Shinola is a defunct American brand of
shoe polish. The Shinola Company, founded in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
in 1877 as the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, produced the polish under a sequence of different owners until 1960.
"Shinola" was a
patented
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
name and
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...
for boot polish. The suffix ''-ola'' is a popular component of trade names in the United States. It was popular during the first half of the 20th century and entered the
American lexicon in the
phrase
In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can consi ...
, "You don't know shit from Shinola," meaning to be ignorant.
The brand name was acquired by the retail company
Shinola in 2011.
History
George Melancthon Wetmore (August 31, 1858 June 10, 1923) was born in
Gates, New York and, after attending
military school
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
, got a degree at the
Rochester Business Institute
Everest College was a system of colleges in the United States, and with Wyotech, made up Zenith Education. It was until 2015 a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario, owned and operated by Corint ...
. At age 18, he went to work for the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, which was founded in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
(near
Brown's Race) in 1877. The company was primarily focused on
carpet cleaning
Carpet cleaning is performed to remove stains, dirt, and allergens from carpets. Common methods include hot water extraction, dry-cleaning, and vacuuming.
Hot water extraction
Hot water extraction, sometimes mistakenly called "steam cleaning ...
, but sold several specialty products, including boot and shoe polish. Wetmore found that the polish was cheaply made, did not hold or bond well, and 95% of it was dyed black using
lamp black
Carbon black (subtypes are acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal and coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid ...
. Wetmore designed a replacement and initially called it SHINOL′A. In 1886, Wetmore was promoted to vice president, and a few years later, to president of the company. By 1909, the company had moved to a larger facility to handle increasing orders.
Shinola polish was noted for its distinct dark green tin with red and gold lettering. The tin came with a patented key "for the convenient lifting of the lid". Shinola was produced in several colors: black, white,
oxblood
Oxblood or ox-blood is a dark shade of red. It resembles burgundy, but has less purple and more dark brown hues. The French term sang-de-bœuf, or sang de bœuf, with the same meaning (but also "ox blood") is used in various contexts in Engli ...
, red, tan, and brown. Several Shinola-branded
shoe shining accessories were sold as well, such as
shoehorn
A shoehorn or shoe horn (sometimes called a shoespooner, shoe spoon, shoe schlipp, or shoe tongue) is a tool with a short handle that flares into a longer spoon-like head meant to be held against the inside back of a snug-fitting shoe so that a ...
s and the Shinola Home Set which included a polisher, bristle dauber, and the polish itself.
[''Commercial America'' staff (July 1912), "Shinola Polish and Polishers". ''Commercial America''. 9 (1):33]
Known by 1917 as simply The Shinola Company, the firm saw success expand globally, selling especially well in Europe, during the rise of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
as many young men entered the military and were expected to be well-dressed during training. The company used a series of slogans to promote the product. For example, “Makes old shoes look like new. Keeps new shoes from looking old.” It became the largest manufacturer of the product in the world circa 1917, being carried into war by
doughboys
Doughboy was a popular nickname for the American Infantry, infantryman World War I#Entry of the United States, during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s. Examples inclu ...
.
After Wetmore's death in 1923, the company was sold and became part of the "2 in 1-Shinola-Bixby Corp.", beginning a series of acquisitions related to the brand.
In the 1940s, the polish became a product of
Best Foods
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
and was renamed to Shinola (losing the apostrophe).
Corn Products Company
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
of
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, whose population at the 2010 United States census was 5,281.[Popular Mechanics
''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...]
'' magazine, Shinola marketed itself as a wax that could also be used as a polish for scratches in furniture, a polish for linoleum, and a finish for toy models (''e.g.'' airplanes).
By the 1950s, it was sold as "Shinola Leather and Saddle Soap" by RIT Products, a division of Best Foods. In 1960, the company went out of business and the brand ceased to be produced.
In 2011, venture capitalist
Tom Kartsotis
Tom Kartsotis ( el, Τομ Καρτσώτης; born 1959) is a Greek-American entrepreneur, best known as the founder of the brand development firm Bedrock Manufacturing Co., which is named for ''The Flintstones'' hometown and was founded in 200 ...
bought the rights to the brand name for a new retail company,
Shinola. The company was founded in 2012, and produces several specialty goods, such as watches and leather goods, as well as a Shinola shoe polish manufactured by C.A. Zoes Manufacturing in Chicago.
