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TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — 1949 was a big year for barf, welcoming the invention of the barf bag and Dramamine. Seventy-five years later, Dramamine, a Prestige Consumer Healthcare brand, thrives as the number one brand for motion sickness relief, but as Dramamine has risen in popularity, the use of barf bags has sadly diminished. To commemorate the joint anniversary, Dramamine is breathing new life – not barf – into the paper product with a
‘The Last Barf Bag’ Campaign
mission to save its fellow partner in puke.
“The Last Barf Bag” campaign announced last month by Dramamine, alongside agency partners FCB Chicago, 360PR+ and The Shipyard, explores the cultural impact of a humble yet crucial American invention made all but defunct due to Dramamine’s effectiveness in preventing unexpected upchucks. Through a new documentary, a collection of upcycled, repurposed bags and a pop-up museum exhibition, Dramamine is paying tribute to a once iconic part of our culture and history, nodding to the manufacturers, collectors, and nausea sufferers as they fill barf bags with new purpose and save their industry from irrelevance.
“We’re not saying that Dramamine has caused the demise of the barf bag, but we are saying that Dramamine is effective in minimizing their use, and we feel bad about that,” said Erica Nesbitt, Senior Brand Manager of Dramamine at Prestige Consumer Health. “The 75th anniversary of both inventions felt like the right time to commemorate barf bags’ contributions to culture and even rewrite what the future holds for them after Dramamine’s impact has made their intended purpose all but obsolete.”
‘The Last Barf Bag’ Documentary
The documentary short film, The Last Barf Bag: A Tribute to a Cultural Icon, explores the cultural impact of a humble but crucially useful American invention. In it, the barf bag collectors and manufacturers whose passion can be credited to saving it from extinction, meet their unlikely ally: the makers of the anti-nausea medication that threatens its existence. Directed by the filmmaking collective Sunny Sixteen (Niles Jeran, Joshua Martin, Taylor Pendleton, and Caleb Babcock), The Last Barf Bag film introduces us to doctors, pilots, historians, collectors, brand managers, suppliers, flight attendants, and even regular people discussing their barf-worthy experiences.
‘This is Not A Barf Bag’ Limited Edition Collection
Dramamine and barf bags have been fighting the good fight against nausea together, but the barf bag can make way for a purpose that goes way beyond catching upchucks. Consumers can get in on the crusade to save culture’s cherished paper puke sacks by purchasing upcycled barf bags that can be used as puppets, chef’s hats, popcorn bags, coloring canvases, vases and more. Each bag in its repurposed form will be available for purchase for $5, and bundles including a barf bag and Dramamine product will be $10 while supplies last. View the full collection here.
Dramamine commissioned artist and creative director known for her appearance on NBC’s Making It, Jessie Bearden, to display her craft on a new type of novel canvas…vintage barf bags. Bearden created a custom-made puffer coat using the colorful, patterned barf bags from around the world as material for a unique, only-of-its-kind item and exhibition piece. The puffer can be previewed at TheLastBarfBag.com today through April 17 at 12pm EST, when it will open up for one lucky consumer to secure the ultra-limited edition drop for just $7.50, a nod to the 75th anniversary milestone.
“The unique look of vintage barf bags and their various colors and designs actually make a great template for a totally one-of-a-kind textile, and that’s what inspired me to create a jacket,” said Bearden. “I use a lot of unorthodox materials in my work, but a barf bag is a first! It makes me so happy knowing the piece will give a new life to these barf bags and I hope it serves as a conversation starter for the one lucky person who gets to wear it and spread the news of Dramamine’s The Last Barf Bag project.”
Barf Bag Collection Exhibition
In New York City on April 3rd, consumers and passersby could see The Last Barf Bag Exhibition in-person and watch an exclusive screening of the documentary on the day of its world premiere. The extensive collections of four of America’s preeminent barf bag collectors will be on full display, including collections consisting of hundreds of bags collected over 5+ decades from around the world and even space. The exhibit was open to the general public at 437 N. Broadway.
Following the exhibition, its collections and contents will be available to be viewed online. Consumers can pay their tributes to the barf bag’s cultural impact and secure their piece of barf bag history by visiting TheLastBarfBag.com.
