Foam hands
Encyclopedia
A foam hand, also known as a foam finger, is a sports paraphernalia item worn on the hand to show support for a particular team. The most common version resembles an oversized hand with an extended index finger. Usually the surface displays a silk-screened team name, logo
, or other graphic or slogan, such as "We Are #1." Foam hands are made of open-celled foam; slits in their bases allow them to be worn.
Invented by Geral Fauss in 1978, who originally created the giant finger out of plywood.
Besides being sold at all manner of sporting events and venues as souvenirs, foam fingers are used as fund-raisers for schools and booster clubs as well as corporate promotions.
To date, the majority of "foam hands" have been produced in a planar-like form. However, in early 2009, a product that more-closely replicates the dimensional form of a human hand was introduced and marketed under the trade name
Radhand, a company owned by Vincent DeFelice and Dennis Magner.
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, or other graphic or slogan, such as "We Are #1." Foam hands are made of open-celled foam; slits in their bases allow them to be worn.
Invented by Geral Fauss in 1978, who originally created the giant finger out of plywood.
Common shape variations
- Instead of a human hand, the foam finger is in the shape of a talon, hoof, paw, or other hand-analog to resemble that of the team mascot.
- The index finger, thumb, and pinky are extended in the American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
sign for love. Often this version is captioned, "Gotta Love Those [team name]." - The index finger and pinky are extended to represent gestures such as University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
's "Go Bulls" or University of Texas' "Hook 'em HornsHook 'em HornsHook 'em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of The University of Texas at Austin. Students and alumni of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" and also use the phrase as a parting good-bye or as the closing line in a letter or story.The gesture is...
." - The middle finger is extended in the obscene hand gesture the finger.
- The index, middle, and pinky fingers are extended in the shockerShocker (hand gesture)The shocker, also known colloquially as "two in the pink, one in the stink" or "two in the goo, one in the poo" is a hand gesture with a sexual connotation. The ring finger and thumb are curled or bent down while the other fingers are extended. The index and middle fingers are kept together and...
position.
Besides being sold at all manner of sporting events and venues as souvenirs, foam fingers are used as fund-raisers for schools and booster clubs as well as corporate promotions.
To date, the majority of "foam hands" have been produced in a planar-like form. However, in early 2009, a product that more-closely replicates the dimensional form of a human hand was introduced and marketed under the trade name
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
Radhand, a company owned by Vincent DeFelice and Dennis Magner.