Showbag

[1] The first "showbag", a bag of coal, was given away for free to all visitors at the inaugural Brisbane Ekka in 1876; however, only from 1902 were stallholders allowed to start giving out samples.

[1] Compared to the practice of giving away sample bags for free or at very low cost in the past, showbags in the late-2010s were commonly priced in the $5 to $30 range, up from a typical maximum of $20 during the previous decade.

Other common showbag items include clothing such as hats, socks and T-shirts, backpacks, drinking cups and mugs, posters and stationery.

[13] Showbags themed around movies such as Ghostbusters, Top Gun, or Back to the Future, or television shows such as The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, Friends or The Office are generally targeted at adult fans of those properties.

Broad areas of children's play interest such as fairies, dinosaurs or pirates are also common subjects for showbag themes, as well as international and domestic sporting teams.

[10] The physical showbag itself is similar to a shopping bag and is usually made from plastic or heavy paper, and is printed with graphics promoting the theme or brand.

[18] Atypically, showbags were also sold in supermarkets and other brick and mortar stores after the cancellation of major shows in order to deal with the large surplus of stock.

[21][22] The pandemic also forced smaller showbag sellers in regional areas to tour country towns independently in order to continue trading.