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The History and Timeline of Stanley DeSantis Tags: 1970s-2000
The man behind the eponymous shirt company Stanley DeSantis was more than a clothing manufacturer. Though best known for his tees with the unmistakable, bold tag showing his name, DeSantis was also a successful businessman and renounced actor starring in many classic films and television series, including Boogie Nights, Candyman, Alf and many others.
Being in the entertainment industry, most of DeSantis’ tees featured licensed designs for movies and tv shows — many of which demand high prices on the market today.
1970s
As early as the mid-1970s, DeSantis created and sold shirt designs as a student at New York University. The Wall Street Journal noted that these tees are most likely lost to time. Through research, however, one design with DeSantis’ signature sporting a Fruit of the Loom tag was uncovered.
1980s-1990s
Becoming a more viable business to help pay for his budding acting career, DeSantis began creating shirts to order, which could be purchased through the mail for around $13 a pop. One of the earliest examples showing the actor’s name on the tag is for a Wizard of Oz shirt. Known for his irreverent humor, the first iteration of his tag reads “Do not remove under penalty of law. Love, Stanley DeSantis.” This version ran throughout most of the 1980s up until 1990.
Stand-out pieces through this decade include a Pee Wee Herman tee, a “punk” Alice in Wonderland design, and a Three Stooges shirt.
The latest example I could find with this tag iteration is highlighted on an “In Living Color” shirt dated 1990.
1990-2000
The 1990s saw the emergence of Stanley DeSantis tees as an artistic cultural force. Many promoted extremely popular and trending properties such as Beavis and Butthead, The Simpsons, Scream, Home Improvement, The Mask, and other hip franchises.
DeSantis combed through teen magazines at the time to try to stay ahead of the cultural zeitgeist, according to The Wall Street Journal. His choices remain iconic and represent the 1990s to the — shall we say — Tee.
Most famously from this era, a double-sided, all-over-shirt with the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin sold for the insane price of $6,000 in August 2020 — talk about granting a wish! (Speaking of Disney – be sure to check out my Vintage Disney T-Shirt Tag Guide!)
The 90s features the most well-known Stanley DeSantis tag, featuring his name written in all caps (occupying two rows) against a white background. The tag material is often thick and sturdy, not dissimilar to the tees themselves from this period.
Some shirts from the early 1990s feature “Stanley DeSantis” in smaller font, printed on a single row, such as a tag from a 1990 Bike week tee. A thinner tag of this variety was also found on the 1993 The Brady Bunch “Bobby” tee.
As early as 1991, the larger font was used, as seen on CBS’s Northern Exposure pieces. A variety with a more yellow-looking tag also appeared this decade, displayed below from a 1998 Yogi Bear shirt with the character Boo Boo.
Later Stanley DeSantis tees include a promo for the movie Blues Brothers 2000 and a Tim McGraw tour shirt from 2000.
and there’s a bonus easter egg on the back of some of Stanley’s tags, thanks to @close_but_no_chantal for reminding us.
For more examples of Stanley DeSanitis tags check our tag archive.
