p aa e 6 THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1978
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By LIZ NEWLIN
Battalion Staff
Students attending this Univer
sity often leave with something
called “Aggie Spirit.” Many others
visiting this University leave with
something collectively called “Aggie
paraphernalia. ”
Wool caps, toilet seats, mugs,
pennants, pencils, fine china, stick
ers and T-shirts are just part of the
multimillion dollar business that
serves both friends and enemies of
Texas A&M.
Some items, like Aggie joke
books, offend some and make them
mad. But most of the paraphernalia
is purchased proudly for other Ag
gies or potential Aggies, say local
bookstore managers.
“It’s fairly big because it’s more or
less tradition,” said Dennis Bother,
manager of Loupot’s Book Store.
“It’s fun to poke fun at yourself. It’s
publicity for Aggies and for them
selves.”
Martha Camp has worked at the
University Book Store since 1951
and is manager now. She’s has had
opportunities to establish book
stores on other college campuses,
but she says she won’t.
“They buy the stuff because
they’re proud of their school and
they like to show it.
“National salesmen who call on
the store say there is more ‘espirit
de corps’ here than any school they
trade with. Only about 10 schools in
the nation have the same caliber of
spirit,” she said, smiling.
Many students and relatives pro
mote Texas A&M, especially
through T-shirts, Camp said.
“When tjiere are kids at home
who can’t decide where to go, some
students will send them a shirt and
show them the school,’ she said.
Battalion
photos
by
Susan Webb
Aggie Jokes. . .
. . . on the decline
By MARY C. BECKER
There had been rumors that the
Aggie joke was dying or at least not
feeling too well. I was assigned to
check it out.
My only lead was Dr. Sylvia
Grider, English professor at Texas
A&M University.
Grider had expressed her ideas
on the subject in a paper she pres
ented to the Institute of Texan Cul
ture on December 15.
One of the reasons Grider gave for
the eventual demise of the Aggie
joke was the false stereotype of the
‘typical dumb Aggie.’
The image of the all male, military
‘cow college’ is no longer true,
Grider said.
The general overexposure of jokes
could end up as overkill. “It’s hard to
hear a new one,” she said.
Jokes are a limited commodity.
There are only a so many combina
tions and the tired old Aggie joke has
almost exhausted them all.
The typical joke cycle is funny only
for awhile. “It’s no fun to tell a joke to
someone who has already heard it,”
Grider said.
Joke cycles include fed jokes that
are based on contemporary events or
songs. There are also topical joke cy
cles such as football jokes during
football season and of course, the
gimmicks, Grider said.
The gimmicks are the visible sign
of the decline of the Aggie joke ac
cording to Grider.
The gimmicks demonstrate the
principal of a media switch. An idea
from one media is transformed into
another form.
“When a joke cycle goes from an
oral joke to joke books and from here
to this form, ” she said holding up one
of the items from her collection of
Aggie gimmicks, “that’s about as far
as you can push a joke.”
Joke telling is an oral tradition and
when a joke goes through a media
switch, the tradition may be lost.
What interested Grider in collect
ing paraphernalia was the variations
on one idea. A brick may commer
cially become an Aggie Bowling
Bowl or an Aggie Toothpick.
As long as the gimmick demon
strates the principal of the joke, it
remains true to stereotype. The irra
tionality of putting a plug on a pencil
for an Aggie Calculator or a plug on a
saw for an Aggie Chainsaw, would be
a typical Aggie joke.
When the paraphernalia gets so far
from tradition and becomes nonsen
sical or even unpleasant, Grider
said, the tradition is lost.
The abundance and price of the
gimmicks may determine how much
longer the Aggie joke will be around.
The gimmicks rely on first sight reac
tions and usually aren’t as funny the
second time around. And there is not
much funny about paying $7.95 for
an Aggie chainsaw.
What threatens the Aggie joke’s
existence is Texas A&M itself. The
stereotype of the typical Aggie is
weakened by: a large, diversified
student body which includes women
and civilians; A&M’s prestigious re
search programs and the school’s var
ied curriculum.
An Aggie joke can serve contradic
tory functions.
Aggie jokes are a regional variation
of Polish jokes according to Grider.
They can be used as a form of ethnic
slur that ridicules Aggies.
However, Grider noted Aggie
jokes are also “one more expression
of that eliteness of A&M,” because
most of the Aggie jokes are told by
Aggies.
Grider said there is no way to pre
dict if the Aggie joke will ever disap
pear.
Grider’s other theory is the Aggie
joke cycle never completely dies out.
It’s dormant long enough to get
another audience.
“Same old jokes, just a new audi
ence.”
... or sign of times
By KATHRYN GOFF
Cartoonist Jim Earle said he also
believes the familiar Aggie jokes
may be fading. However, he says
there is still a unique style of humor
at Texas A&M
Aggies can find humor even in un
fortunate events, Earle said.
“If someone slipped on a
sidewalk, people (at A&M) would
laugh about it,” Earle said, not to
make fun of them, but because it’s
something to laugh about when it’s
Earle, a Battalion cartoonist for 24
years, has noted changes in the
campus through the years, reflect
ing them in his illustrations.
When Aggie jokes first started,
Earle said, students learned “not to
get mad” and took the kidding to the
point that they began most of the
jokes themselves. However, he
said, Aggies have become less toler
ant of the jokes, and are paying less
and less attention to them now.
The Corps acted as a cohesive
group for the whole campus before,
Earle said. But now, students are
“semi-isolated” and don’t identify as
much with their campus.
