Day 343 / Hat 343: Square academic cap (aka mortarboard) in purple with gold-colored tassel and gold plastic "90" charm clamped to top of tassel. Interior tag reads: "Oriental Trading Company, Omaha, Nebraska, 68127, Item No. 38/851" on front and "All new material, polyester, made in China, not recommended for children under 3 years of age." (Which really makes me laugh because what on earth would anyone under three years old possibly be graduating from? Toilet training?")
Additional interior detail includes a piece of blue masking tape with the name "Ava" handwritten in black Sharpie. That's the name of Marilyn's daughter and this hat was plucked for today's installment of the Project from the MRBOH.
I was hoping that delving into the origins of the mortarboard would reveal some fantastical back story. The most I could find in my cursory survey of the interwebs is that it is "generally believed by scholars to have developed from the biretta, a similar-looking hat worn by Roman Catholic clergy." (Wikipedia) and that it's called a mortarboard most likely because some wag at one point observed that it resembled the square mortar-carrying board a mason (not a Freemason - but the other kind) would hold in one hand while wielding a trowel on the other.
And yes, I'm hanging tassel to the left -- which is traditionally where it you move it place it upon graduation.
Related:
PC 342: California Chrome Dome
PC 341: Luxe Leather Lid
PC 340: Paper Olive
Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?
A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which celebrated the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1.
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