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1[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/horrible_sweater_grandma_made.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:210:It truly is.]]
3
4->''"Gee. I hope this package doesn't have a bomb or a monster in it. GASP! IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN MY MOST HIDEOUS FEARS! It's another sweater for me from Jon's mother."''
5-->-- '''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}''', [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1983/03/08 March 8, 1983]]
6
7The Homemade Sweater from Hell is a sweater that is one step from being pixelated if it's on television — or otherwise garish. The sleeves might be different lengths, initials might be knitted into it in a bizarre fashion, it might be an awful color or an awful mix of colors, it might be a childish pattern in an adult sweater, or it might just be tasteless. It might even be awfully itchy. And it was a gift from someone who picked it out or knitted it specially ([[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents most often parents and grandparents]]), so even if the character normally has taste, they'll have to wear it and pretend they love it to avoid offending the gifter.
8
9Sometimes it will actually look like a perfectly wearable sweater, but most characters will react to it as if it were the most hideous thing ever -- an InformedAttribute that's like a distant inanimate relative of HollywoodHomely.
10
11This happens most often during {{Christmas Special}}s, since that's when most Homemade Sweaters from Hell are worn in RealLife, and also because Christmas imagery lends itself very well to tacky designs (which can range from making the wearer look like they belong underneath the tree to looking like they belong ''on'' it). But it doesn't have to be Christmas. A character with a sufficiently bad sense of style or financial problems might wear them all year, weather permitting.
12
13With a hint of {{Irony}}, these kinds of Christmas Sweaters [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20804249 briefly became high fashion]] in December 2012.
14
15A SubTrope of UnwantedGiftPlot and ImpossiblyTackyClothes. Often overlaps with CrappyHomemadeGift, and always does with ClothesForChristmasCringe. May overlap with NeedleworkIsForOldPeople if an old person knits it (which they often do). It might also overlap with TheDreadedThankYouLetter if someone has to write to the gift-giver to say thank you.
16
17Compare MyNewGiftIsLame. Contrast SexySweaterGirl when the sweater is seen as attractive rather than tacky, and HandmadeIsBetter for when the fact that the clothing is handmade is treated as desirable/impressive instead of lame.
18----
19!!Examples:
20[[foldercontrol]]
21
22[[folder:Advertising]]
23* In an advertisement for some credit card, a couple is inspired to throw an Ugly Sweater Christmas party (with purchased sweaters, rather than actual homemade ones, but the awfulness of the sweaters still fit the spirit of this trope) upon seeing another couple at an ice rink wearing this kind of sweater.
24* The Advertising/EnergizerBunny wears a sweater in a 2016 holiday commercial as he advertises his batteries as lasting longer than [[ObnoxiousInLaws a visit from the in-laws]].
25* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtybnQJ_WFs In a commercial]] for [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball NFLShop.com]], a woman tells her partner that he ''cannot'' wear his Oakland Raiders jersey to her family's Christmas Dinner.[[note]]We find out later, they're all fans of the Raiders' arch rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.[[/note]] He immediately takes off the jersey to reveal a tacky Christmas Sweater with the Raider logo (and flashing Christmas lights). Incidentally, said sweater is currently [[http://www.nflshop.com/Ugly_Sweaters available for purchase.]]
26* ''Advertising/AVeryMuppetPortalCampaign'' features a video call between Gonzo and Kermit. Kermit got Gonzo and all the other Muppets Portals; Gonzo got Kermit this trope.
27-->'''Kermit:''' It's a really great, ugly sweater.\
28'''Gonzo:''' Yeah! Wait, what kind of sweater?\
29'''Kermit:''' [[VerbalBackspace I... said]] it's a really great sweater.\
30'''Gonzo:''' No, what'd you say before that?\
31'''Kermit:''' Really?\
32'''Gonzo:''' After that.\
33'''Kermit:''' Sweater.\
34'''Gonzo:''' Before that.\
35'''Kermit:''' [[ThisIsGonnaSuck ...Great]]?\
36''({{Beat}})''\
37'''Gonzo:''' [[SubvertedTrope Okay]].\
38'''Kermit:''' Okay.
39* PlayedForDrama in the Nidar ad "Julegenseren" ("The Christmas Sweater"). The father of the family keeps buying tacky Christmas sweaters for his children, who keep refusing to wear them. However, the first Christmas after he dies, they put them on in memory of him.
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
43* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', to make up for her sudden outburst towards Koichi, [[{{Yandere}} Yukako]] gives him multiple gifts, one being a hand-made sweater that fully displays his name, which only creeps him out even more.
44* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': More like the Homemade Scarf from Hell in this case...
45-->'''Akane:''' Here. It's, uh, for you. It's kind of a Christmas present. It's not very fancy but...\
46'''Ranma:''' I-It's a shawl. No- No, I see. It's a fishing net.\
47'''Akane:''' It's a scarf, you lame-brain! I made it myself!
48* The ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' OVA had Ayeka attempt to knit one as a gift for Tenchi. She gets lost in a daydream and knits the thing much longer than it should have been. She's never shown trying to give it to him, though.
49[[/folder]]
50
51[[folder:Comic Books]]
52* Given by Wally West (Franchise/TheFlash) to his wife one Christmas -- not to be worn, but as a reminder of her speech on what really mattered in giving. The sweater is actually store-bought, and a running joke in the story is wondering who buys the hideous things.
