The Puffy Shirt
Encyclopedia
"The Puffy Shirt" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American
NBC
sitcom
Seinfeld
. It was the 66th episode and originally aired on September 23, 1993. Larry David
, the creator of the show, cites this episode as one of his favorites in the series.
is upset because he is moving back in with his parents. Jerry
offers him money to pay his rent and Kramer
tells him he can live with him for a while, but George declines. They help George move his things into his parents' house, but George is alarmed when they prepare to leave because he does not want to be left alone with his bickering parents. Jerry tells him that he is going to dinner later with Elaine
, Kramer, and Kramer's new girlfriend Leslie (Wendel Meldrum
), who is a "low-talker", someone who speaks so softly that she is often not understood. George wants to come, but his mother tells him he is going to dinner with her and his father.
That night at dinner, Kramer tells Elaine and Jerry that Leslie is a clothing designer and has designed a new puffy shirt
"like the pirates used to wear." When he leaves to go to the bathroom, Elaine explains to Leslie that Jerry is making an appearance on The Today Show to promote a benefit for Goodwill
that helps clothe the poor and homeless. Leslie then says something. Not hearing what she said, Jerry and Elaine just pretend and nod their heads in agreement. Meanwhile, George is having dinner with his parents at another restaurant. When arguing with his mother about what he is going to do for a job (and listening to his father talk about silver dollars), George gets up to get some air.
Outside, he accidentally bumps into a woman and spills her bag. When helping her pick up her things, the woman notices George's hands. She remarks that he has exquisite hands and asks if he's ever done any hand modeling. George says no and she gives him her card.
The next day at Jerry's, George presents his hands to him, but Jerry fails to see what is so special about them. Kramer walks in and shakes George's hand, shocking him with a hand buzzer
, which distresses George. He shows Kramer his hands and then puts on oven mitts and leaves. Kramer then tells Jerry that since he agreed to wear Leslie's puffy shirt on The Today Show
she has been getting orders from boutiques and department stores to produce more of them. Jerry does not know what he is talking about and Kramer explains that he had told Leslie yes when she asked if he would wear the shirt on The Today Show at the restaurant (after Kramer left to use the bathroom). Jerry protests wearing the shirt because he could not hear a word she was saying, but Kramer tells him he has to wear it because factories are already producing them and stores are beginning to stock them.
George goes home and starts prepping his hands for his meeting with the photographers. Jerry and Kramer are backstage in a dressing room at The Today Show studio. The stagehand
tells Jerry he has five minutes until he goes on the air. Elaine arrives and immediately laughs at Jerry's shirt and tells him he looks like The Count of Monte Cristo
.
At his meeting with the hand model
photographers, the photographers marvel at George's hands. One of them proclaims that George's hands reminded him of Ray McKigney's, a former model who had it all until he blew it by messing up his hands while not being the "master of his domain." George tells them not to worry because "I won a contest," a reference to the masturbation
episode
in season 4.
Jerry, meanwhile, makes his appearance on The Today Show, but Bryant Gumbel
cannot help but laugh and talk about his puffy shirt. Jerry gets pushed over the edge and denounces the shirt on the air, causing Leslie to shout "You bastard!" off camera. Jerry says "Now that I heard."
The photographer takes pictures of George's hands and a client (David Brisbin
) gives him a check. A fellow model
, an attractive woman, then asks George if they want to get together later. Overjoyed, George finally thinks he has it all as he heads to meet Jerry at the NBC studios. In the dressing room, Leslie screams at Jerry for ruining her career. George bursts in and tells Jerry of his good fortune. Elaine, who has never noticed George's hands before, asks to see them. George takes off his mittens, then proceeds to mock and laugh at Jerry's shirt, unaware that Leslie, who is still in the room, can hear him. Furious, she pushes George and he trips, burning his now exposed hands on a hot iron
sitting on the dressing room table.
The episode ends with the four sitting at a coffee shop, which is surprisingly not Monks. George's hands are bandaged up and Elaine helps feed him. He mockingly tells them that his hand model career is over "because of the puffy shirt." The shirt fiasco also caused Elaine to get fired from the benefit committee at Goodwill
. Jerry says that he gets constantly heckled during his stand-up performances because of the shirt ("Avast ye maties" is one heckler's comment). Kramer tells them that all the stores canceled out on Leslie and that he broke up with her because he "can't be with someone whose life is in complete disarray." The remaining shirts were given to Goodwill and when the four friends leave, two homeless men outside, dressed in the puffy shirts, ask for change. When giving them some money, Jerry remarks that it's not really a bad-looking shirt after all.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. It was the 66th episode and originally aired on September 23, 1993. Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
, the creator of the show, cites this episode as one of his favorites in the series.
Plot
GeorgeGeorge Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
is upset because he is moving back in with his parents. Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
offers him money to pay his rent and Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
tells him he can live with him for a while, but George declines. They help George move his things into his parents' house, but George is alarmed when they prepare to leave because he does not want to be left alone with his bickering parents. Jerry tells him that he is going to dinner later with Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
, Kramer, and Kramer's new girlfriend Leslie (Wendel Meldrum
Wendel Meldrum
Wendel Anne Meldrum is a Canadian actress best known for her roles of Leslie the "low talking" clothing designer from the 1993 Seinfeld episode The Puffy Shirt, and school teacher, Miss White, on The Wonder Years....
