastest-growing site in the Member Communities category" by blog Nielson.com in March of 2009 and was also awarded "Best of the Web" by South by Southwest, an annual multimedia festival that same month.

According to Forbes.com, the Twitter website raises between $5-10 million per year from venture capitalists and the numbers continue to grow.

"It adds a layer of information and connection to people's lives that wasn't there before," said Evan Williams, the creator of the website "Obvious" from which Twitter was born. "It has the potential to be a really substantial part of how people keep in touch with each other."

Though 2009 has come to a close, America's popular culture continues to evolve. The Snuggie, SIGG bottle, Zhu Zhu Pets and the ever-growing circle of followers on Twitter are just the beginning of what is yet to come in this new year.

Contact Lauren Tsugawa at ltsugawa@scu.edu or (408) 554-1918.