Category:
Headgear

Weird Easter Hats

The strange hats appear about halfway thru.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 15, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Headgear, 1950s, United Kingdom

The Date Hat

Edward Oliveira of Newport, Rhode Island was granted a patent (#2,749,555) in 1956 for a "date hat". His idea was that, by wearing the hat, a young woman could display whether she was available for a date on a specific day. From the patent:

In high schools, colleges and the like, it is often impossible to carry on very much of a conversation during, or even between classes. Since many dates between boys and girls are most easily made when they are gathered together in school, it is a disadvantage not to be able to tell whether a girl is already dated for a particular day and hour. If a boy knew that one girl is already dated for the particular time he desires, he would quickly be able to attempt to date another girl who was not already dated. However, up to the present time, this has been difficult because, in many instances, there is not sufficient time to talk to every available girl to determine their date status. In order to remedy the above situation, it is one object of the present invention to provide an article of wearing apparel which can be set to indicate to any observer whether a girl has a date for the particular time desired.


I can see a problem with this concept. Would a young woman really want to publicly display that no one had asked her out?

Also, had Oliveira attempted to get dates by systematically asking out every girl in his school? Thus leading to his frustration that there was "not sufficient time to talk to every available girl to determine their date status."

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 01, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Patents, Headgear, 1950s, Love & Romance

Miss Grill of 1949

If no one is selling that hot-dog hat, someone should be.

Life - Nov 14, 1949

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 20, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Headgear, 1940s

Merry Christmas 2022!

Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 25, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Headgear

Hair Rental—You know it makes sense

These hair rental ads ran for about five years in British papers. So I assume the company must have done decent business.

I've heard of wig rentals, but for some reason the idea of toupee rentals seems weirder.

Sunday London Mirror - Mar 11, 1973

Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 06, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Headgear, 1970s, Hair and Hairstyling

Cosmic Vision Helmet

Not a bad toy, but the advertising claims sure laid it on thick.

This is magic! You put on this helmet and nobody, but nobody can tell who you are, but you can see everybody and everything!

This sensational discovery is as new as the hydrogen bomb! As exciting as a ride through space. Makes you a super space cadet.


Boy Illustories - Nov 1953



via Flickr

Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 01, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Toys, Headgear, 1950s

The Aquamen

The Aquamen are part of Machtiern, a French theater company. They wander around in public wearing fishbowl helmets, with live fish swimming around inside the helmets.

Details from the Telegraph:

In their "bubbles", the artists pose "fundamental questions about our ability to enter into contact with others when barriers are erected".

But wearing a fishbowl is not for the faint-hearted, Mr Manini told the Telegraph.

"It's a bit like wearing a reverse diving bell," he said, adding that it took years to perfect to avoid leaks around the neck with each bowl and suit moulded to the individual performer.





Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 08, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Performance Art, Fish, Headgear

The Miss Black America Crown

The Miss Black America beauty contest was launched in 1968 to protest the lack of black women in the Miss America pageant. There's nothing weird about that. But what is a bit odd is the crown that was introduced in the second year of the contest. It looks like miniature Christmas ornaments on sticks, or extraterrestrial antennae.

There must have been a reason for this unusual crown, but I haven't been able to find any info about it. Perhaps the contest organizers thought it looked more modern and space-age?

It was used for three years and then, in 1972, the contest reverted to a more traditional crown. Again, no explanation given that I can find.

Gloria O. Smith, Miss Black America 1969



Stephanie Clark, Miss Black America 1970



Joyce Warner, Miss Black America 1971

Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 19, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Headgear

Lightning Rod Hat

AKA "Le chapeau paratonnerre." Details from Amelia Soth on JStor Daily:

According to the popular science writer Louis Figueir, all the excitement about the new knowledge of electricity led to an odd trend: in his recounting, Paris in the 1770s saw a fad for ladies’ lightning-rod caps, trimmed with metallic thread connecting to a cord that dragged along the ground. The (extremely flawed) theory was that the cord would carry a lightning bolt harmlessly away from the wearer. He also writes of a lightning-rod umbrella proposed by one of Ben Franklin’s acolytes, Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg. The umbrella would be surmounted with a metal pole and trail a silver braid to bear away the charge.

image source: wikimedia



A more recent version of a lightning-rod hat:

Tampa Bay Times - Aug 16, 1975

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 21, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Headgear, Weather, Eighteenth Century

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Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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