Project Cubbins: Hat 400 - Life is But a DreamWorks Edition

Day 400 / Hat 400: Navy blue, baseball-style cap with white embroidery on front that reads: "DreamWorks, SKG ™." Interior label eads: "HeadShots™, made in Philippines, By KC Caps, RN#89449."

I've worn many hats in my day, but this one represents my first foray into the entertainment industry. I'd been in L.A. for all of three months when I landed a gig writing for "Majority Rules," a game show being developed by the then brand-spankin'-new studio formed by Hollywood power players Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen.

The short-lived series, hosted by Marc Summers and Arthel Neville, actually aired in two markets (Phoenix and New Orleans) for parts of 1996 and 1997 and, although it didn't ultimately flourish, it was responsible for kicking off my run as a Q-and-A man on a handful of quiz shows spanning the next decade.

Today's hat-tip goes to the man who gave me that first job - the show's executive producer and creator Mark Maxwell-Smith who took a chance on a newbie from New England and profoundly shaped the arc of my career. Hats off (and a deep bow of gratitude) to you.

In a way, Project Cubbins has turned out to be a lot like that first game-show-writing gig - I didn't see it coming, I had no idea what to expect once I got started and I've met a lot of cool people and worn a lot of hats since

Sure, I've still got 100 hats ahead of me but as of today I've got 400 in the rear view mirror. And that feels mighty good!

Onward to 500!

Related:
PC 300: My Three Tschorns
PC 200: Is It Rolling, Stone?
PC 100: Meyer oh Meyer


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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 399 - In a Bit of a Stewie Edition

Day 399 / Hat 399: Black, baseball-style cap with red embroidery on front that reads: "you suck" in all capital letters next to an embroidered image (in shades of gray) of a finger-pointing Stewie Griffin. 

Additional details include interior seam taping printed with the same pronouncement (also in red) along with Stewie's face, and the "Family Guy" logo in red, yellow and blue on the back of the hat. 

Interior tag reads "Bio-Domes Headgear" and ‎fabrication tag reads "96% cotton, 4% Spandex, one size fits all, made in China, RN# 115665, Family Guy TM & ©2006 Fox."

Plucked for today's installment from my personal headgear holdings, this in-your-face hat originally came into my possession from sister-in-law Kathleen (who used to work at Fox) along with some assorted other FG goodies that technically were supposed to find their way to my nephew but failed to escape the specific gravity of the Garlodge.

Oh, and don't worry, Project Cubbins readers, despite what it says u there on the front of the hat, you're totally cool with me. 

The hat tip on the eve of 400? That goes to 'Thleen.

Related:

PC 299: Driving Mr. Wheat

PC 199: The Hipster before Christmas

A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 398 Victory Presses Onward Edition

Day 398 / Hat 398: Blue and white painted canvas four-panel camper hat with 3-inch duck bill covered in blue rip-stop nylon with light blue contrast edging and under bill. Details include four black metal grommets on each side panel, adjustable nylon strap and a tag sewn on the back of the hat that reads: "Victory Press."

Interior tag reads: "Made in America, Knickerbocker MFG. Co." Victory Press is a year-old Brooklyn-based brand designed by Jennifer Humphrey and Jonathan Commisa.

This was snagged for the Project by the Bride from Wittmore, the UTB menswear shop at 8236 West 3rd Street. She also snapped this photo, which is why you can see not only both my hands but also my on-the-mend hoof to the far left of the photo. 

And just in case you were straining to read what's dry-erase-penned on the mirror, it's the following: 

"I thought it would be funny to send you to a silence retreat.

                                                           -- Booth to Adam"

I'd probably give her the hat tip (and an assist to Wittmore), but silence, as they say, is golden.

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PC 298: Green Mountain Challenge
PC 198: Recalled Rykiel
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins 


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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 397 - Navajo Cheese Blanket Edition

Day 397 / Hat 397: Day 397 / Hat 397: Black, cotton, baseball-style cap with red, blue, white and black woven Navajo rug embroidery on front and red embroidery on back that reads: "Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, SantaFe." 

