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Original Source

So far I have discussed a number of ways that despite being a small town, Naugatuck has had many global impacts upon the world. Even more fascinating is that quite a few of them are still felt around the world today. This week I'll discuss another way that Naugatuck became the birthplace of a phenomenon that swept the planet; the birth of the very first Nauga, a creature of varying sizes with a leather-like hide and a mouth full of pointy teeth.

Some might say it is a monster, and if you're not familiar with this strange critter, you might be thinking that I am about to relate a tale of bizarre genetic experiments and unexpected cross-breeding results – but not quite.

Perhaps you still have your very own pet Nauga, and in that case, you know that it all began with a crazy advertising concept. I can't help but wonder what the Uniroyal executives were all thinking when they were presented with the notion of an ad campaign revolving around an ugly, mythical creature named after the town where it was invented. To our delight, they liked the risky idea, and thus was born a marketing program that still influences other advertisers today.

In keeping with the theme of this feature, the story of the Naugas begins with yet another "first" for our little town...

"In 1914, Naugahyde was invented at the U.S. Rubber (Uniroyal) plant in Naugatuck, Connecticut. It was the first rubber-based artificial leather ever made, and the first in a series of product innovations. Naugahyde is recognized as a global leader in high-performance vinyl coated fabrics and top coats." (Source)

Naugahyde took the world by storm. Cheaper, more durable and easier to adapt to many uses than the natural skin it was designed to replace, the synthetic leather began revolutionizing furniture and clothing products. Naugahyde artificial leather was created using leather fibers & rubber compounds applied to fabric, and one of the first products to be vastly improved by its use was handbags. In the photos you will see the bottom of a black handbag used by Doctors, manufactured in the 1900s, shortly after the invention of Naugahyde. On the bottom of the bag is an official stamp, identifying the revolutionary new material. Ladies' handbags were another huge market for the artificial leather, and the colors and surface patterns that could be easily achieved were very popular among consumers. Another photo shows a bag constructed with brightly colored and textured Naugahyde sections.

Soon, chairs were being upholstered in it, and older chairs were being re-upholstered with it. Coats were introduced, then sewing kits, backpacks, auto seats, bar stools, foot stools, wallets, gloves, luggage... The uses for Naugahyde seemed endless.

Success always breeds competition however, and after half a century of dominance in the marketplace, Uniroyal began to feel pressure from a number of competitors who sprang up over the decades. Bold action needed to be taken in order to reassert themselves as the market leaders.

Like any story of such mythical proportions, there is always a mythically sized person behind it. The same is true with the invention of the Nauga. On the hit TV show Mad Men, about 60s advertising firms, the Don Draper character is said to have been inspired by a real Madison Avenue ad man. If you enjoyed the character, then meet the man that Draper was based on; George Lois. One of the leading figures in the "Creative Revolution" of advertising during the 1950s, George Lois became one of the most influential art directors in advertising history.

"One of Lois' clients was the pancake company Aunt Jemima. He began working on their advertising campaign before they made syrup, when they were only known for their pancake mix. Wondering why the company didn't have their own syrup, Lois devised a questionnaire about pancakes. It asked consumers which syrup they'd purchased recently, and he included an option to circle "Aunt Jemima Syrup," a then-nonexistent product. "Something like 90 percent of the people or so circled that they had bought Aunt Jemima syrup," says Lois. "I took that research to the head guys, and I said, 'I want to talk to you about syrup.' ... Of course, they created the syrup, and they became the leading syrup brand in the world."" (Source).
(listen to the audio interview as well!)

If you ever shouted along with Mick Jagger, "I want my MTV!," then you're already somewhat aware of how Lois' work helped elevate brands like Xerox, Lean Cuisine, Jiffy Lube, Aunt Jemima Syrup, and MTV to worldwide fame. It was no different in the late 1960s when he took on the challenge of re-establishing Uniroyal's dominance as the leader in synthetic leather materials. However, far beyond global recognition of the Naugahyde brand, not even "Don Draper" could have predicted what Lois would ultimately help create. In one of the earliest examples of an urban myth springing up around an advertised product, George Lois' Naugas entered the concerned public consciousness as a potentially endangered species subject to cruel hunting and skinning practices! To this day, there are lingering remnants of this surprising belief. An entry in Snopes, the famous debunking site, shows that Lois' legacy continues to create mythos:

"During the 1960s and 1970s an advertising/marketing team headed by George Lois for Naugahyde, asserted humorously, that their faux leather was obtained from the skin of a fictitious animal called a "Nauga." The claim became an urban myth as the campaign emphasized that Naugas can shed their skin without harm to themselves. The Nauga doll, a chubby, horned monster with outstretched arms and a wide toothy grin, became a popular advertising icon of the 60s and 70s. Fine examples of the original production are scarce, as most Naugas were given as gifts to loyal customers." (Source).