Cultural impact
Shinola was immortalized in
colloquial
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
by the phrase "
You don't know shit from Shinola", which during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
became widely popular and a
barracks staple.
Some have even theorized that the popular expression was a long term detriment to the brand's identity.
Nevertheless, the company did try to find other evocative promotional phrases, ''e.g.'', "Your shoes are showing", which they used in advertisements.
*In the 1979 film comedy ''
The Jerk
''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The f ...
,'' the character Navin R. Johnson (played by
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
) is tested by "Daddy" (
Richard Ward) on whether he knows the difference between
shit and Shinola before leaving home.
*The phrase was used to a similar effect in ''
Cleopatra Jones
''Cleopatra Jones'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, S ...
''.
*The 1992 movie ''
Basic Instinct
''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wea ...
'' features Gus telling Dr. Lamott, "Most times I can't tell shit from Shinola, Doc. What was all that you just said?"
*
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
wrote the song "Shinola" which also uses a lyric that plays on the colloquial phrase for her 2008 ''
Backwoods Barbie'' album.
*
Ween
Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band a ...
released a 2005 B-side and unreleased odds and ends compilation album titled, ''
Shinola, Vol. 1
''Shinola, Vol. 1'' is a compilation album by the American rock band Ween. Released by Chocodog on July 19, 2005, ''Shinola'' is a collection of odds and ends that the band put together over the years.
All of the songs on this album were previ ...
'' on
Chocodog Records which plays on the colloquial phrase.
*The phrase has been
grist for the mill for various musicians and artists. See
''Shinola'' (Energy Orchard album), an album by early 1990s Irish band
Energy Orchard;
''Shinola'' (John Scofield album), a live album recorded in 1981 by jazz musician
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...
;
Shinola, an indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina that existed from 1994–1997; and
Shynola, a group of visual artists from the UK that had exhibitions titled "Shinola".
[Rutledge, James: BBC, "Filmmakers Shynola get animated with Collective.", August 29, 2003](_blank)
Accessed online, May 27, 2015
*Comedian
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...
used the phrase in his famously banned
shtick
A shtick ( yi, שטיק) is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish ''shtik'' (שטיק), in turn derived from German ''Stück'' and Polish ''sztuka'' (both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *''stukkiją'') ...
, "
Filthy Words", a/k/a "Seven dirty words", which became immortalized in ''
FCC v. Pacifica Foundation'', a
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
constitutional decision by the
Supreme Court of the United States.
*Rapper
MF DOOM
Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
referenced the phrase in the lyrics written for "Figaro" on the 2004 collaborative album
Madvillainy
''Madvillainy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records.
The album was recorded between 2002 and 2004. Madlib cr ...
.
*Television show ''
The Golden Girls'' Season 7 Episode 2: Rose: ”You know, back in Minnesota, I was known as the Sherlock Holmes of St. Olaf.” Dorothy: ”Figured out which one was Shinola, did you, Rose?” Rose: ”The hard way.”
*In ''
The Pope of Greenwich Village
''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' is a 1984 American crime black comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan and Burt Young. Page was nominated for the Academy ...
'', "Paulie, the truth is this horse don’t know shit from Shinola. None of them do."
*In ''
Raising Arizona
''Raising Arizona'' is a 1987 American crime comedy film directed by Joel Coen, produced by Ethan Coen, and written by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Nicolas Cage as H.I. "Hi" McDunnough, an ex-convict, and Holly Hunter as Edwina "Ed" McDunnough, ...
'' (1987) it surfaced as "Aw, he don't know a cuss word from Shinola."
*In the fourth part of the
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...
novel ''
Gravity's Rainbow
''Gravity's Rainbow'' is a 1973 novel by American writer Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, ...
'', the character "Pig" Bodine provides a lengthy explanation of the phrase "to know shit from Shinola" for a German character named Säure Bummer.
[ Pynchon, Thomas. ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (1995) ]973
Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...
London: Penguin Books. pp. 687-688. ISBN 978-0-1401885-9-2
References
Notes
Citations
Further reading
*
*''Popular Science'' (September 1945), Vol. 147, No. 3 p 248
External links
{{wiktionary-inline, know shit from Shinola
1877 establishments in New York (state)
American companies established in 1877
Cleaning products
Footwear accessories
Shoe polish
Companies based in Rochester, New York
Chemical companies established in 1877
Chemical companies disestablished in 1960
1960 disestablishments in New York (state)
Products and services discontinued in 1960