Friday, July 09, 2021

TGI-Hats!


When one thinks of souvenir hats at Disneyland, Mouse Ears are typically the first thing that one would think of. Oh, but there were sooooo many other types of hats for purchase at the Park back in the day. This post will do its best to cover most of them. Thanks to Bryan for suggesting this idea! Image #1 is a vintage Disneyland collector’s dream; just look at all those cool hats for sale in 1960’s Tomorrowland.

This December 1969 image shows a little boy near the entrance sporting one of those vibrant red hats:



In the foreground we have a Spaceman from the 1960s:


…and in the background, a sassy little tot with that same popular red hat:


A hat kiosk in Tomorrowland, from May 1959; note the Matterhorn under construction in the background:


A detailed view, showing the cast members handling this large group of hat connoisseurs:


Below is an undated image showing the Hat Bar:


Your name free!



In Town Square, circa 1955, you could get a Keppy Kap at the Information Kiosk:


Another angle of the Information Stand from October 1956:


Need another view? From August 1956:


This little girl in Town Square from 1956 is sporting one of the Kaps:



Wanna’ see a Keppy Kap up close? From the Heritage Auction website:


Can’t get enough Keppy? How about a black and white shot from June 1958 at the entrance:


Look how proud he is of his hat and comic book!


Perhaps the sombrero-style hat from May 1959 is what you’re seeking:


Somberos and subs; sounds like the perfect combo! From September 1961:



Those hats might have been purchased in this Frontierland shop where Audie Murphy and his wife are shopping, circa 1956:


You could also have your photo taken there wearing one of the coveted Davy Crockett coon skin caps:


A detailed view of the cap:


The souvenir kiosk in Fantasyland from July 1957:


The 1950s Fantasyland family that wears hats together stays together:


A rarely seen yellow version of the Keppy Kap AND a Zorro hat!


Same family over at Nature’s Wonderland; it would appear that the older brother is also a “Zorro” fan!


This little boy from February 1958 came to the Park fully prepared for Frontierland in his fringed jacket. He must have been a Davy Crockett fan. And that red hat…can’t help but love it!


This detailed 1956 view from the Nature’s Wonderland shot shows a boy with a monogrammed souvenir hat on the right that appears to be identical to the kids next to our red-topped tot in the previous shot:


Same hat on the Monorail from the 1960s:


My favorites are the hats with the ginormous plumes.


Two plumed hats from 1959:

 

The pink plume sure stands out in Tomorrowland, July 1963:



Perhaps you prefer the low-tech paper hats from July 1959:


They may be low-tech, but the paper hat knows how to photobomb a shot of the Stagecoach, from August 1959:


This girl in the wheelchair is protected from the July 1960 Anaheim heat with her souvenir paper hat:


The detailed view showing a stack of the Keppy Kaps:


I spy a trio of gorgeous gals wearing matching white hats with red ribbons. Perfect for their canoe ride, from April 1960:


What about this wacky hat from July 1962?



Probably purchased from the stand we saw in the very first photo. Notice the kooky hats on the top two rows in this detailed view:



A Tyrolean-style hat near the House of the Future, July 1963:


At the castle we have Mouse Ears vs. a Cowboy Hat, circa January 1964. This could get nasty.


A Civil War tribute hat (also seen in the very first shot), from the 1960s:


Last and most sassiest is my friend Arlette modeling a hat from the Mad Hatter in Fantasyland, April 2000:


I hope you enjoyed this tribute to Disneyland souvenir hats!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:33 PM

    I can't even imagine the amount of time you spent putting this one together Dave. It's a trivia man's dream! KS

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  2. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Wow, the post keeps going and going... thanks Dave.

    I had a cowboy hat like the red one, but I don't remember if it came from Disneyland.

    One trip, my mom bought a ladies "mary poppins" white straw hat with a veil and a baby-blue ribbon. She wore it all that day in the Park and kept it for years and years.

    The Astronaut in the picture is the same guy in my avatar photo that you posted years back.

    JG

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  3. My first '55 Disneyland hat was a Chinese Coolie hat with pink glitter on it. I had a white sailor cap with my name on it that year too. I don't think I had any more Disneyland hats after those. The novelty wore off. It was more about the rides and where we were going to eat after that first year. Being from the southland, (Manhattan Beach), I thought the souvenirs were too touristy for me. I was an early surfer girl and Disneyland didn't have surfer stuff back then other than the Pendleton shop in Frontierland. Pendletons were cheaper at May Co.

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  4. Uncle Walt certainly was no stranger to hats. I remember a pic of him holding a box of popcorn and wearing a purple hat with a HUGE feather plume

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  5. Hats off to you, Dave! Great post!

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  6. I saw this the other night and just knew I had to save it for my morning coffee the next day. This is a bonafide book chapter here. Wow! So much detail! Also, I'm humbled that I never knew the exact name was Keppy Kap.

    I once had that Blue Union officer hat, but look at that one with the corncob pipe attached to it! You wouldn't find that anywhere today, not even Dollywood or Silver Dollar City. The pure novelty that a thing like that even existed...

    I'm always blown away when I see pics of a smiling Audie Murphy in Disneyland. He went to the gates of hell as a frequent flyer, then used his bonus points at DL later. Unreal.


    Some hats there are real surprises I have never seen or heard of before, especially that black Zorro hat. I love the flip down mask. How have I never seen or heard of that one before? That Tyrolean-style is a nice surprise too. Any time I think of the alpine hat I think of the colorful, feathered version. That Tyrolean looks like a serious Alps hat.


    At the main gate gift shop, I love the poster for "Card Shark" Lucky. So much detail behind the counter....

    There was never a reason/excuse for those floral hats. They existed somewhere between "cleaning implementation" and "nesting material for birds." Someone convince me otherwise.

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  7. Wow, that was a great 43 images. It's pretty fun to look at very different old pictures that all have a theme in common. Thanks!

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  8. Hat-o-Rama. More hats here than at a haberdasher-! In the background of image #11, we can see the lower sign for the "Site of International Street Grand Opening 1956", which states: Site of Future Sights - Take a Peek. Oh, man - block that homophone-!

    Dave - what a triumph. Thanks.

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  9. Glad you all liked! Yes - I went through quite a few pages on my site for this one.

    Darryl - I believe the Walt you recall was from the weekly TV show or one of the specials. I can’t remember which one but I remember he was shot against a process backdrop.

    Andrew - Thanks for doing the math! Yikes!

    Nanook - You are welcome - and agreed on the site/sights!

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