In the last episode of Modern Family the Dunphy family welcomed an interesting guest. Kenneth is Phil and Claire’s former neighbor, who lived next door some 10 years ago. Back then he was kind-of emulating Phil and Claire didn’t quite like him. When he came for a visit, he and Phil even did a secret “man shake” handshake. But what was really interesting for me was Kenneth’s T shirt with an elephant.
My Twitter friend Joanne Leung reminded me that Kenneth was wearing an Urban Outfitters T shirt. I found out that it was a Nerdy Elephant Tee.
After exploring posts on a very interesting blog Possessionista, I realized that this wasn’t the first time that some Modern Family character wore a piece from Urban Outfitters. On that blog You can also find several examples from the TV show, with most of the pieces worn by Haley Dunphy.
I’ve also found out that Urban Outfitters used to sell some Modern Family inspired stuff, e.g. V neck shirt with Manny Delgado and T shirt with Mitchell and Cameron.
There are even more connections between Urban Outfitters and Modern Family. In an interview for the website Alloy.com Ariel Winter, who plays Alex Dunphy, was asked the question about her similarities with Alex. She responded:
“Coincidentally, Alex and I are both loyal and smart (not really tooting my own horn), cynical and funny and I have to admit, I’m a bit of a smart alec myself, if you ask my parents. We both really value education. The biggest difference is how we dress. Alex is more Urban Outfitters tomboy and I’m more of an edgy rock and roll younger version of Taylor Swift. Also, I don’t wear glasses or play cello.”
I haven’t asked Urban Outfitters if there is a deal between the company and ABC (TV channel that produces Modern Family), but Possessionista’s owner Dana Weiss doesn’t think so. She responded via Twitter:
“No [I don’t think that there is a deal]. I think a lot of stylists use @UrbanOutfitters because there are so many different styles and a great price point.”
If there are no copyright claims and lawsuits, this could be a win-win situation for both parties.
I had no idea UO had Modern Family-inspired pieces… that’s so awesome! I would’ve loved a Manny shirt just for laughs.
They put Alex in a lot of Threadless t-shirts too. I own some of them, hah!