Attached SKU tag reads: "Museum Shops, logo products, chief's hat."

This is the last of the lids appropriated by the Bride during her Southwest sojourn, and she, not surprisingly, picked it up for the Project at the aforementioned museum's Colleen Cloney Duncan Shop. 

‎A blanket of the same design is printed on the gift  shopping bags with the following description below: "Navajo Blanket, Phase III Chief, ca. 1880-1900."

Besides being an awesome logo for the museum, it reminds me of a story from our move cross country (recounted in Steve Harvey's Nov. 5, 1997. "Only in L.A." column in the LAT), the pertinent part of which I'm pasting below: 

CROSS-CULTURAL LANGUAGE CLASHES (CONT.): Adam Tschorn of Los Angeles recalled the time he spent a night in Chinle, Ariz., where a Native American artisan "unrolled a very large, beautifully woven blanket which he described as a 'Navajo Cheese Blanket.'"

"The term struck me as a bit odd," Tschorn continued, "and after several additional references to this intricate and expensive 'cheese blanket' my curiosity got the best of me. I asked our host and the weaver what sort of ceremony the 'cheese blanket' was used for. After a moment of awkward silence, our host looked at me with a smile and said, 'It's a Navajo chief's blanket.' "

Tschorn added: "Needless to say it seems infinitely funnier now than it did at the time. . . ."

True story.

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PC 297: Yellow Letter Day

PC 97: Feeling Pithy

A year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 396 -- Western Double Take Edition

Day 396 / Hat 396: Western-style straw hat with 3 1/2-inch brim and circular dented crown. Details include brown leather cord whip-stitched along edge of brim and leather cord with oval-shaped silver buckle and silver bead hatband detail. No interior tags or labels.

Borrowed for the Project from the Bride who purchased it in Santa Fe during her recent recon mission, and re-entered the homestead with this perched prominently upon her head. 

She tells me she purchased it at a place called Double Take, a huge retail/resale shop in that New Mexico city. On a prior visit (we've been there twice together) I recall us burning the better part of a day wandering the vast interior of the store - which seems to have a little bit (scratch that, a lot) of everything on offer from consignment luxury goods (Prada Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Dior and the like) to Southwest pottery, furniture and assorted housewares. 

I can't recall for sure but this might have been one of the heavily Kokopelli-infested places we visited during our previous visits. (I swear, the flute-playing hunchback is everywhere in that city). 

A sincere hat-tip to the Bride for keeping her head in my game.

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PC 96: Warm and Fezzy

PC 395: Earthship

A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 395 - Earthship Edition

Day 395 / Hat 395: White, baseball-style cap with snap brim and Gothic-style embroidery on front that reads: "earthship." Additional detail includes black stretchy sweatband and interior fabrication tag that reads: "Discount Promo$" on one side (the dollar sign is not a typo) and "97% cotton, 3% Spandex, made in China, hand wash only" on the other.

courtesy of Booth Moore

This lid was appropriated for the Project by the Bride during her recent jaunt to Taos, New Mexico, doing recon for a story slated to appear in the September issue of the Image magazine. It's from a place called Earthship Biotecture that specializes in "sustainable, off-the-grid living." 

Some of the photos she sent back while out in the field had me thinking about the landscape and architecture of the planet Tatooine (from "Star Wars"). Apparently I wasn't the first one to have that idea -- one of the photos included a house marker in the very distinctive markings of an R2 unit. (See photo at right.)

For all that, I think the good ship Earthship could have done a little bitter in the headgear department. But who knows, perhaps the Gothic typeface is more eco-friendly than other alternatives.

At any rate, the Bride gets the hat-tip on this one. 

And that was the droid I was looking for ...

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PC 295: Shamrock Shaker
PC 195: Flannel State of Mind
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins


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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 394 - Evidence Montage Edition

Day 394 / Hat 394: Mustard yellow, baseball-style cap with embroidery on front that consists of three horizontal bars (they look like Tic Tacs to me) in gray embroidery to the left of "CSI" embroidered in blue.Interior label reads: "Port & Company" and fabrication tag reads: "youth, 100% cotton, made in China."

