5 Things You Didn't Know: Seinfeld

Seinfeld's 25th Anniversary Seems Like The Perfect Time To Dig Up Some Surprising Facts.

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3- Jerry, George and Elaine’s siblings were never seen

Throughout’s nine-year run, viewers were introduced to several of the four central characters’ relatives; in addition to Jerry’s and George’s parents, we also met Kramer’s mother, Babs, and Elaine’s father, Alton. Yet, even the most astutefan may not realize that George, Jerry and Elaine all have siblings who were mentioned but never actually seen.

In the series’ infamous “Chinese Restaurant” episode, Jerry makes an all-too-brief reference to a sister who’s never mentioned again during the show’s run (we don’t even learn her name). George’s brother fares slightly better in that he’s actually mentioned twice: in “The Suicide” and “The Parking Space” episodes. Finally, there’s Elaine’s sister Gail — whose son memorably hid the nipple-baring Christmas card Elaine accidentally sent out to a myriad of friends, coworkers and relatives in the episode “The Pick.”



4- Festivus was created in 1966 by a Reader's Digest editor

It’s clear thathas been responsible for several indelible additions to the pop-culture pantheon, yet there’s little doubt that the phony holiday of Festivus stands above the rest. In the ninth-season episode “The Strike,” Frank Costanza boasts about creating Festivus during George’s childhood out of frustration with the various rituals associated with Christmas. Rather than emphasize good will and togetherness, Festivus asks those who partake in its festivities to participate in confrontational exercises, such as the “Feats of Strength” and the “Airing of Grievances.”

Yet, what most Seinfeld fans don’t realize is that Festivus was actually created before Jerry Seinfeld even hit his teen years. Back in 1966, Reader’s Digest editor Dan O’Keefe invented Festivus as a means of celebrating the first date he ever had with his wife. Though the first Festivus transpired during the month of February, the faux holiday was eventually moved to December. Festivus came to Seinfeld in the form of O’Keefe’s son Daniel, who was working for the show as a writer and decided to include the holiday in the aforementioned episode “The Strike” (he added in the now-infamous aluminum pole).



5- The series began and ended with a conversation about a shirt button

When the end inevitably came forthe shows' many fans began speculating how the series might end. Would Jerry and Elaine finally acknowledge their feelings for each other and get married? Would George find a job he could actually hold onto? Would Kramer stop bursting into Jerry’s apartment unannounced? As it turned out, the series finale — penned by co-creator Larry David — ultimately sent the cynical foursome to prison for their lack of compassion toward others and the show concluded with the gang settling not-so-comfortably into their new lives as inmates.

Prior to the final scene in which Jerry can be seen performing a stand-up routine for his fellow prisoners, Jerry and George participate in a discussion revolving around the placement of a button on George’s shirt. This conversation is almost a word-for-word reproduction of the dialogue that opened the series way back in July 1989, as the two friends sat in Pete’s Luncheonette and debated the merits of George’s button placement. It proved to be a simple yet wholly effective way of demonstrating that even though they may be on their way to prison, Jerry and the gang’s flippant, thoroughly detached sensibilities will remain intact no matter where they wind up.





Seinfeld is and probably always will be one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history. The presence of such familiar faces as Fred Savage, Rob Schneider and Molly Shannon in guest spots has certainly played a key role in the show’s enduring popularity, though there’s little doubt that it’s the core group of four that keeps people coming back. From Jerry Seinfeld’s relentless smirking to Michael Richards’ wacky pratfalls to Jason Alexander’s seething neuroses to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ sky-high hair, Seinfeld undoubtedly boasts a cast that jells perfectly with one another and it’s not difficult to see why the public has had such a hard time accepting these actors in non-Seinfeld roles.





As long as Seinfeld is aired several times a day in syndication, there’s little doubt that interest in the show will ever die. Add to that the entire series’ availability on DVD and it’s clear that Seinfeld is here to stay. This is despite the fact that the show has seen its share of controversy, with Michael Richards’ lamentable racist rant at a comedy club easily the most obvious example.

Yet, it’s hard to let something like that sway one’s opinion of the show, as there are few sitcoms that have been able to make the same indelible impact on television history as Seinfeld. And even if the various cast members never go on to do anything of significance for the rest of their careers, it’s clear that each can rest easy in knowing they’ve cemented their place within pop culture.

