Naugahyde (sometimes abbreviated to Nauga) is a well known and established brand of artificial leather ("pleather"), made from vinyl polymer coated plastic. The product was developed by Uniroyal Engineered Products and is now manufactured and sold by a division of the same company, the Naugahyde Company. Its name, first used as a trademark in 1936,[1] comes from the Borough of Naugatuck, Connecticut, where it was first produced.
A marketing campaign of the 1960s and 1970s asserted humorously that Naugahyde was obtained from the shed skin of an animal known as a "Nauga"; the claim became a popular urban myth.[2] The campaign emphasized that, unlike other animals, which must typically be slaughtered to obtain their hides, Naugas can shed their skin without harm to themselves.[3] The Nauga doll, a squat, horned monster with a wide toothy grin, became popular in the 1960s and is still sold today.[4]
Comedian Allan Sherman provided some humor on the subject with his song parody "Chim Chim Cheree," which featured the lines "My chair is upholstered in real Naugahyde / When they killed that nauga, I sat down and cried!"
Uniroyal asserts that Naugahyde is one of the most popular premium pleathers.
Naugahyde is manufactured in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
See also
References
- ^ Trademark Electronic Search System, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- ^ Mikkelson, Barbara (2007-02-18). "Naugahyde and Seek". Snopes.com. http://www.snopes.com/business/market/nauga.asp. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ "A Nauga Story". Uniroyal. http://www.naugahyde.com/history.html. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Nauga dolls, Uniroyal website.
External links
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