Many a compassionate animal-lover has worried over the cruel treatment these ugly but lovable little critters suffered. Naugas, are obviously hunted for their skins — that’s where we get Naugahyde from. Right? Even Garfield the cat got in on the joke in June 1981, when his creator Jim Davis made the coffee-loving cat demand of his owner Jon; “Do you know how many Naugas they killed to make this leash?”

Thanks to George Lois' fictional Naugas, invented solely as a marketing device to help sell Naugahyde, an alarmed public began to fret over the plight of an imaginary animal in an early form of "going viral." There are no Naugas, of course, but humorous references to them in advertisements helped sooth consumers’ unfamiliarity with a distinctly synthetic product. The Nauga was a friendly face for an otherwise faceless product, imbuing personality into something that before was just dull and too scientific.

Later, in the 1960s and 70s, Naugahyde’s marketing actually managed to weave its way into pop culture with a marketing campaign that asserted (again humorously) that Naugahyde was obtained from the skin of a horned monster-like animal called a “Nauga.” 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. OK, totally hysterical! An elaborate version of this (fictional) story can still be found on their web site. It’s priceless and worth the read! Fueled by this urban myth, the company even produced a line of Nauga dolls – ugly, horned monsters with a wide toothy grins – which became popular in the 60s and 70s. And, yes, I checked it out… you can still get your very own Nauga doll in contemporary colors! (Source).

Although the Nauga is the first and best-known of the cryptozoological creatures who supply synthetic textiles to the world, it’s far from the only one. The success of the urban-myth-fueled ad campaign inspired similar stories to be created and shared. Here's a few of the others mentioned by concerned citizens during a 1992 letter-writing campaign to the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison... A local scientist wrote in to the paper's editorial section, warning of the abuse to a little-known but important animal: The Belgian Velcro – "Developed as a use for the skins of darling little creatures that live in central Belgium." The letter spawned equally concerned responses from folks who wanted to make the world aware of: The Ester Squirrel – "More than a million esters die every month in the production of polyester." Other humorous examples followed and what we might call a "meme" today was born in the pages of a local paper, all inspired by the plucky Nauga.

All hilarious fun aside, Naugahyde is a composite knit fabric backing and expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic coating. It was developed by Byron A. Hunter, senior chemist at the United States Rubber Company, which later changed its name to Uniroyal. Naugahyde is still manufactured and sold today by Uniroyal Engineered Products, LLC. The product name was eventually trademarked in 1936, and of course was inspired by the name of our town, where it was first produced. It is now manufactured at the Uniroyal plant in Stoughton, Wisconsin. In the photos the fabric can be seen coming off the rollers at the plant.

The Nauga campaign was a much bigger success than anyone could have imagined. It is an example of great advertising - an idea that promotes the product and brand far beyond the competition, across all possible media, and even into popular culture. After fifty years the Nauga is still doing its job, promoting Naugahyde. The original dolls have become collectors items, and most importantly, the Nauga helped Uniroyal overwhelm its competitors and once again become the market leader.

"What I try to teach young people, or anybody in any creative field, is that every idea should seemingly be outrageous." – George Lois

Thanks again to a "mad man" whose "outrageous" and visionary creativity resulted in a Naugatuck icon still loved the world over. You can even get your very own Nauga, now being lovingly hand-crafted at their current manufacturing home in Wisconsin.

"Every hand-made doll comes with its own unique serial number and original adoption certificate to validate its authenticity. NAUGAs are bred in an incredibly wide variety of colors at our Stoughton, WI ranch, but they shed randomly for the creation of our NAUGA Dolls. When you adopt a "Classic" NAUGA doll you will receive whatever fabulous colors have most recently been shed, or order a Custom NAUGA and choose your colors from the great selection available." (Source).