53-->'''Linda:''' Not that it's not lovely, but...\
54'''Wally:''' But it's so not. I know. It's repugnant. Wear it, and I'll claim I don't know you. And yet interestingly enough... not the point.
55* [[http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+PK+++42-3 This Disney comic]] features an old, senile woman who knits sweaters for everyone, but isn't very knowledgeable about such things as, say, making sure the sleeves are the same length. [[spoiler: Which is ObfuscatingStupidity, since she's actually a ClassyCatBurglar in disguise.]]
56%%* Played with in ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' stories.
57* In one ''Comicbook/JusticeLeague'' Christmas story, Black Lightning is wearing a sweater based on his classic costume, and is offended when it's called an "ugly sweater", since it was a gift from his daughters. They assure him that it really is.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Comic Strips]]
61* One ''ComicStrip/{{Scamp}}'' story has the Tramp trying to deal with an embarrassing dog sweater his owners made for him. He literally gets stuck in it trying to get it off, until Scamp shrinks it off using cold water. Unfortunately, it shrinks small enough that Lady makes Scamp wear it instead. This story appears to be adapted from the animated short ''Pluto's Sweater'', where Minnie gives Pluto a sweater and Figaro ends up getting it after it shrinks. (And by the way, ''it'' was turned into a comic too. Interestingly, the original short wasn't set at Christmastime, but the comic adaptation was.)
62* In ''ComicStrip/CulDeSac'', Mrs. Otterloop's Christmas sweaters are all somehow able to play out an animated scene related to the holidays (for example, a snow plow clearing away falling snow. They're also pretty stiff -- Alice injures herself running to hug her mother while she's wearing one, and Mrs. Otterloop can't bend over to pick her up afterwards.
63* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': Garfield often gets these as Christmas presents from Jon's mother, and is forced to wear them by Jon. An early strip ([[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1981/12/27 1981-12-27]]) shows the cat tying a loose end to a post and running to [[AllClothUnravels unravel his way out]], only for Jon's mother to knit it back together almost as fast. On one occasion, he got one that didn't even have a hole for his ''head''. And when she finally [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2012/12/27 gets it right,]] Jon and Garfield [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness become noticeably worried]].
64** While Garfield is a frequent recipient of tacky sweaters, he's not the only one: [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2021/12/26 The December 26, 2021 strip]] sees Garfield, Jon, Odie, ''and'' Liz each receiving one such sweater from Jon's mother (and they match). None of the recipients likes it.
65* In the ''Grand Avenue'' [[http://assets.amuniversal.com/5e176f6043fd013151df001dd8b71c47 strip for December 19th 2013]] the three main characters all wear matching sweaters they received in a past Christmas. Michael says "Frightening!"
66* In ''ComicStrip/{{Curtis}}'', the protagonist's dad claims to have won the Ugly Holiday Sweater contest at work for the past three years. He's not too thrilled about it.
67* A couple of times in ''ComicStrip/{{Retail}}'' a customer comes in wearing an ugly sweater asking if he could return a sweater. When the retail worker of the strip says they can't return something worn, the customer glares and holds up a ''different'' sweater they're returning.
68[[/folder]]
69
70[[folder:Fan Works]]
71* In ''Fanfic/AGreenChristmas'', Buttercup gets a sweater from her grandpa that's missing a head hole, but she ends up using it as a sleeping bag.
72* Many ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanons that involve ghost puberty or Danny receiving his powers for the first time involve Danny having to hide glow spots or his jumpsuit with an ugly Christmas Sweater. It's ironic since Danny hated Christmas before ''The Fright Before Christmas'' in the canon.
73* Do '''not''' let Louise start knitting in ''Fanfic/TheHillOfSwords''. Whatever she knits invariably will come alive at some point and attack either her or the person wearing the article of clothing. ''And she keeps trying''!
74* ''Fanfic/{{Scootamom}}'': Princess Celestia's first attempt at knitting is [[EpicFail anything but a rousing success.]] It manages to warp space and time around itself, [[BrownNote and ordinary ponies become sick just looking at it.]] (A {{Physical God}}dess [[AWizardDidIt did it]], and even she isn't sure how.) Scootaloo [[AvertedTrope thinks it's really cool]], though.
75* ''Fanfic/TheTwilightChild'': It's suggested that no alicorn can knit at all. Celestia and Luna have caught on, while Cadence hasn't, and every year she knits them sweaters for Hearth's Warming Eve which are incredibly uncomfortable and itchy, and neither of them have yet mustered up the bravery to inform her about this. The only pony immune to the effect of the sweaters is Shining Armor.
76* Creator/{{Lopoddity}}'s Pandoraverse: In a slight variation, Discord once knitted an incredibly ridiculous scarf shaped like himself as a [[YouMeanXmas Hearth’s Warming Eve]] present for Twilight, with “love in every stitch”, which Twilight ended up having to wear out of guilt. She tried to get him an equally garish sweater to get payback, but Discord, being Discord, thought it looked incredibly stylish.
77* In "Christmas in Kansas", part of the ''Fanfic/SorrowfulAndImmaculateHearts'' series, Martha Kent gives everyone in the family, and the visiting Bruce and Diana, tacky Christmas-themed sweaters she found on sale. Diana loves hers; Bruce hates his, but grudgingly accepts it when she cheerfully guilt-trips him about how difficult it is to find a sweater that will fit a man with his shoulders and muscles.
78* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7062001/chapters/16735429 Never Piss Off a Parental Werewolf]]'' Sirius claims that tacky Christmas sweaters are a Marauders holiday tradition right after giving Harry a pink one with fluffy penguins wearing tinsel hats.
79* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Perona made a few of these for the Christmas season, and forces Absalom and Doctor Hogback to wear them (though it takes her using one of her more powerful, fear-inducing techniques before Absalom agrees to it).
80* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11189160/21/Harry-Potter-Age-9 Harry Potter, Age 9]],'' Snape retaliates to a prank which turned his hair green by dressing Harry and Remus in tacky Christmas sweaters - which are enchanted to make them impossible to remove.
81* In ''Fanfic/WhatYouWishFor'', [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse Lori Loud]] notes that the Christmas sweaters are ugly.
82* [[https://www.deviantart.com/acpeters/art/Reset-Bloodlines-Christmas-Group-864092853 This fanart]] of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' shows Ash and his female companions wearing some rather fitting designs. It inspired the closing snippet of the [[ChristmasEpisode Holiday Special 2020]], where they take some pictures wearing them (and contrary to what might be expected, they're actually happy to wear them).
83* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13770736/1/A-Christmas-Sweater-Tale A Christmas Sweater Tale]]'' Justin makes Harry wear a sweater with a fluffy-bearded Santa saying "I'm a ho ho ho for the holidays".
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Films — Animation]]
87* In ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' the titular character wears one, and if the production notes are to be believed, has one for every day of the year.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
91* Colin Firth's character in ''Film/BridgetJonesDiary'' always receives ugly sweaters as Christmas presents from his family.
92* ''Film/ThreeAmigos''. On El Guapo's birthday, his bandits give him an ugly two-tone sweater as a present. Hilariously, despite getting something as useless as a butt-ugly sweater in the Mexican badlands, El Guapo ''likes'' it and he wears it like a mantle for the rest of the scene.
93* The Grinch is forced to wear one of these when he attends the Christmas Eve festivities in ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''.
94* Alluded to in ''Film/HomeAlone1''. Kevin tells the snow-shoveler that his grandma gave him a hand-knit sweater with a giant bird on it, which he refused to wear because of a fear of getting beaten up at school.
95-->'''Kevin:''' Not for a guy in the second grade. You can get beat up for wearing something like that. Yeah, I had a friend who got nailed because there was a rumor he wore dinosaur pajamas.
96* In ''Film/BetterOffDead'', Jenny gives her husband Al a truly horrific hooded aardvark suit for Christmas, complete with ears and a snout. He makes [[DeadpanSnarker the comment]] that everyone will be wearing one next year, then goes outside and finds his neighbor is indeed wearing one as well.
97* The classic French comedy ''Le père Noël est une ordure'' ("Film/SantaClausIsAStinker"): One of the characters is offered as a Christmas present such an ugly homemade sweater, he initially thinks it's a mop.
98* A RunningGag in Disney's ''Film/TheSantaClause'' films, where Santa's son's stepdad wears nothing but these kind of sweaters. One elf wonders if they made one particular sweater and checks it.
99* One is worn by the Television Director in Music/TheBeatles ''Film/AHardDaysNight''. The Beatles specifically comment on how awful it looks. This was the actor's own sweater he had received as a gift, and he later re-gifted it to a fan club who specifically requested it.
100* In ''Film/MakeTheYuletideGay'', the mom seems to wear nothing but them.
101* ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'': Freddy Krueger's iconic green-and-red striped sweater started as one of these, but now it's hideous for a much different reason.
102* In ''Film/AMuppetsChristmasLettersToSanta,'' Fozzie wears one that was made by his mother, and presents the human Claire and her mother with identical sweaters. One of the extras on the DVD reveals that his mother actually made the exact same sweater for everyone in the entire cast.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Literature]]
106* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Mrs. Weasley tends to knit jumpers for all the children for a two-fold purpose: because the Weasleys have very little money and because she's so motherly. No one complains because she's so nice and jolly and they don't want to hurt her feelings. Then again, after the last book showed [[MamaBear what she is]] [[Awesome/HarryPotter capable of]], perhaps they are too scared. It's mostly Ron (who mainly complains because every year it's maroon, his least favorite color) and Percy who complain about their jumpers, rather than all the children. It's also a bit of heartwarming for Harry. He tends to be given them as presents as well, which not only makes him an unofficial member of the family, but are also the first regular Christmas presents in his entire life; his biological family either give him nothing at all for gift-giving occasions, or else they give him things like toothpicks and coat hangers. (The nicest present they are shown giving him in the entire series is a fifty-pence coin.)
107** Also, while some of the Weasley siblings are more or less horrified at the thought of getting and wearing these jumpers, Harry himself never reacts negatively. It's probably partially because of the heartwarming aspect, but it may also be because the Weasley siblings have simply grown tired of getting a jumper every Christmas or just don't like jumpers in general (even the well-knitted ones). At least, the jumpers don't seem to have many of the tacky traits in the trope description, though sometimes they have the first letter of their owner's name on the front.
108* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid: The Meltdown'': Greg decides to put on a sweater his Grandma knit for Sweetie in her house. It fits, but it's super itchy, possibly because the dog had fleas.
109* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
110** Mrs. Whitlow, Unseen University's fearsome housekeeper, is noted to knit sweaters that always seem to have something wrong with them, like a neck that's too long or too many sleeves. They always end up in donation bins, but Ankh-Morpork being Ankh-Morpork, there's at least ''one'' person who can wear them.
111** John "Not a Vampire at All" Smith, president of the Ankh-Morpork chapter of [[MonstersAnonymous the Uberwald League of Temperance]], is infamous for his dreadful pullovers according to ''Literature/{{Thud}}''. There's a picture of one in the ''Reformed Vampires Diary'', along with an explanation that some of the more obsessive League members (and no-one does "obsessive" like a vampire) are ''deliberately'' trying to dress as "uncool" as possible, since having style is a ''vampire'' thing.
112** Vimes has a "scarf" knitted by Lady Sybil in ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' that was originally supposed to be a sock. "Er, how long do you think my legs ''are'', Sybil?"
113* Mark Darcy (Colin Firth's character) in the first Literature/BridgetJones book.
114* A Jurby, in ''Literature/TheMeaningOfLiff'', is an article of clothing knitted by an incompetent aunt which reaches to the knees and has at least three armholes.
115* ''Literature/MrsPiggleWiggle'': One of the reasons the kids love her is that she accepts such gifts (for example, an overly-long scarf) with sincere joy and enthusiasm.
116* From the poem "Christmas Thank Yous" by Mick Gowar:
117-->Dear Auntie\
118Oh, what a nice jumper\
119I've always adored powder blue\
120and fancy you thinking of\
121orange and pink\
122for the stripes\
123how clever of you!
124* In the short story "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros, Rachel's teacher Mrs. Price finds an old, ugly, stretched-out sweater that's been sitting in the coatroom for a month. When nobody claims it and a classmate says it's Rachel's, Mrs. Price makes her take the sweater, despite her protests that it isn't hers, and then forces her to wear it. The frustration and humiliation of it makes Rachel cry in front of the entire class, and Mrs. Price doesn't even apologize when it turns out the sweater actually belongs to someone else. Even worse, the entire thing is taking place on her birthday.
125* ''Familiar and Haunting'': In the short story "Auntie," Billy has to wear a badly made blazer made by Auntie, his great-aunt. However, it ends up saving his life when he's about to be run over by a car and she hooks his blazer with her umbrella and pulls him out of the way. She dies of a heart attack in the process, but he continues to wear the blazer until he grows out of it, in memory of her.
126[[/folder]]
127
128[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
129!!!'''Creators:'''
130* UK TV presenter Noel Edmonds is known for wearing these, especially on ''[[ChristmasSpecial Noel's Christmas Presents]]''. And when he presented ''[[SaturdayMorningKidsShow Multi-Coloured Swap-Shop]]'', he wore a jumper that fitted the title.
131!!!'''Series:'''
132* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In "Home Cooked Meal", Miss Enright knits one for Mr. Boynton. One arm is terribly short, tight, and cuts off his circulation. The other is far too long.
133* Repeatedly subverted in ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'': Morticia knits sweaters that look horribly malformed, but will in fact fit one cousin or another perfectly.
134* On ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Leonard has a red, itchy sweater from his aunt. Sheldon makes him wear it with nothing underneath as part of an InAnotherMansShoes scheme (he wants to show Leonard how not having closure is like an itch in his brain), and it gives him a terrible rash (causing Penny to ask, "Is it made of bees?").
135* Creator/BillCosby of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' wears these all the time, coining the phrase "Cosby sweater".
136* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]], the Doctor is at one point asked by an old woman to try on a sweater she's knitting for her grandson. Said sweater makes [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes the Sixth Doctor's coat]] look like the epitome of good taste.
137* Harold and Hilda of ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles'' wear ''matching'' homemade sweaters in every episode. It never turns up in the script, but it's heavily implied that Hilda hand-knit these herself.
138* From ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', Jayne's "Cunning Hat" may not be a sweater, but it surely must qualify, considering that it's ridiculous-looking, knit, and made by his mother. Subverted in that he gives every indication that he ''loves'' the hideous thing.
139-->'''Wash:''' A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.
140** Ironically, the hat has taken on a life of its own, becoming a symbol for the fandom and a rather popular [[TheMerch merch]] item.
141* In ''Series/{{Glee}}'', such sweaters were commonplace in Artie's wardrobe, as per his nerdy image. As the series progressed, though, they became less prevalent.
142* One early ''Series/HannahMontana'' episode had Miley get a sweater with what looked like a stuffed cat in the front and back... AND it meows! In the same episode, Oliver mentions that he got the puppy version for Christmas. It barks "Jingle Bells." They duet at the end of the episode (the sweaters, that is).
143* ''Series/ICarly'' featured the sweater vest that Freddie's mom [[MyBelovedSmother picked out for his first date]].
144* This comes up on ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver''[='s=] segment on the "Right to be forgotten" (i.e., the right to remove embarrassing things about oneself from the Internet without invoking the StreisandEffect) when John suggests that everyone share their most embarrassing photos online all at once so to all be on the same page. His first example is a picture of himself as a child wearing a sweater with his own name on it, but [[SubvertedTrope he says that that picture doesn't really count, because he actually likes the picture]].
