# What was the deal with the chicken shirt in Roseanne? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092 "2004-06-13T06:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/1 "2004-06-13T06:42:30Z")
I was watching an old re-run of “Roseanne” before work tonight - the one where Roseanne decides Darlene can go to college - and every character in the episode wore the chicken shirt at some point. I’ve noticed it in other episodes, too, spanning several seasons. What does the chicken shirt mean? Is it an advertisement for Roseanne’s restaurant in Iowa? Some kind of inside joke? I hope someone can help; the chicken shirt is haunting me. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/2 "2004-06-13T06:45:16Z")
She was on Oprah around the premiere of **Roseanne’s** last season and they mentioned that the chicken shirt was just an inside joke. You’ll notice the same design is also on one of the aprons she wears at the Lunch Box. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/3 "2004-06-13T06:52:37Z")
There was another design related to the chicken which appeared on aprons at the Lunch Box, but I can’t remember what it was. It was another inside joke amongst the cast, along with the giant jar of pickled eggs on the pantry shelves in the Connor kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/4 "2004-06-13T09:40:41Z")
I see. So the chicken means nothing. I feel so…empty. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/5 "2004-06-13T14:41:38Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > There was another design related to the chicken which appeared on aprons at the Lunch Box, but I can’t remember what it was. It was another inside joke amongst the cast, along with the giant jar of pickled eggs on the pantry shelves in the Connor kitchen. What did the jar do? Get bigger and smaller? Or was it just, like, a jar? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/6 "2004-06-13T16:04:14Z")
There’s actually more to it than that. It was in one of her books but it’s been so long since I read it I can’t remember the details. She wore it one episode and either someone told her it was disgusting and offensive or someone wrote in and said that so she decided, of course, to wear it at every possible moment and have the rest of the cast do it as well. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-the-chicken-shirt-in-roseanne/250092/7 "2004-06-13T22:42:25Z")
> [@Ross](#): > > What did the jar do? Get bigger and smaller? Or was it just, like, a jar? It was just a jar, but I think the joke was its omnipresence. If you buy a gallon jar of pickled eggs, it’s not going to be on a whim, it’s going to be because you like them. And if you like them, they’re not going to sit in the pantry for long, especially not in the exact same spot for seven years – even after you become multimillionaires in the lottery and have your house somewhat renovated.