‘Golden Girls’ Panties Just In Time For Christmas: Betty White, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, And Rue McClanahan Go Viral Again
Yes, Golden Girls underwear do exist, and they’ve taken the term “granny panties” to a whole new level. According to Mashable, you can buy a set of underwear with the likenesses of Dorothy, Blanche, Sofia, and Rose just in time for Christmas.
The Golden Girls panties, for sale on handmade and custom mega-mart Etsy, can be found in the shop of “Bulletsandbees,” owned by Candace Pugh, a stay-at-home mother from Utah and Golden Girls fan (presumably, because why else would she sell Golden Girls panties?), reports website First To Know.
The granny panties are a little pricey, and you’ll have to fork over $40 to $50 per pair, but each garment is silk and handmade. According to Mashable, the Golden Girls panties are made-to-order custom undergarments, and perfect for a Christmas gift.
For the granny panties aficionado, Pugh offers a high-wasted version bearing the face of spicy Sofia, the oldest member of the Golden Girls clan. Naturally, the panties featuring Southern belle Blanche come sans crotch. The panties bearing the faces of Dorothy and Rose are ordinary run-of-the-mill panties. Except they’re Golden Girls panties.
The ultimate granny panties: Yep, there’s a 4 pack of ‘Golden Girls’ underwear https://t.co/ZdhgOqyEz8 pic.twitter.com/3lAIsy0UZ3
— Desirée O (@DesireeO) November 24, 2015
The Golden Girls, which was nominated for 68 Emmy Awards according to Mashable, ran from September 1985 until May 1992, and became an instant cult classic, cementing Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan as cultural icons.
Just as the granny panties have gone viral, reports of the deaths of the Golden Girls stars repeatedly circulate over social media. In fact, the only remaining Golden Girls cast member is 92-year-old Betty White, who was the victim of a death hoax last year.
According to E! News, a satirical article on Empire News went viral after fans thought the article brought news of Betty White’s death. The article headline read “Actress Betty White, 92, Dyes Peacefully In Her Los Angeles Home,” and really talked about how Betty White dyes her hair.
Be A Friend: Buy that special someone in your life 'Golden Girls' granny panties https://t.co/yN4fs3N3Nc pic.twitter.com/43FaHwjB4L
— UPROXX (@UPROXX) November 23, 2015
Fans, misunderstanding the headline, prepared to mourn the death of the final Golden Girls cast member. As these things go on social media, fans did not read the actual article, and assuming Betty White had died, shared the story like wildfire.
In the satirical article, Betty White, who’s well-known for her platinum blonde locks, supposedly confessed that she began dying her hair “ages ago when my color started to fade away to a more whiteish, greyish color.” Betty added, according to the hoax story, that when she played Rose on the Golden Girls, “the joke about my natural hair color made it into several episodes. I’ve always had a sense of humor about it.”
During her death hoax, Betty White’s agent, Jeff Witjas, had to come forward to confirm that White was, indeed, still alive.
Earlier this summer, a second Golden Girls cast member, Rue McClanahan, went viral after reports of her death began circulating — five years after she actually perished. In that case, similar to the Betty White death hoax, fans did not read the article that was passed around, which was dated June 3, 2010.
The article started to trend on social media after one tweeter shared the news with her 21,000 followers, and the report got out of hand, reports CBS News. Because of the Golden Girls death hoax phenomenon, the Washington Post even published a study explaining how news such as the death of McClanahan, long after the actress’ death, goes viral
According to the Washington Post, even though the date is “clearly marked at the top of the page, above the headline…people fly right over it in their haste to read of Rue,” causing the Golden Girls cast member to go viral yet again.
Of course, with your very own set of Golden Girls granny panties, the memory of Rose, Blanche, Sofia, and Dorothy will live on, both on television and in your lingerie drawer.
[Photo by: Todd Williamson/Getty Images]