Thanks to reality TV, the Duggars are now a household name, but what's known about the
ever-expanding brood before TLC came knocking?
From a failed political career, to the origins of those dating and dress code rules, we uncover
it all with what the Duggars' lives were like before the fame.
Matching fashion
Long before the Duggar family was a household name, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar preferred
a modest dress code for their kids.
The boys wore matching slacks paired with polos or dress shirts, while the girls donned
big and puffy dresses with pleated collars.
What a time to be alive, right?
Well, not where the kids were concerned.
Joy Duggar said about her former wardrobe:
"They were like bags…
We wore those until I was like 12."
Jessa Duggar also chimed in:
"I definitely have those moments I look back and say, 'Man, that was rough, that was a
rough patch.'"
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the Duggar women's preference for
crunchy perms and long locks way back when.
Michelle, for instance, kept her signature hairstyle for 46 years before getting a makeover
in 2012.
Michelle described the transformation as a "shock," according to People.
Although all of the Duggar women still rock long hair, they've switched their clothes
up throughout the years.
A few Duggar sisters have even sported pants post-marriage!
And speaking of really cutting loose, Jill Duggar pierced her nose in November 2017.
The times, they are a-changing!
Teeny-tiny home
Although it's hard to imagine the Duggar family shacked up in anything other than a 7,000
square foot complex, they used to live in a small three-bed, two bath rancher prior
to 2006.
The house was first featured on 14 Children and Pregnant Again!, the Duggars' first televised
special with TLC in 2004, and many fans couldn't believe the large clan was able to coexist
in the 2,450 square foot property.
It probably won't come as a surprise to people that life at the Duggars' first chateau was
far from perfect.
Jill Duggar agreed with that sentiment, telling cameras about the family's bathroom dilemma:
"We have to split up the showers and baths for, half the people get them in the morning,
half the people get them in the evening, and whoever's the dirtiest gets them first."
Luckily for the Duggar kids, their current home has nine bathrooms and seven showers.
What a relief.
"Clearly the family outgrew their small house about six babies back."
They weren't jet setters
It's not uncommon to hear about the Duggar family jetting off to international destinations,
like Australia and Scotland, to name a few.
In fact, multiple 19 Kids & Counting episodes were dedicated to the Duggar family's trip
to Japan and China in 2013.
But prior to the clan's jet-setting ways, they had never left the United States.
TLC captured one of the first big trips the family ever took in 2006 for a special called
On The Road With 16 Children.
It was a Duggar family cross-country road trip to Los Angeles, and let's just say the
vacation wasn't glamorous, it involved a cramped RV and stays at public campgrounds.
Michelle Duggar tried to make the best of the seemingly stressful situation.
"There has to be rules or else there would be chaos.
And still yet sometimes there's chaos anyway."
No-play dating
When 19 Kids & Counting was known as 17 Kids & Counting, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar would
often wax poetic about their list of dating rules.
It's common knowledge that the Duggar siblings can't be alone with their paramours pre-marriage,
for instance, as Jim Bob believes it can lead to moments of weakness.
Jim Bob said:
"As far as our kids dating, we believe a lot of times if you're alone with the person,
it can create desires that can kind of get stirred up, and you don't have any accountability,
and [that] can kind of lead to some hanky panky."
"No hanky panky."
"God, you have not dated in a long time, have you?"
Another interesting courtship rule?
Dating Duggars couldn't talk on the phone unchaperoned.
Yep, that's right, there's even footage of Jim Bob and Michelle listening in on one of
their daughter Jill's conversations with her now husband, Derick Dillard.
These days, Michelle and Jim Bob have loosened up a little.
When their daughter Jessa started dating her now husband, Ben Seewald, the two were allowed
to "talk on the phone privately for an hour each night."
But then again, those two have always walked on the wild side.
"I'm gonna be adventurous and get the mango habanero."
More hustle
Jim Bob Duggar is quick to share with fans his story of self-made financial success.
And to be fair, Jim Bob did hustle a lot prior to fame, buying commercial real estate properties
to later transform into rental buildings.
In fact, Jim Bob converted a "37,000 sq. foot chicken hatchery into 10 rental units," and
he rented out a cell phone tower to mobile phone carriers, according to Business Insider.
The dad of 19 also worked as a used-car and insurance salesman to make ends meet.
Jim Bob and Michelle continued their trend of hard work in the beginning of their reality
television careers, often organizing meet and greets with fans.
But all of this hustling slowed down once 19 Kids & Counting became a national phenomenon.
Tater-tot casseroles
The Duggars switched to healthier diets after they gained national attention, a fact Michelle
Duggar touched on in a May 2013 blog post for TLC.
She wrote:
"Jim Bob is definitely eating a lot more fresh vegetables, fish and chicken and trying to
stay away from fried foods.
He's really eating smaller portions and avoiding the junk food.
The family's food has changed a lot along with Jim Bob's.
My kids really love fresh vegetables and fruit.
When we can keep it in the house and get it at a good price, we really stock up."
But before the family planted its own garden and converted to healthy eating, it feasted
on tater-tot casseroles.
Yep, that's right folks.
The Duggar staple, that just so happens to be Jim Bob's favorite dish, was extensively
explained on TLC's special 14 Children and Pregnant Again!
Jokes aside, it makes sense the Duggars relied on tater tot casseroles in the early days.
Raising 19 kids is expensive, to say the least.
"So, we're gonna need five pounds of ground beef, some tater tots, and some cans of evaporated
milk, cans of mushroom soup…
You're gonna love it, Jeremy."
"Yeah, I can't wait."