145* On ''[[LongRunners The Late Late Show]]'' in Ireland, Christmas jumpers are SeriousBusiness. Current presenter Ryan Tubridy caused real controversy when it was hinted that he might not wear one for his first [[ChristmasEpisode Toy Show]]. The maroon jumper in which he eventually appeared was auctioned off for charity, for a price of €1,050. The next year he caused outrage ''again'' by suggesting on Twitter that he wouldn't wear one. The nation loves the jumpers; the man, it would seem, does not.
146** Ireland and big woolly jumpers go together. Veteran crooner Val Doonican was renowned for them on his weekly variety TV show. And ''Series/FatherTed'' was like an anti-fashion show for horrible woolens. Father Maguire's lurid tank-tops were just the start of it. Aran sweaters of varying degrees of fit were the approved uniform for folkies such as Music/TheChieftains.
147* ''[[Creator/JimmyFallon Late Night With Jimmy Fallon]]'' has an annual holiday tradition: "12 Days of Christmas Sweaters". Every night for 12 consecutive weeknights [[note]]Well, as consecutive as you can get with weekends getting in the way[[/note]] Jimmy gives away an ''incredibly'' tacky Christmas sweater to a randomly selected audience member as a form of a joke contest.
148** As of 2014, Jimmy has brought this tradition with him over to ''The Tonight Show''.
149* An episode of ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' was about Beaver giving his mother a sweater that she ''really'' didn't like, but was too nice to tell him about it. And then he suggested that she should wear it to a parent/teacher meeting.
150* An episode of ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' revolved around Lizzie's reluctance to wear a bright green homemade unicorn sweater in her Yearbook photo.
151* One episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' had Hawkeye receive a sweater in a care package from his sister. It was nicely made and would keep its wearer quite warm. Unfortunately, it was also several sizes too large, a rather repulsive shade of pink, and one sleeve was longer than the other (and even the shorter one was too long for Hawkeye's arms).
152-->''"For the man who has everything. A sweater with a guest room."''
153* In ''Series/MikeAndMolly'', Mike ''buys'' a repugnant green sweater from his partner's cousin.
154* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'':
155** In "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E21SantaClaus Santa Claus]]", Gypsy gives Mike a sweater with "JOIKE" embroidered on it. (She started making it for Joel, but then he escaped in a [[DeusExMachina convenient plot device]].) Mike actually likes it, though.
156** Gypsy makes a complete set of them in "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S11E13TheChristmasThatAlmostWasnt The Christmas That Almost Wasn't]]". There's nothing wrong with this batch... except for the fact that, going by the initials knitted on them, each sweater was given to the wrong person. Jonah and the other bots like them anyway.
157* On the ''Series/PawnStars'' ChristmasEpisode, the Old Man gives Corey one of these... then makes Corey wear it for the whole day.
158* In an episode of ''Series/PushingDaisies'', Emerson Cod complains to the Coroner about the Christmas sweater the Coroner is wearing and how a Christmas sweater is a stupid gift to get for Christmas, since you can only wear it ''on'' Christmas.
159* In the ''Series/{{QI}}'' K season ChristmasEpisode, the panelists wear ugly holiday sweaters.
160* One of Series/{{Sherlock}}'s deductions hinged on the assumption that a man would only wear the uncomfortable, hideous Christmas sweater in an effort to please his mum, who presumably was the one who gave it to him.
161* In ''Series/SoAwkward'', Lily's mum has a habit of knitting her jumpers that are both hideous and embarrassing. In "Parentology", she knits Lily a jumper with Lily's own face on it. Then, under the mistaken impression that Ollie is Lily's boyfriend, she knits him one with ''his'' face on it.
162* Regina knits one of these for Steve to celebrate their one-month anniversary on ''Series/TheSteveHarveyShow''.
163* In ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', Maddie rigs the Secret Santa so that London draws her name, hoping for an expensive gift. However, London, after being told that homemade gifts are more thoughtful, knits Maddie a sweater... in the loosest sense of the word "sweater", since it has three arms and no neckhole.
164* David, the host of ''Series/SupermarketSweep'', wore an incredibly loud and oddly-colored sweater in every episode. (It ''was'' TheEighties.) Buzzr, which airs the reruns, has fun with this in one of its ads, having an elderly-sounding woman explain that "my grandson David" told her how cold it is on the set of the show and "he asked me to knit him some sweaters!"
165* On ''Series/That70sShow'', Hyde is given one of these by Kitty on his eighteenth birthday.
166* The above was hilariously referenced in an episode of ''Series/WhiteCollar''; when Peter's in-laws are coming to visit, he wears the sweater his mother-in-law knit for him, prompting Diana to call him "Dr. Huxtable".
167* On ''Series/XPlay'', when Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb were wearing sweaters like this, Adam said the antler hat didn't emasculate him. Morgan agreed because "It's the ''sweater'' that makes you look gay."
168[[/folder]]
169
170[[folder:Music]]
171* The Dutch yearly musical program ''Kinderen voor Kinderen'' (Children singing songs about world problems and other things that occupy children's minds) had the song ''Kriebeltrui'' (''Itchy Sweater'')
172* The Garth Brooks song "Ugly Christmas Sweater" is about how a hot coworker wore one to the office Christmas party, and the singer deciding he likes how she looks in it.
173* “Ugly Christmas Sweater” by the Face Vocal Band laments how Santa seems to get the singer one of these ''every year'', complete with a turquoise-sequined Baby Jesus and an “elf on a unicorn with light-up antlers.”
