Viva la Slanket!

As a member of both the "When I grow up, I'm going to be Liz Lemon…blerg" and "The Slanket is far superior to the Snuggie" Facebook groups, I was obviously ecstatic when my love of Slankets (I own a blue one) united with my favorite TV show, "30 Rock," on Thursday. Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey, seizes a Slanket for her own use from the TV studio she runs. She is later seen eating cheese at 4 a.m. while singing, "Workin' on my night cheese…"

Viva la Slanket!

Photo: The bonds between Slanket lovers are the strongest known to man. Picture courtesy of Slanket.

The bonds between Slanket lovers are the strongest known to man. Picture courtesy of Slanket.

For those uneducated about Slankets (and their obvious superiority to their competitor, Snuggies), let an expert tell you what's up. True, both are blankets with sleeves, hence the clever name. To the untrained eye, they may look the same. And the blanket newbie may question spending $37.99 for a Slanket while the Snuggie is just $19.99. But don't fall into the Snuggie's infomercial trap - Slankets are clearly the best blanket-with-sleeves choice.

Besides the "30 Rock" endorsement, Slankets feature a choice of 11 colors (the Snuggie offers a measly three). The Slanket is sold in Sky Mall, the crème de la crème of catalogs, while the Snuggie relies on infomercials and a lame web site. The Snuggie may try to rope potential Slanket buyers in with the promise of a free reading light, but watch the infomercial closely and you'll notice that the reading light is used in broad daylight. Don't be fooled by the Snuggie's cheap ploy. It's a good thing there's an expert here to help all those chilly Blazers make the right blanket-with-sleeves decision.

And now to counter those who hate all blankets with sleeves: don't dismiss the Slanket and similar products as backwards bathrobes. The Slanket is not just a blanket with sleeves - it's a culture. There is a special bond between Slanket owners (brought together by a common hatred for the infernal Snuggie) that is stronger than simple ties of friendship. And besides, it's not just a backwards bathrobe. It's…larger?