Awilly warmer (orcock sock) is a novelty garment designed to fit over thepenis.[1]
According to theCroatian knitter Radmila Kus, knitted protector (nakurnjak[2][3]) was traditionally worn by Croatian men, particularly in theMrkopalj mountain region, as a guard against frostbite.[4] Such garments were also worn inNorway, where they were calledforhyse,vænakot, orsuspensorium.[5] Several examples are preserved in theNorwegian Museum of Cultural History.[5] Sometimes in Norway they would be made fromsquirrel fur with the fur side inside, to be worn under leather trousers in the winter.[6][7] On theFaroe Islands such garments are calledkallvøttur (man mitten) orpurrivøttur (testicles mitten).[7] There was a tradition in Norway and Denmark, particularly on the Faroe Islands, where a girl would present her boyfriend with aforhyse to see how seriously he took their relationship. If the gift was rejected, this was seen as evidence that he was not yet ready for marriage.[6]
Since the 20th century, willy warmers are usually made as novelties andjoke gifts rather than to serve a functional purpose.[8] In 1939, while filmingGone with the Wind,Clark Gable received a present of a hand-knitted genitalia warmer fromCarole Lombard.[9] In the 1950s,Joan Crawford knitted a "cock sock" as a parting present forPorfirio Rubirosa.[10]
Dawn Steel, while working as a merchandiser forPenthouse in the early 1970s, found hand-knitted "cock socks" inFrankfurt, and subsequently secured the rights to market "extra large" red, blue and white versions through the magazine.[11][12][13] By the early 1980s, the seaside resortBlackpool had willy warmers displayed alongside other merchandise in gift shops just outside thePleasure Beach, where they were seen as reflecting the limit of sexually suggestive material which was considered permissible to display publicly.[14] It was claimed in 1991 thatKing Charles III, received a green knitted warmer one Christmas, which was stored with other unusual gifts in the cellar atHighgrove House.[1]
In male nude photography, as published in magazines such asPlaygirl, cock socks have become a humorous substitute for thefig leaf, deliberately focusing attention upon the area concealed.[15] In 1990–91, during theGulf War, the Britishtabloid newspaperThe Sun printed a pattern for a willy warmer, which it encouraged female readers to knit and send to soldiers in the Gulf.[16] Early 21st century willy warmers are often made to represent religious or political themes, or in the form of animals.[17] For example, in 2004Ann Summers offered a horse's head design with a neighing speaker.[8] British reality TV starBobby-Cole Norris has repeatedly made headlines for his choice of willy warmers as swimwear, including both a simple pouch[18] and an anatomically correct variety.[19]
