Pattern Play: Bizarro Stripe

Although “Bizarro” may not be a common household name, its pop culture references run pretty deep. From superheroes, to television sitcoms, to theme parks, the word Bazarro has made its fair share of appearances.

Bizarro Pop Culture

The most commonly known Bizarro (especially if you’re a comic book or superhero aficionado) is the fictional supervillain of the same name from DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp in 1958, Bizarro was first introduced to the DC Universe in the comic Superboy #68 as an evil but "mirror image" of Superman – an evil twin if you will. Although there have been different versions of the character, the most popularized one has been the original who was envisioned as a symbol of the Soviet Union at the time when Superman was seen as the embodiment of the United States in the 1950’s – in fact, many superheroes created in these years resembled political symbols.

Aside from the history of Bizarro, the consistent enemy of Superman has seen a number of other pop culture references. The famous American sitcom “Seinfeld” referenced Bizarro in the series’ 137th episode in 1996 titled “The Bizarro Jerry”, where the main character of the show, Jerry, claims that Elaine’s ex-boyfriend turned friend, Kevin, and his friends are “Bizarro” versions of himself and their friends, Kramer and George. Jerry then goes on to explain the “Bizarro World” from the comics and how everything in that world is opposite to expectations, which fits our Bizarro swim trunk exactly. Our Bizarro stripe is an ode to the unexpected, the unfamiliar, and the uncanny, and can only be described as an opposite of the traditional stripe we see so frequently in today’s fashion industry.

And yes, we did say theme parks above – Bizarro, named after the supervillain, is a steel and floorless roller coaster at the Six Flags Great Adventure Park in New Jersey. Originally called “Medusa”, the attraction was built in 1999 by Bolliger & Mabillard and was considered the world’s first floorless roller coaster. The ride wasn’t renamed and rethemed as “Bizarro” until 2008 before it’s reopening in 2009. The rollercoaster moves at a speed of 61 mph and is accompanied by loops, a 132-foot drop and carries 32 passengers per ride.

Bather’s Bizarro Stripe

Although our trunks don’t have political undertones or a matching rollercoaster, we think you should embrace the unexpected and take stripes to the next level with our Bizarro Stripe Swim Trunk – Jerry Seinfeld would have. Matching Camp Shirt available.