), who is a "low-talker", someone who speaks so softly that she is often not understood. George wants to come, but his mother tells him he is going to dinner with her and his father.
That night at dinner, Kramer tells Elaine and Jerry that Leslie is a clothing designer and has designed a new puffy shirt
Poet shirt
A poet shirt is a type of shirt made as a loose-fitting blouse with full bishop sleeves, usually decorated with large frills on the front and on the cuffs. Typically, it has a laced-up V-neck opening, designed to pull over the head, but can have a full-length opening fastened by buttons...
"like the pirates used to wear." When he leaves to go to the bathroom, Elaine explains to Leslie that Jerry is making an appearance on The Today Show to promote a benefit for Goodwill
Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries International is a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges...
that helps clothe the poor and homeless. Leslie then says something. Not hearing what she said, Jerry and Elaine just pretend and nod their heads in agreement. Meanwhile, George is having dinner with his parents at another restaurant. When arguing with his mother about what he is going to do for a job (and listening to his father talk about silver dollars), George gets up to get some air.
Outside, he accidentally bumps into a woman and spills her bag. When helping her pick up her things, the woman notices George's hands. She remarks that he has exquisite hands and asks if he's ever done any hand modeling. George says no and she gives him her card.
The next day at Jerry's, George presents his hands to him, but Jerry fails to see what is so special about them. Kramer walks in and shakes George's hand, shocking him with a hand buzzer
Joy Buzzer
A joy buzzer is a practical joke device that consists of a coiled spring inside a disc worn in the palm of the hand...
, which distresses George. He shows Kramer his hands and then puts on oven mitts and leaves. Kramer then tells Jerry that since he agreed to wear Leslie's puffy shirt on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
she has been getting orders from boutiques and department stores to produce more of them. Jerry does not know what he is talking about and Kramer explains that he had told Leslie yes when she asked if he would wear the shirt on The Today Show at the restaurant (after Kramer left to use the bathroom). Jerry protests wearing the shirt because he could not hear a word she was saying, but Kramer tells him he has to wear it because factories are already producing them and stores are beginning to stock them.
George goes home and starts prepping his hands for his meeting with the photographers. Jerry and Kramer are backstage in a dressing room at The Today Show studio. The stagehand
Stagehand
A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their duties include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production.-Types of stagehand:...
tells Jerry he has five minutes until he goes on the air. Elaine arrives and immediately laughs at Jerry's shirt and tells him he looks like The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
.
At his meeting with the hand model
Hand model
A hand model is a person who models their hand or hands for the purposes of art, fashion or other products or advertising. Hand models are used in advertising where advertisers want close ups of the product being handled...
photographers, the photographers marvel at George's hands. One of them proclaims that George's hands reminded him of Ray McKigney's, a former model who had it all until he blew it by messing up his hands while not being the "master of his domain." George tells them not to worry because "I won a contest," a reference to the masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
episode
The Contest
"The Contest" was the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, George Costanza tells Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer that his mother caught him unaware while he was masturbating...
in season 4.
Jerry, meanwhile, makes his appearance on The Today Show, but Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.-Early life:...
cannot help but laugh and talk about his puffy shirt. Jerry gets pushed over the edge and denounces the shirt on the air, causing Leslie to shout "You bastard!" off camera. Jerry says "Now that I heard."
The photographer takes pictures of George's hands and a client (David Brisbin
David Brisbin
David Brisbin is an American television actor who gained fame as Mr. Ernst on the television show Hey Dude and as a newscaster in Forrest Gump. He has made frequent guest appearances on ER....
) gives him a check. A fellow model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, an attractive woman, then asks George if they want to get together later. Overjoyed, George finally thinks he has it all as he heads to meet Jerry at the NBC studios. In the dressing room, Leslie screams at Jerry for ruining her career. George bursts in and tells Jerry of his good fortune. Elaine, who has never noticed George's hands before, asks to see them. George takes off his mittens, then proceeds to mock and laugh at Jerry's shirt, unaware that Leslie, who is still in the room, can hear him. Furious, she pushes George and he trips, burning his now exposed hands on a hot iron
Iron (appliance)
A clothes iron, also referred to as simply an iron, is a small appliance used in ironing to remove wrinkles from fabric.Ironing works by loosening the ties between the long chains of molecules that exist in polymer fiber materials. With the heat and the weight of the ironing plate, the fibers are...
sitting on the dressing room table.
The episode ends with the four sitting at a coffee shop, which is surprisingly not Monks. George's hands are bandaged up and Elaine helps feed him. He mockingly tells them that his hand model career is over "because of the puffy shirt." The shirt fiasco also caused Elaine to get fired from the benefit committee at Goodwill
Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries International is a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges...
. Jerry says that he gets constantly heckled during his stand-up performances because of the shirt ("Avast ye maties" is one heckler's comment). Kramer tells them that all the stores canceled out on Leslie and that he broke up with her because he "can't be with someone whose life is in complete disarray." The remaining shirts were given to Goodwill and when the four friends leave, two homeless men outside, dressed in the puffy shirts, ask for change. When giving them some money, Jerry remarks that it's not really a bad-looking shirt after all.