Thicke Sweaters.

Born Alan Willis Jeffery in 1947 somewhere near Kirkland Lake, Ontario (Canada's bottled water capital) and best know for his role as Jason Seaver on the hit 80's sitcom "Growing Pains", Alan Thicke is under appreciated for his ability to rock a sweater.

Allen has never been given the full sweater recognition he deserves. Historians in sweater lineage have found notable spikes in sweater appreciation that corresponds directly with Season 3 and 4 of Thicke's hit show Growing Pains. (The two seasons that Alan tested out his most adventurous sweaters.) And yet, there is scarcely a mention of his contribution to sweater wearing anywhere in print or on the web.

And for that, we are all poorer.

Growing Pains creator Neal Marlens said, "Alan loved his fucking sweaters and know what? So did America. At first I was like, what the fuck is going on here? But when the public lapped it up I was thinking, Fuck yes. Cha-Ching!".


Screenshot of a Thicke sweater in action.

In 1986 the future looked bright, not only for Alan, but the sweater community at large.

Growing Pains continued on it's successful path and gave career starts to actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.

In 1988 tragedy struck. Rising fast on the TV guide charts was the surprise smash hit "The Cosby Show". Already on their 4th season, the show's leading director Jay Sandrich knew it was time to make a change. "People were getting bored of Cliff and Clare, Rudy was no longer cute and Theo was too stoned to wrap an episode around. I'll admit we were fucking panicked. But when we saw the success of Alan Thicke's sweaters we knew we had our saviour", Sandrich said.

Riding in on Alan's sweater strings, The Cosby Show hit the knitted community with full force.

In a brilliant marketing gamble not only were Cosby's sweaters given the show's leading role but also offered to the public for sale.

Cosby whoring his sup-par sweater line

It was a windfall and the Cosby show took over the number one spot in the ratings.

Seeing the undeniable sweater success in the Cosby court, Growing Pains execs attempted to release some of Alan's sweaters on the market but Alan, a sweater purist, would have no part of it thus doomed the endeavor.

"He just would do it. I begged, for hours I begged", says Co-Star Kirk Cameron, "He just didn't care. It wasn't about the Money for Al, it was about the integrity of the sweater.".

The Cosby Sweater success soon eclipsed not only Alan's sweaters but his show as well. Growing Pains began to slunk in the ratings and was moved from it's primetime slot.

By 1990 the heat was on the show's Wardrobe department and specifically on Key Costume Designer Judith Brewer Curtis. "I tried everything, Sweater Vests with Ties, Acapulco Shirts and Leather Jackets...My marriage went to shit, my kids still don't talk to me, I was powerless. Fucking Powerless!!!", Curtis said in a rare phone interview from her mental Care facility (that Alan continues to pay for to this day).

Despite their best attempts, without the support of Alan Thicke's sweaters the show lost the thread that kept it together

The show was cancelled in fall of 92'.

Alan went on to have an impressive career but there has been a palpable void in his work and life.

Alan's famous sweaters have been noticeably absent for more than ten years but in June of 2006 the Thicke Sweater made a triumphant comeback in an unexpected appearance at the Celebrity Pro-am golf Tournament.

Thicke at the Celeb Golf Tornament with some random dude.

Alan has refused to comment on his sweaters in any official capacity but quipped at the celebrity Golf Tournament, "Sweater? I don't even know her!", he said.

Leading Sweater Historian Arturo Beckett responded to Thicke's statement with, "It's not much but to the sweater community it gives a lot of warmth.".