Showbags Heritage Highlights
Invented in Australia, the Showbag has become embedded in Australian culture. It’s a part of the Sydney Royal which is looked forward to by old and young alike.
The precursor to today’s Showbag was the Sample Bag. First introduced as a form of advertising by retailers, the Sample Bag was simply that – a free giveaway of a sample or two, handed out in the hope that people trying the product would go on to buy it.
These Sample Bags were very popular with show-goers. Many visitors collected so many that it was difficult to carry them all home!
As production costs rose, Sample Bags began to be sold in the late 1920s. More items were put inside, and the bags became sought after in their own right.
The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Heritage Centre currently has a collection of nearly 450 Showbags. This is the largest known Showbag collection in the world. Our collection dates from 1929 to the present, but we are always looking for more. Do you have a Showbag you would like to donate?