Hammer Pants Flash Mob FTW

The early 90s were a weird time in the U.S. We were emerging from the ickiness of the 80s and the 90s spread in front of us, full of possibility and the promise of a new millennium. The optimism of the that time was a breeding ground for trends like Hypercolor (why have a shirt that's just one color when it can be multiple colors depending on who's fondling your boobs?), wearing clothes backwards (Reagan's gone! I'm totally Krossed out!), and, of course, Hammer pants (it's the 90s! Let's get billowy!).

Hammer pants were brought to us by super-positive rapper MC Hammer, whose career became a cautionary tale of quick fortunes when, just six years after the mind-boggling international success of his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, he filed bankruptcy due to being $13 million in debt.

Though Hammer faded considerably from the spotlight by the mid 1990s, he never really went away. He's been hard at work getting back to financial stability through various business ventures and he appears to have his shit pretty much together these days. Which means...reality show time!

Hammer appeared on the first season of The Surreal Life, but Hammertime, which premieres on A&E on June 14th, will focus solely on Hammer and his family.

To promote the show, A&E tapped into the absurdity of Hammer pants, Hammer dancing, and the WTF power of flash mobs. They sent two guys wearing shiny gold Hammer pants into a busy L.A. boutique. At first they just shopped around, earning only a few odd glances now and then (this is L.A., after all). But after a few minutes they start dancing and after the first few seconds of "U Can't Touch This," they're joined by a MASSIVE army of Hammer-pantsed dancers who simultaneously enthrall and horrify the customers.

It looks like not everyone was a professional dancer and I saw at least one senior citizen. But aside from being a hilarious prank, it's an awesome performance. I kind of want to arrange one here. Any volunteers for my Hammer army?

Comments

[ozma]

Why do I love flash mobs so?

This is a brilliant one.

[schmutzie]

A variation of these pants are being worn in Britain right now. Seriously: http://amythibodeau.blogspot.com/2009/06/stop-hammer-time-no-seriously.html

[JennC]

I watched this video no less than five times this weekend. So awesome.

[Kathy]

Scarily enough, I'm seeing them in plenty of magazines now usually under the guise of harem pants.

I wore Hammer/harem pants in my senior picture. Thank god I was photographed from the waist up only.

[BaltimoreGal]

I had SEVERAL pairs of harem pants in high school. One pair (purple paisley) came with a matching vest. I was quite stylish for the times, actually- it was Vermont (Spaulding HS Class of '91? Anyone?).
Even my football-playing mullet-wearing heavy-metal boyfriend had a pair.
I have destroyed the photo evidence.

[heidi]

Thank you for this.

[michele]

i have to say i pretty much love that clip. also, who can see/hear that dance/song and not smile? it is a happy thing. i am just going to sit here and hang on to that bit of happiness in this unhappy world.