Another of the recent Goodwill purchases, I schnibbed this lid (for all of $4.99) as the Bride is a huge fan of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (well. all crime procedurals, actually). But as I sat down to write this entry I realized that even though this is is Hollywood and all, this hat probably has nothing to do with the show.

Why, you ask? Well, I'm no crime scene detective, but the logo font isn't the same as the faux typewriter one used on the show (which is apparently a typeface called "Clicker" in case you were wondering).

A cursory search ofr the interwebs turned up all kinds of logos for all kinds of things abbreviated CSI. Among them: Chartered Systems Integration (two interlocking Cs), Computer Society of India (blue triangular tiles) and the Canadian Sports Institute (not surprisingly, a red-and-white maple leaf design on a stylized hockey puck).

But there were two CSI name and logo combination that have characteristics very similar to those fond on the hat:: consulting engineers Civil Services, Inc. (which has the long tail of the S stretching back to meet the C) and the Construction Specification Institute, which has some horizontal line frippery to the left of the letters in it logo. If I was a betting man (and you know I am) I'd go with the latter as it's a national organiztion with local chapters nationwide (including one here ion L.A.) and it even has a page on its website to buy stuff (though there are no hats currently on offer there are polo shirts and lapel pins so it's not that much f a stretch).

Am I right? Did I collar the right suspect? I don't know, we'll have to wait for the forensics to come back from the lab.

I swear I can hear the evidence montage music playing right now ...


Related:
PC 294: Grinning Gambler
PC 194: Knights in Gray Plastic
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 393 - In the Pink (Dodgers' Cap) Edition

Day 393 / Hat 393: Pink baseball cap with blue embroidery of Los Angeles Dodgers logo on front and New Balance logo (also in blue embroidery) on wearer's left..Interior fabrication tag reads: "100% acrylic, made in China."

Barring any undiscovered leftover lids, this marks the final contribution to the mother lode of millinery that was the Marilyn Ruiz Bag o' Hats. (But I'm not counting her deep hat bench out  - this particular one is the last of four leftover lids discovered when I as repatriating her generous cornucopia of caps.)

For those of you keeping track (you know I am) this makes the fourth Dodger-related piece of headgear in the mix (others are PC 335, PC 334 and PC 149), but the first of those in a dashing shade of pink. 


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PC 93: Sparkle Minnie Ears
PC 193: Cap from Kabul
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 392 - Catalina Visor Edition

Day 392 / Hat 392: Navy blue visor with diamond shaped deconstructed-edge embroidered applique on front that reads: "Catalina Island" in light blue and adjustable Velcro-closure sizing strap in back. 

 Interior label reads: Triangle Sport Headwear" and fabrication tag reads: "100% cotton, one size fits most, made in China."

Purchased from the UTB (that stands for "Up the Block," btw) Goodwill store for the princely sum of $2.99.

Despite having lived in So Cal for nearly 18 years, I'm ashamed to say I have never been to Santa Catalina Island which lies just  off the coast of Southern California directly west of San Clemente and is, according to the Wikipedia entry, 22 miles long and about eight miles wide at its widest point.

A few interesting bit of trivia: In the 1920s, it was no other than chewing gum magnate (you don't hear that phrase very often) William Wrigley who developed the island for tourism, and it was just off the island's village of Two Harbors that actress Natalie Wood drowned after falling off a yacht in suspicious circumstances in 1981. 

Related:
PC 292: Rando & Ribbon
PC 92: Hombre in an ombré
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 391 -- This Kapalua Cap Gives Me Butterflies Edition

Day 391 / Hat 391: Red, baseball-style cap with black embroidery on front that reads: "Kapalua" accompanied by an embroidered butterfly silhouette (also in black) in which the body of the butterfly is in the shape of a pineapple. Interior label reads: "Imperial, since 1916, Denver, CO, made in Vietnam." Fabrication tag reads: "100% cotton, 06/07"

Although I purchased this cap a few days ago from the UTB Good Will store specifically for the Project, it actually has a very personal connection. The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui, you see, is where the Bride and I spent our honeymoon some 11 years ago this month. And the logo of the Kapalua Resort is a butterfly with a pineapple-shaped center.

