SNUGGIE As A Bug In A Rug

One thing you may or may not know about me is that I am a big fan of "As Seen On TV" stuff. I know that a long time ago I described my love for OxyClean (or more specifically, its ability to remove red wine from carpet) and its spokesman, Billy Mays. But my As Seen On TV love does not end with Mr. Mays. No, no. I am pretty much sold with every infomercial that makes its way onto my television. And my latest obsession has been the Snuggie, also known as the blanket with sleeves. Not familiar with the Snuggie? Well, keep reading, or check out the commercial here.

Although I love any and all As Seen On TV product commercials, I rarely actually buy the products themselves. I ended up with the OxyClean because an old roommate left it behind, and it has since changed my life. I bought a QuickChop once, but it was highly disappointing. But as someone who gets cold easily and often struggles with not being able to use your arms while wearing a blanket, I knew the Snuggie was for me. And in February, I became the proud owner of my very own Snuggie.

Proud to be in possession of the blanket with sleeves

Striking my best Snuggie-modeling pose

I'll tell you what, the Snuggie did NOT disappoint. Especially in our last apartment, which was very drafty and got a lot of direct wind, the Snuggie has kept me warm through the cold winter months while still giving me the freedom to use my arms for important tasks like petting the dog and writing this here blog. Even Achilles loves it! Of course, he loves anything soft. He actually might like the Snuggie even more than I do.

It's only the Snuggie's inaugrual night, and Achilles is already sold.

Here he has the Snuggie all arranged in a sunny spot for his lounging pleasure. He is also accompanied by his frog.

And here's a quick Snuggie tip: if you're in the market for one, they sell them at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $15, so you don't have to pay shipping and handling, PLUS it still includes the free booklight! Wow!

Anyway, not only do Achilles and I love the Snuggie, but it has created a sort of cult obsession. There are spoof Snuggie videos all over YouTube (and they're pretty funny, so do a quick search for them if you're bored). And the biggest example of the Snuggie following? This:


A Snuggie Pub Crawl! What is a Snuggie Pub Crawl, you ask? Well, it's a bunch of people wandering from bar to bar in the East Village on a Saturday afternoon, drinking and wearing Snuggies. This very event took place this past Saturday, and Eric and I (never ones to miss out on some crazy NYC events) were in attendance.

The whole thing started at noon and lasted until 8:00 p.m. The group traveled to eight different bars during that time period, all while wearing their Snuggies and enjoying special Snuggie drink specials. Some people wore their Snuggies traditional-style, while others used the arms as pants, others wore them as capes, and some accessorized with belts or appliques. Some people even made their own Snuggies out of blankets or other crazy fabric. It was quite a sight to behold.

The weather on Saturday was GORGEOUS, so needless to say, Eric and I opted to spend the earlier part of the day in Central Park rather than a bar, then we met up with the Snuggies late in the afternoon, around 4 or 5:00. We enjoyed a couple drinks and went to two bars with the Snuggie crowd.

Now, enough of my babbling! It's time for the part I'm sure you've been waiting for: the pictures of this ridiculous affair!

At the first bar we where we met up with the Snuggies. See them sitting there?
This picture also demonstrates something I love about New York: restaurants that open up onto the street in the warm weather.

Just me in my Snuggie, enjoying a beer.

Eric thought it worked best as a belt (the weather was a bit warm for traditional Snuggie-wear, I will admit)

Homemade Snuggies made out of duck and frog fabric

The Snuggie crowd moving on to the next drinking establishment (the girls in the back didn't have Snuggies, so they just wore pajamas!)

Aha! We have arrived at the drinking establishment!
The name of the place is actually "Plug Uglies," but they covered up "Plug" to say "Snug." Get it?

On a side note, that last picture of me reminds me of something:


Is it just me, or does it look like the Statue of Liberty could possibly be wearing a Snuggie? Hmm, something to ponder.

Anyway, back to business...

Sporting a short-sleeved Snuggie look
(In case you're wondering, my hip is not really angular and deformed. That's my purse under there!)

A group of fellow Snuggies. The girl to the immediate right of the door has actually accessorized her Snuggie with a Florida Gators belt! Go Gators!
Which reminds me, Eric was wearing a Gators shirt and we got, like, eight "Go Gators!" called out to us during the day. Alright, Gator Nation!

My favorite homemade Snuggie: Disney princesses! Just what every little girl always dreams of.

A sea of Snuggies

Snuggies are even roomy enough for two! Man, we should be on the commercial.

Isn't it just ridiculous? What a crazy idea and strange thing to do. But it was really fun! Also, it only made things more enjoyable that while drinking and wearing my Snuggie, I was able to watch both the Cleveland Cavaliers beating Detroit, as well as the Indians utterly humiliating the Yankees with their 22-4 victory! Can you believe that? Eric and I stopped for pizza before Snuggie-ing, and while we were there they Yankees went up 2-0. By the time we got to the bar and Snuggie-ed up, it was still only the second inning and the Indians were up 9-2 with the bases loaded. Just moments after our arrival, we saw a grand slam by Asdrubal Cabrera and a home run by Grady Sizemore. They scored 14 runs in one inning, and it only continued on from there! Unheard of!

And from a more girly, not-so-sportsfan point of view, a day of drinks while watching both Grady Sizemore and Lebron James on large televisions is never a bad day, regardless of the final score, if you know what I mean. And in case you don't, here's a little Grady action for ya:


Yes. Now you understand.

So anyway, that was the really weird part of our weekend. I'll be back later this week to share pics from the rest of our weekend, which was really nice all around. In the meantime, have a nice week!