He said this also makes them have
fewer chances to get together with
other people to discuss and laugh
over their problems.
However, he said humor still sur-
The familiar “whoop” can be
heard at dining halls on campus
whenever someone drops food, or
silverware.
Earle said he thought arguments
about the sacredness of the Memo
rial Student Center (MSC) lawns,
taking off hats inside the MSC build
ing and what constitutes a “good
Ag” have at times become over
heated.
“Aren’t we lucky to be able to get
mad about unimportant things,” he
said. “We don’t care what goes on in
Egypt or in Israel, we care about the
food (served on campus) or taking
hats off in the MSC.”
Earle said that actualy the Aggie
jokes’ decline is not important,
compared to the Aggies’ overall
capacity for humor.
He said people should all look for
humor no matter how serious life’
becomes.
“Not many other students do that.”
John Raney, manager and owner
of the Texas Aggie Bookstore since
1969, said sales of paraphernalia
have grown because of enrollment
increases and because it’s a fad to
wear shirts and other items with
school names on them.
“Most customers during football
season are former students,” Raney
said. All the booksellers noted an
increase in business during football
weekends. Customers then are
mainly people who haven’t been to
the University for a while and want
to take it back with them, they said.
Before Christmas, many gifts for
non-Aggieland residents increase
sales.
The biggest-selling item with the
Texas A&M design is the T-shirt.
“The design is what sells the
shirt,” said Raney. “On a basic
T-shirt, there’s not a whole lot you
can do. ” Shirt styling is more impor
tant on a jersev, he added.
At the University’s Memorial
Student Center store, T-shirts com
prise 80 percent of gift purchases,
said manager Howard DeHart.
About 20 percent of the store’s vol
ume is generated by Aggie memen
tos.
Profits from these sales supple
ment the book department, which
loses money because of the “close”
price mark-up, DeHart said.
Most profits from the bookstore,
about $100,000 this year, are dis
tributed to recognized student or
ganizations, said Dr. Carolyn Adair,
director of student activities.
Although jokes are the focus of
many items, some reflect the seri
ous, “spiritual” side of Texas A&M.
Books on the University’s history
and reproductions of Aggie songs
and traditions remain popular, they
said.
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Ideas for souvenirs come mainly
from one source — commercial
manufacturers who specialize in the
business.
Located around the country, they
devise T-shirt designs and gift items
for most colleges and universities. A
few Aggies have successfully mar
keted gift items in local stores, but
not many.
National businesses make the
items for bookstores, drug stores
and other businesses, said DeHart,
who has worked for the MSC
bookstore since 1969.
Former students, he said, request
the store to carry a “certain quality
of merchandise.
“Former students suggest lots of
things we carry in that part of the
store, DeHart added. For exam
ple, fine china with the University
seal was stocked after their re
quests, he noted.
When manufacturers try to “sell
a new item to MSC store, DeHart
said. For instance, the store will not
sell Aggie joke books or some of the
Bookstore owner Raney also ac
cepts non-professional gift ideas.
“A number of people come by,
he said, “with belt buckles, Aggie
Christmas cards, glasses holders,
toilet tissue, and other things.
“Most of the time it is not suc
cessful, unless they know where to
go and how to sell it.”
T-shirt ideas are produced by the
University Book Store and Loupots
Book Store. Designs depicting a
Corps of Cadets outfit or special
group have a ready-made market.
Monkeys clad in Aggie clothes
sold by one of the stores are the cre
ation of Joan Underbrink of Bryan.
“I thought they d make nice
Aggie souvenirs,” she said. Making
the monkeys for birthday gifts ex
panded into making them “for an
extra job.
Underbrink is toying with
another idea, one that’s not on the
market yet. She envisions Aggie di
aper bags with the “TAM” emblem
on one side and the child's name on
the other.
When manufacturers try to•phe T
a new item to the MSC si®
DeHart and his staff decided,v
will offend anyone or downgi 1 j •
Texas A&M. 11
The
ijemish
ouisian
“We don’t like to haveanyofi
joke items in the store,
said. For instance, the stores
not sell Aggie joke books or some
the crude merchandise whichpd
fun at the school’s students.
"If there s any doubt whatei
we won’t carry it,” he said.
Jewelry with the Aggie emit
was recently added to the
line, and DeHart said it’s bt
popular. The mainstay of the it
book stock, though, is still T-sliiit
The most successful student
for merchandise in MSCstore\
group of backpacks, he said. Al
half the packs carried the Ti
A&M emblem, and the studi
have since formed a company
manufacture the carry-alls, tv
are still sold in the store. I 1
student-produced items, he s
“don’t make it.”
T-shirts
tell it all
I’m proud to be an Ag^e, Aggei
I are a student at A&M college,
sdrawkcab ti od seiggA (Aggies do it backwards)
No where else but Aggieland.
Hullabaloo Caneck Caneck
My Dad is an Aggie
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and A&M
I’m a little TAM Aggie
Eat more beef (before the Texas game)
Even Jesus loves Texas Aggies
The joking’s over
Next year is here
20-10
Zips ‘81 (or others)
Help me. I’m an Aggie
Kiss me, I’m an Aggie
Anywhere else but College Station
In 1928, the biggest thing besides the class ring was a watch fob like it,
mainly because nobody wore anything but uniforms.
By 1940, cover alls with the Texas Aggie emblem were popular.
Later, T-shirts developed as a popular medium for expressing love and
devotion to the University, and really increased in popularity in the 1960s with
a high enrollment with civilians and women ....
Jud Loupot — owner of Loupots Book Store since 1932.