174--> Santa, I just thought that you had higher standards.
175[[/folder]]
176
177[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
178* In the Christmas episode of ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' Miss Piggy is trying to decide on a sweater to wear to Creator/GeorgeClooney’s ugly sweater party, but she feels like none of her sweaters are ugly enough. Then Scooter enters her dressing room wearing a tacky sweater [[MamasBoy his mother made for him]] covered in lights. Piggy takes one look and exclaims, “Scooter! Your sweater is hideous! I must have it!”
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Radio]]
182* Mo Rocca made a comment about how he disliked homemade sweaters while on NPR's ''Radio/WaitWaitDontTellMe'', claiming that homemade sweaters are "always itchy." The following week, host Peter Sagal reported that "the knitting community" was up in arms over the remark, and Mo phoned in a prepared statement apologizing for using the "i-word" and saying that his comments were indefensible even though there was a reason behind them involving his time as an exchange student in Ecuador, limited sleeping arrangements having forced him to bunk with the family's teenage alpaca, Chucho.
183** The knitters' response to Mo's remark culminated in several members from Ravelry.com teaming up and presenting Mo with a sweater they'd made. He accepted the present, put it on, and good-naturedly admitted that his new sweater wasn't itchy at all. [[http://blog.berroco.com/2010/04/21/mo-rocca-itchy-sweater-saga-goes-mainstream/ Observe.]]
184[[/folder]]
185
186[[folder:Video Games]]
187* One mission in ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' had Jimmy receiving a terrible Christmas sweater from his mother, and had to walk all the way back to the dorm to change it. The other students would laugh at him for wearing it, though if you wanted to wear it anyway, you could make Jimmy beat them up for laughing at him.
188* ''VideoGame/{{MultiVersus}}'': During the game's holiday [=FestiVersus=] event, several characters received a new variant titled "Ugly Sweater", having the characters wearing Christmas themed wool sweaters and other winter accessories.
189* Even ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has these. Behold the [[https://www.wowhead.com/item=70923/gaudy-winter-veil-sweater gaudy Winter Veil sweater!]]
190* The "Itchy Sweater" upgrade from ''VideoGame/CookieClicker''. Supposedly, it makes its wearer feel like you're wrapped in a dead Sasquatch.
191* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'': Krieg the Psycho, [[WalkingShirtlessScene of all people]], has an ugly Christmas sweater as one of his alternate skins. It's a reward for completing the [[ChristmasEpisode "How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day"]] DLC.
192* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'': The theme of the December 2017 Splatfest for North America & Oceania was a battle of undesirable holiday presents, Sweaters vs. Socks.
193* An unusual variant appears in ''VideoGame/FairyGodmotherTycoon'', depending on how you choose to resolve Little Bo Peep's lost sheep incident. If you persuade the Pied Piper to give her all his rats to replace her sheep, she knits you one of these. It's not shown, but the horribleness is implied by the fact that the sweater is made from ''rat hair''.
194* The turn-based spinoff ''Heroes of Franchise/DragonAge'' plays with the trope. Among the creatures who can be collected and used are nugs, the odd little "bunny pigs" from the main series. Four of these, classified as Rare, are the "Nugly Sweater" set; Red, Blue, Black, and White Nugly Sweater nugs each wear a sweater in one of the in-game faction colors. They can generally only be acquired by completing special events during winter months.
195* In ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'''s Winter Festival Grand Prix, Polar can get one as a costume. In a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] of this trope, he doesn't seem to mind too much (probably because he's a non-evolved polar bear).
196* ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' offers an "Ugly Sweaters" collection every holiday season, with more being added each year.
197* In ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', a DLC conversation features Tyme knitting a sweater for her sister Ryme. At first, Ryme refuses to wear it because a beige sweater clashes with her rapper image. She eventually agrees to wear it while off the clock, though.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Web Animation]]
201* ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals''
202** In "[[https://youtu.be/W_yT645S9eQ Dr. Light's Gift To Mega Man X]]", [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents Dr. Light]] makes X wear a Christmas sweater he knitted for him, but X doesn't want to wear it because he's afraid the mavericks will laugh at him.
203-->'''Dr. Light:''' Oh, I see. What the mavericks think is more important than the feelings of your dear old creator. I might be dead soon, you know.\
204'''Mega Man X:''' You've been dead for hundreds of years! In fact, I think [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat this is a pre-recorded message]] [[LampshadeHanging which makes this conversation really weird!]]
205* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''
206** The stairway of the house of the Brothers Strong has pictures of Strong Mad and The Cheat wearing hand-made holiday sweaters, implying some relation knits Christmas sweaters for all four residents, despite their... unique physiques making for some weird measurements.
207** One of the shorts featured in "Decemberween in July" is a music video by The Cheat for a song about "Seasonal Sweaters" performed by Marzipan. The video features a number of garish sweaters, many of which also have cheesy slogans on them (like "What Shopping?" and "Ho Hum").
208--->Seasonal sweaters\
209With presents and bows\
210Snowmen and tree\
211And sometimes a bell (a bell!)
212** Homestar receives an ugly brown sweater as a [[YouMeanXmas Decemberween]] gift from Marzipan's parents in [[Recap/HomestarRunnerADeathDefyingDecemberween "A Death Defying Decemberween."]]
