Thursday, May 15, 2014

Project Cubbins: Hat 354 - 70 Candles for Smokey Bear Edition


Day 354 / Hat 354: Gold-colored pressed plastic forest ranger's hat with with quadruple-dimpled two-inch crown, one-inch brim and brown felt hatband. Additional detail includes the name "Smokey" printed in dark brown all capital letters across the front.

This hat belongs to the stuffed seven-inch-tall (sans hat) Smokey Bear doll that found its way to my desk after I name-checked SB in my coverage of Pharrell William's similar signature headgear. They say that clothes don't make the man but you can see in the photo at far right -- where the hatless bruin is perched unhappily on my shoulder -- he hardy looks the same without it.

In case you didn't realize it, His Smokiness turns 70 later this summer (on August 9 to be exact). That's one of the facts I discovered in a recent Los Angeles Times article about the makeover he;s getting in advance of his upcoming birthday. Another is that other candidates for the campaign included a bird and a horse. (For some reason "Smokey Horse" doesn't quite do it for me.)

I probably should have waited until August 9 to wear this tiny cap in honor of everyone's favorite blue-jean-wearing bear but I was worried I'd totally forget. And with the recent wildfires south of here near San Diego, the topic was very much on my mind so I figured that ht should be too.

So the hat-tip (and a big bear hug) goes to Smokey Bear with an assist to his parents - the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council. I'm sure when he blows out 70 candles later this summer it will be in a totally safe, non-flammable environment.

And remember: "Only you can prevent wildfires.By the way another thing I learned in the above-referenced piece is that by federal law, that's the only line ursa fumus is allowed to say. (That doesn't seem to apply to what he types, btw -- at least based on his Facebook page and Twitter feed.)

And yes, I'm getting his hat sewed back on properly.

Related:
PC 353: Think Tink
PC 352: Funky Teal Fedora
PC 351: I Messed with Texas

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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