Anyone -- like y'all's humble Texas Snax blogger -- who went to high school in Texas knows that homecoming mums are a big deal. With school starting, it is time to learn more about them as homecoming season is approaching quickly.
According to a September 2020 Texas Highways article about mums by Julia Jones, "If you went to high school in Texas, you've seen them: extravagant faux chrysanthemums done up in glitter, lights, and stuffed mascots, with ribbons and braids trickling down. Mums—and garters, their male counterparts—are homecoming staples all over the state and a rite of passage for high schoolers."
Boys purchase mums for their homecoming dates. Girls in exchange buy them a garter, which is certainly smaller but is more or a less very similar to the mum that they wear on one of their arms. If y'all check out Jones's article, y'all will see that homecoming mums vary from region to region within the Lone Star State. However, the main requirements are that they have some sort of stuffed animal and/or flowers that the girl wears on her chest accompanied by a bunch ribbons and braids that fall from that main center piece. Typically the high school's name is on a ribbon; perhaps the name of the girl and maybe the guy are on it, too. Depending upon the person and region, sometimes the color scheme matches the school's colors. Sometimes the mum or garter will have trinkets on it that represent interests of the wearer.
Additionally, Jones further reports that the tradition of homecoming mums didn't originate in Texas. It came by way of Missouri when someone wore a mum for the first-ever homecoming game in 1911. Apparently, the first Texas homecoming mum was spotted in 1936 at Baylor University.
With Texans being Texans, homecoming mums are big business. The high end ones can cost over $1,000. Further, they can get pretty large. In fact, Whataburger (which is part of the Texas trifecta with Buc-ee's and H-E-B) made one over 18 feet long. That's a lot of corporate pride!
Many high schoolers certainly personalize their mums and garters. For instance, y'all notice this Buc-ee's themed mum made by Mums by MJ for true beaver believers.
If y'all want to make a Texas themed homecoming mum or garter but aren't near a Buc-ee's to get some Lone Star State tchotchkes to incorporate, give us a holler through our contact page. We'll see what we can get for ya.