My Mission

Robert Sale-Hill’s poem, The True Origin and History of “The Dude” (The New York World, January 14, 1883) introduced the world to the word Dude, and kicked off a full-on Dude craze. A-Dude-a-Day[i] Blog is dedicated to preserving and sharing pics, pieces and poems from the early days of the Dude-craze of 1883. You can read more about the history and origin of the word Dude on my blogpost, "Dudes, Dodos and Fopdoodles" on my other blog, Early Sports 'n' Pop-Culture History Blog.


Friday, January 8, 2016

Dude #36 - A Yankee Dood'le Do.

During 1883, the men's clothing store, Rogers & Peet, capitalized on the "Dude" craze by running a series of ads featuring "dudes."

This is the third of the series. [See also, Prudence vs. Imprudence, Too-too, and Dude - from Swahili?]

Whereas the first two "dude" ads ridiculed "Dudes," and pushed un-dude-like clothes, Rogers & Pete eventually bought into the image.  Their third "dude" ad targets young men and the new fashions; it shows a young cock-of-the-walk strutting proudly in his tight trousers, short coat, and high collar - a real "Dude - a "Yankee Dood'le Do":

The Sun, September 22, 1883.



“The Yankee Dood’le Do.”

The young men all know what “corkscrews” are – we mean the harmless kind of corkscrews made of worsted – so called because of the pattern which fancy has exaggerated into a resemblance to the spiral twist of a sure-enough corkscrew.  These goods are the most fashionable for the gentlemen’s wear, and are having a great sale.

As the “Young Bloods” set the fashions and lead off the season with new clothes, we are early in the field with our stock of youths’ suits – four-button cutaways and sacks – made of finest goods of all sorts; and we ask the boys in to look – preparatory to ordering.

Rogers, Peet & Co.,
Men's and Boys' Outfitters,
569-575 Broadway, 
Opposite
Metropolitan Hotel

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