Figure 1.--This illustration from a booklet commemorating the 50th anniversary of American Scouting, shows a Cub and Scout in the 1950s. The Cub Scout wears long pants, while the Boy Scout wears short pants and knee socks. Both the Cub Scout and Boy Scout have a square knot in the tips of their neckerchiefs. Interstingly, the Boy Scout is shown without tabs for the garters holding up his knee socks.

The initial Cub pants were blue knickers matching the shirt. Knickers were replaced with short and long pants in the 1940s, although most Cubs chose to wear long pants. Some Scouts wore shorts, but Cubs wore shorts much less than did the Scouts. I am not positive why this was. I think this was because Scouts attended summer camps which required shorts as the standard uniform. Cubs did not attnd these camps. The pants had destinctive fold over front pockets with yellow piping. Cubs wore long pants. Only minor changes were made during the 60s and 70s. Many Cubs chose to wear jeans rather than the official Cub pants. An entirely new uniform was introduced in the 1980s. Cubs began wearing the short pants uniform more commonly.

Chronology

The initial Cub pants were blue knickers matching the shirt. We mostly see Cubs wearing knickers in the 30s. A reader writes, "In the the section on USA Cub Scouts describing the uniform you (this site) says the long pants and shorts were not used by Cubs until after 1940. This is incorrect. In the 1936 Cubbook on the inside of the back cover has photos of how the Cub uniform should look. The photos include knickers, shorts and long pants as well as long and short sleeve shirts and a pull over sweater option." [McGarrah] This is interesting, but the photographic record shows little indicatiin that Cubs wore anything but knickers in the 1930s. his is the case fof both individual and pack snap shots. Knickers were replaced with short and long pants in the 1940s, although most Cubs chose to wear long pants. Some Scouts wore shorts, but Cubs wore shorts much less than did the Scouts. I am not positive why this was. I think this was because Scouts attended summer camps which required shorts as the standard uniform. Cubs did not attnd these camps. The pants had destinctive fold over front pockets with yellow piping. Cubs wore long pants. Only minor changes were made during the 60s and 70s. Many Cubs chose to wear jeans rather than the official Cub pants. An entirely new uniform was introduced in the 1980s. Cubs began wearing the short pants uniform more commonly.

Pants Types

We see American Cubs wearing a range of uniform pants, including short pants, knickers, and long pants. This varied substantially over time. At theonset of American Cubbng, the official pants were knickers. Tis was comparable to the Scouts as most American couts wore knickers as the uorm pants. Thi did not cjhage untl World War II. As knickets for boys were going out of style, The Cubs and Scouts changed from knickers to a choice of short or long pants. Most Cubs chose long pants. We see some shots in the southern states and southern California, but for the most part we see Cubs wearing long pants. We also see the same range of non uniform pants worn with offical Cub shirts. Eventually many boys began wearing regulr pants with thei official Cub shirt. We begin to see his aot in the 960s with many boyswear jens insted of the officil pants.

Sources

McGarrah, Larry. E-mail message (August 17, 2014.