A foam finger floating amidst the mass of people watching a match is a very common sight. A foam finger is simply an enlarged finger that has a foam filling. This finger is a sign of support. It is a form of encouragement. Apart from all sports functions, it is also a very common sight in the political rallies.
The foam finger is shaped like a closed hand, with the index finger extended and pointing upwards. The foam hand is worn over the real hand. But this is not the only foam finger that is available. There are a lot other kinds available too, like a foam hand that shows a thumb up. Others include an extended thumb, pinky and an extended index finger. You can show your support by waving a foam hand that has an extended index and an extended pinky. You can even wear a foam hand that is shaped like a rolled fist. Another commonly seen foam hand is the one that has a middle finger that is extended.
The inventor of this infamous foam hand and the most widely used support symbol and accessory nowadays was a man named Geral Fauss. Geral Fauss was a high school teacher. He came about with this invention in 1978. He created this sports related merchandise which was then also known as the ‘we are number one’ hand.
As his invention suggests, Geral Fauss was a creative person by nature. He was curious about making new things for various purposes. He had a huge passion for arts, not just some arts but all forms of arts. He was especially interested in the illustration arts, drafting and he held a great amount of passion for technical designs too
It was these passions that led him to become a high school teacher that instructed people in industrial arts in Cypress, Texas.
In 1978, the schools team in which Geral Fauss was teaching reached the finals match in an intra state competition. In order to show support for the young boys Geral created the foam finger. It served multiple purposes. Apart from showing support for the schools team, he invented the foam finger to collect funds for his beloved industrial club too. This was also selected by him as his class project, to show that they were an independent class.
The first foam finger that he made was actually made from ply wood and then worn over the hand. It also had a picture of the number one painted on it. The number was painted in the official school colors.
The successful foam finger actually led Geral Fauss make a leap into the sports merchandise. He did not just make a splash he also made huge jumps in the sports business and turned out to be extremely successful. In the process, he actually earned millions just for his foam finger. He made millions by getting into business with various companies for making foam fingers of various sports whenever there was any game in that region.
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