Back in 1971, Steve Chmelar wanted to create a way to support his high school basketball team at the Iowa state championships, and he came up with a big "No. 1 hand" created out of galvanized hardware cloth, paper mache, spray paint and a red marker over the course of a few days at his parents' garage. The finger made only two appearances - at the state semifinal and championship game in Des Moines - before it was retired for good. But an AP photographer snapped a photo of Chmelar at one of the games, and it ended up in the school yearbook, where it became an inspiration for fans all over the world.
"It was pretty popular at the game," Chmelar told FOXSports.com. "Nobody had ever seen anything like that before, so it got some attention. And then when the team made its trip back to Ottumwa from Des Moines, I recall being on the bus with the team, holding the finger out the window." Several years after Chmelar created his original No. 1 finger, a man named Geral Fauss created the first foam finger and began selling them at the 1978 Cotton Bowl game. Chmelar said he has never spoken with Fauss, but that he believes it was his creation that inspired the digit we all know today.
The original inventor of the foam finger, now a 59-year-old VP of commercial sales at a construction supply company, says he's gotten attention since Miley Cyrus' brow-rising, tongue-sticking, booty popping, and twerking-filled performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Chmelar never expected to see his original idea used in quite the unspeakable way Cyrus did at the VMA's. "I would say that it certainly misrepresented its intent to encourage team support," Chmelar said. "She took an honorable icon that is seen in sporting venues everywhere and degraded it."
The specific foam finger Miley was using belonged to stylist and fashion host Lisa Katnic. According to Yahoo! Music, Katnic created the finger, which is all white with red painted nails, a year ago for an editorial shoot. However, it didn't make the cut. Nevertheless, the finger finally made its debut in Robin Thicke's racy video for his hit "Blurred Lines" before appearing at the VMA's worn by Cyrus in her racy performance.
"For people that like that kind of entertainment, I'm sure that it met their needs," Chmelar said. "If I had a choice between Julie Andrews singing 'The Sound of Music' and Miley Cyrus doing 'Can't Stop,' I'd go the Julie Andrews route, but everyone has their choice and their decision." He went on to add, "Fortunately, the foam finger has been around long enough that it will survive this incident. As for Miley Cyrus, let's hope she can outlive this event and also survive."
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