213--->'''Homestar:''' [[MirthlessLaughter Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho]], brown sweater, [[SarcasmMode it's like you read my mind!]]
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Web Comics]]
217* Nanase from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' often wears a cutesy heart sweater to please her mother. She changes out of it whenever possible, because it tends to subvert the badass image she likes to project.
218%%* [[http://www.hereville.com/webcomic/?p=180 This]].
219* Kankri of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' wears a lurid candy-red turtleneck, which was a gift from Porrim which she hoped would conceal his even uglier high-waisted pants.
220* Averted and Played Straight in ''Webcomic/Level30Psychiatry''. Roll makes very nice and tasteful winter sweaters but while she puts the extra effort into Gardevoir's one (including holes for her chest-horns), the egg-shaped Chansey gets a very ill-fitting sweater.
221* In ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'' [[http://nonadventures.com/2015/12/19/the-longest-yarn/ Wonderella]] is far from impressed with the kitschy holiday sweater phenomenon, and yells that Kilroy and his henchmen look like horses' asses.
222-->"Like, it was cute when it was grandma's old sweater or something, but now there's a whole ''industry'' of fake ugly sweaters! People pay top dollar to look like a ''cock'' at the office Christmas party!
223* [[http://lackadaisycats.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=331 The sweater in this]] ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'' strip. Mrs. Bapka gives Viktor a hideous green sweater for Christmas, although the hat from Ivy is what really sells it.
224* In [[https://www.kevinandkell.com/2019/kk0406.html this]] ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' strip Bruno acknowledges the sweater he's wearing is ugly, but it also means for the few minutes his chameleon daughter Carla matches his sweater, he can find her easily.
225* In the [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2022/12/25/beyond-mortal-kin/ Christmas 2022]] strip of ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'' (which is kind of set at Christmas, in that the [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2021/12/25/if-every-day-was-like-christmas/ Christmas 2021]] strip established it could be ChristmasEveryDay for the duration of the storyline if the characters wanted), Pete, Dragon, Kitsune and Kix are all wearing garish sweaters with funny slogans (Pete: "I ''Am'' The Naughty List"; Dragon: "Coal Blooded"; Kitsune "Fixin' For a Vixen"; and Kix "Madre de Dioses"). King demands to know how this can be a "perfect Christmas" if it includes these sweaters, to which Cerebus replies that she thought kitsch was part of the fun.
226[[/folder]]
227
228[[folder:Web Original]]
229* [[Music/DoctorSteel Dr. Steel]] gets one in the ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVfSJPKA0VM Dr. Steel Christmas Special.]]''
230* In 2013 Website/YouTube comedy channel JASH had several of its member comedians (Creator/SarahSilverman, Creator/TimAndEric, Reggie Watts, Creator/MichaelCera) don these for a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_0DBTcnhM cancer charity texting campaign.]]
231[[/folder]]
232
233[[folder:Western Animation]]
234* Brian gets one of these on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' in "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS3E16AVerySpecialFamilyGuyFreakinChristmas A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas]]":
235-->'''Lois:''' Brian, you're not wearing the sweater I made you.\
236'''Brian:''' Well, y'know, it's a little warm in here...\
237'''Lois:''' [[HaveAGayOldTime Don we now our gay apparel]]!\
238'''Brian:''' (''puts on the [very flamboyant] sweater'') [[DeadpanSnarker It doesn't get much gayer than this.]]
239* In ''WesternAnimation/AGarfieldChristmas'', Jon gets a Christmas sweater that flows far past the tips of his fingers.
240* ''WesternAnimation/IHeartArlo'': In "Swamp Itch", Arlo gets a sweater from Edmee, which in turn causes him to get a swamp itch.
241* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [=SpongeBob=] once made Squidward an itchy sweater made from his own eyelashes. To make up for it, he makes another sweater out of tears.
242* Averted nicely with ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''. Mabel makes her own sweaters, and their perceived ugliness is a work of art to her. She makes one for everyone in the series finale, and everyone agrees they're very comfortable; even Pacifica swallows her pride and puts hers on.
243* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', J'onn J'onzz (ComicBook/MartianManhunter) is visiting the Kents ({{Franchise/Superman}}'s family) one Christmas. Martha gives him a sweater, but it's too large. J'onn is pleased with the gift, though, and says he can grow into it; he promptly uses his {{shapeshifting}} abilities to do just that.
244* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': As part of the fun of staging his very own old-fashioned variety-show Christmas special, the Joker wears a Bing Crosby-style turtleneck / cardigan ensemble in bright red and deep green. There's no clashing patterns, but the colors look absolutely hideous next to each other.
245* Among the many presents gifted to Bloo from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' by his stalker-girl Berry, includes a dumb-looking sweater. Inverted in that he actually likes it, since it fits him so well. His body is basically a cylinder, so he probably does have a hard time finding clothes which fit "really well across the chest".
246* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
247** Implied in the episode "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace":
248--->'''Bart:''' (''holding one of Lisa's presents'') Hocus pocus, mucus pukus! My powers tell me you're getting a homemade sweater -- possibly yellow!\
249'''Lisa:''' Mom, make Bart stop!\
250'''Marge:''' Bart, put down that yellow sweater.
251** Dr. Hibbert also frequently wears one when he's off-duty, since his family is a parody of ''Series/TheCosbyShow''.
252* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'' had a scene where Henry's mom gives him an embarrassing purple sweater with a train on it.
253* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Kim's [[NeverMessWithGranny Nana]] presents her with a rather bulky wool sweater (in Florida, in the summer). Taking it off messes up Kim's hair worse than any fight or DeathTrap ever did.
254* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': [[OneBadMother Mother Mae-Eye]] has Starfire wear an oversized green sweater with a red stripe.
255* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Second Christmas", all the Titans get these for Christmas. They rag on them, but love them.
256* In the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode "The Christmas Special," Benson wore a tacky reindeer sweater that even Santa himself insulted.
257-->'''Santa:''' Benson, you should've tossed that thing into the lava pit.
258* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' gives us one with extra {{Squick}}:
259-->'''Meatwad:''' I made you this shirt, Frylock. It's 100% pubic hair. I made it extra large because it'll shrink in the washer. That's right. I want you to wash this with the rest of your clothes.
260* In the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney cartoon]] ''[[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]]'s Sweater'', WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse knits for Pluto a hideously fuchsia sweater, to which he immediately takes a disliking. Forced to wear it outside, and quickly becoming the laughingstock of the neighborhood, Pluto spends the entire cartoon trying to extract himself from it. {{WesternAnimation/Figaro}} spends the entire episode laughing at his misfortune only to be struck with LaserGuidedKarma when it shrinks and is too small for Pluto but now is his size.
261* In the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Loose Screw", Stella Starbella knits sweaters for Wander (his is way too big) and Sylvia (hers is way too small).
262* In the ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'' short "[[Recap/MickeyMouseS3E13CouplesSweaters Couple's Sweaters]]", Mickey is on a date with Minnie, but he's annoyed that they have to wear couple's sweaters, noting that they're incredibly itchy and uncomfortable (he starts breaking out into a rash halfway through the date). In the end, he finally confesses to Minnie about how much he hates those sweaters and only wore them for her sake, only for her to reveal she hates them too. They both agree to never wear them again.
263* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
264** In a flashback from "Sleuth or Consequences", Lincoln attempts to flush one of these made by his mom down the toilet. He ends up clogging it in the process, earning yet another tattling from [[TheStoolPigeon Lola]].
265** In "Insta-Gran", Pop-Pop's new girlfriend Myrtle gives all the Loud kids one of these.
266* ''WesternAnimation/SeaPrincesses'': [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible A beanie rather than a sweater]], but in "The Runaway Grandmother", it's Salacia Day and every year Ester's grandmother knits her an embarrassing red beanie, which she loses so she can wear something much cooler. This year, she replaces it with a headband, just as her grandmother appears.
267* In the second ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' ChristmasEpisode, "How Santa Stole Christmas!", Scrooge's Christmas gifts for the kids are woolen hats, as he believes they deserve something practical. While Webby eagerly accepts her gift, the boys are less than pleased with theirs.
268-->'''Louie''': Eugh, you could NOT have found an itchier fabric!
269* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Tooey's Hole-i-Day Sweater", it's revealed that in the Ookami family, you have to wear an ugly Christmas sweater until you outgrow it. Tooey's older brothers Jay and John both had to wear it before handing it down to Tooey. Tooey thought that this year would be the last year that he wears the sweater, but it gets a hole, is fixed, and he has to wear it for years to come.
270* In the cold opening of the ''WesternAnimation/ProducingParker'' episode "15 Minutes Of Parker" Massimo is forced into one, much to his chagrin. It causes him to be teased by the other neighborhood dogs and called "snowflake."
271[[/folder]]
272
273[[folder:Real Life]]
274* [[http://www.standup2cancer.org Stand Up to Cancer]] has an annual [[http://uglysweater.su2c.org ugly sweater fundraiser]] during the holiday season.
275* Creator/WilWheaton's [[http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2005/12/if_you_want_to_.html horrific clown sweater]] has become the stuff of MemeticMutation.
276* Among the knitting community, there's a superstitious belief that knitting a sweater for your romantic other will lead to the end of the relationship.
277* [[Music/{{Chicago}} Peter Cetera]] was [[http://cdnph.upi.com/topic/photo/ss/upi/6670ec7359a2a8cee5f87f6738cb14fa/MACYS-78TH-THANKSGIVING-DAY-PARADE_1.jpg wearing one of these]] during his performance in the 2004 UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade.
278* [[UsefulNotes/{{Tennis}} Andy Murray]]'s 2014 Christmas sweater must be [[https://twitter.com/andy_murray/status/548285821326217216 truly seen to be believed.]]
279* A fairly new tradition in the last few years has been to host "ugly sweater parties" around Christmastime, where you have to show up in the ugliest, tackiest, kitschiest Christmas sweater you have to hand (or some other form of equally gaudy and stupid-looking Christmas-themed attire).
280* In 2020, a Reddit user made [[https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/kkbm2a/aita_for_not_thinking_the_joke_my_family_played/ this post]] to r/[=AmITheAsshole=], asking if he was the asshole because he didn't think the prank his family played on his girlfriend was a big deal. She had a facial scar that she was self-conscious over, and for Christmas, his mother and sister wore ugly sweaters with her face printed on them. He tried to justify it by saying his family had a dark sense of humor, and that putting her face on the sweaters was "meant to be ironic because she was so beautiful", but the commenters universally tore him to bits over it.
281[[/folder]]

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