Showbags at the Sydney Royal Easter Show

Showbags have been a keenly sought after item by children of all ages at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Originally starting out as Sample Bags, where manufacturers gave away samples of there products in paper bags, they have developed into a dazzling array of bags full of treats, toys and tonnes of fun.

At this years Sydney Royal Easter Show there's a Showbag for every age, taste and budget. Most of the Showbags are to be found in the Showbag Hall. 

A uniquely Australian invention, Showbags originated in the 1900s as sample bags - offering Showgoers the chance to try something for free. Then, in the 1920s, as the cost of producing bags became too much for companies, they began being sold. 

Over the years, Showbags have contained both the weird and the wonderful. The first ones mainly contained delicious food products with confectionery being particularly popular. Crappy products, such as coal and laxatives, were once included. Very strange! In the 1950s, toys made their way into the bags. A celebrity revolution took hold in the 1980s with Madonna and Michael Jackson bags introduced into the Showbag Hall.

Today you can buy Show Bags based on TV Shows, radio stations, cartoon characters, magazines, sporting teams and sweets. The latter range from chocolates to nuts, liquorice, chewing gum, nuts, and jubes.