Marian and Vivian Brown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Brown Twins
Marian and Vivian Brown

Marian B. Brown (born January 25, 1927 – died November 20, 2014) and Vivian A. Brown (born January 25, 1927 – died January 9, 2013) were identical twin sisters from America. They were known for acting and appearing on TV talk shows and in commercials. They became famous in San Francisco, where people called them the San Francisco Twins. They were easily recognized because they always wore bright, matching outfits and hats. Their hair was always perfectly styled. In 2000, they were voted second as San Francisco's "Best Local Character." They often ate dinner at Uncle Vito's restaurant in Nob Hill, San Francisco.

The Lives of the Brown Twins

Marian and Vivian Brown (left to right) in 1997

Marian B. Brown and her twin sister Vivian A. Brown were born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Vivian was the older sister by eight minutes. They grew up in Mattawan, Michigan. In 1945, they both graduated from Mattawan High School. They were co-valedictorians, which means they were the top students in their class and gave the graduation speech together.

After high school, they both earned business education degrees from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. They then worked as teachers for three years.

In 1970, when they were 43 years old, the Brown twins moved from Michigan to San Francisco. They wanted to escape the hot summers and cold winters. In San Francisco, Vivian worked as a legal secretary, and Marian worked at a bank.

In Kalamazoo, the Brown twins were often seen in the Kalamazoo Mall. They always dressed exactly alike. Both were small, standing about 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 98 pounds. They were always together. They dressed the same, walked in step, and even ate at the same speed, lifting their forks at the same time. Neither sister ever married. They once said they went on double dates with twins they met at a twins' convention.

The sisters were always together until Vivian started having memory problems. In the summer of 2012, she fell and ended up in Davies Hospital. Her health got worse. The cost of her medical care became a problem for the twins. People in San Francisco and charities worked together to help them stay close. Vivian passed away on January 9, 2013, at age 85. She died at the Rhoda Goldman Plaza Assisted Living Centre in the Western Addition area of San Francisco. Marian died on November 20, 2014, at a hospice in San Mateo, California, at age 87. The twins' ashes are kept in two light blue urns decorated with orchids at the San Francisco Columbarium.

Becoming San Francisco Celebrities

For over 40 years, the Brown twins were a fun part of the San Francisco social scene. They appeared in public wearing identical clothes. This made them local celebrities. They became widely known after appearing in a 1988 TV commercial for Reebok. This led to them being on talk shows and modeling in more advertisements.

They appeared on television with famous people like Richard Simmons, Tom Snyder, and Vicki Lawrence. Over the years, they were featured in more than 25 television commercials. They appeared in ads for companies such as IBM, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, Pay Less, Virgin Atlantic, Joe Boxer, Macy's, AT&T, Dell Computers, and Apple Inc.. The Brown Twins also appeared in a scene in the movie 9 to 5, which was supposed to be set in Los Angeles.