Here's a brief blurb about the logo from the interwebs: "The Kapalua logo is a butterfly with a pineapple

at its heart. The butterfly symbolizes the metamorphosis of this spectacular resort from the pineapple fields that were originally cultivated on its slopes.  Surrounded by nature preserves--from the mountains to the sea, the beauty of Kapalua is unparalleled."

And, as some of you may know, the pineapple is not only a symbol of hospitality, but an integral anniverseral (is that even a word?) gifting theme of mine. Since earlier today the Bride was raising a glass at Santa Fe's Coyote Cafe where the question was popped, it makes this an all-the-more appropriate chapeau du jour.


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PC 91: Uncle Grandpa
PC 191: Meli Kalikimaka
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 390 - I Want My BabyGap, BabyGap, BabyGap Edition

Day 390 / Hat 390: Gray felt-like BabyGap fedora with blue and red grosgrain hatband detail and gray elasticized sweatband. Interior label reads: "babyGap, S/M, made in China," and fabrication tag reads: "91% polyester, 6% cotton, 3% other fibers exclusive of decoration, label made from 100% recycled plastic."

Additional refers to the style as "TB fedora," the color as "dolphin gray," and indicates it was manufactured in May 2012 for the Fall.Winter 2012 season.

Purchased specifically for the Project from the UTB Good Will store on Beverly Blvd. -- for the princely sum of $4.99.

Related:

PC 290: Barbour Bucket

PC 190: Makin' Census

A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 389 - Old Blue Hair (Net) Edition

Day 389 / Hat 389: Gauzy, blue, paper surgical hair net (sister-nurse tells me it's known as a "bouffant cap") a memento from this morning's visit to the Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Surgical Center.

It was a brief and uneventful procedure and I should be back to playing the violin in no time.

I think this medical chapeau really brings out the color of my eyes, and pulled into a peak like that I feel like Mister Heat Miser. 

And no it's not lost on me that the man with no hair had to wear a hair net.

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PC 189: Elf Off the Shelf
PC 89: Stealth-Snapped Chevy
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 388 - Madeline Edition

Day 388 / Hat 388: Yellow felt hat with rounded crown and oval-shaped upturned brim that ranges in width from 2 inches (in the back) to 4 1/2 inches (in the front). 

Details included black grosgrain hatband with bow in back and hatpin through the bow that reads: "Los Angeles Times Festival of Books." and white elasticized sweatband. Interior label reads Louise Green, made in USA."

One attached hangtag reads: "Louise Green Millinery Co." and the second reads: "Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, University of Southern California, April 30 - May 1, 2011," and is accompanied by an illustration of author/illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans' beloved Madeline character.

While anyone whose read a Madeline book (there are six in all, the first one was published in 1939) can tell you, her hair is actually more orange-red but my only wig choices in the cube farm this morning were blonde or brunette and this one clashes less with the hat. And you're just gonna have to trust me on that.

Graciously loaned to the Project by the kind folks upstairs in the Communications Department (since they're on the fifth floor I refer to them as "CommsDept5" because it sounds all military-jargon cool). It appears to usually reside in Nancy Sullivan's office and she tells me that the hat was created as part of the promotional push for the 2011 LAT FOB which used the character in the key art.

Little known fact: Madeline and I actually have something in common (besides being fictional characters) -- we've both had appendectomies.

The hat-tip to Sully, with the assist to Hilary Manning who first floated the Madeline lid idea to me in the elevator yesterday morning.

And that's all there is -- there isn't any more.

Related:
PC 188: Yule Yarmulke
PC 88: Laissez les bon temps roulez
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins
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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 387 - Double Melon Love Knit Beanie Edition

Day 387 / Hat 387:  Navy marled rib knit beanie with leather applique patch on front that reads: "Love Your Melon." Snipe-snapped from a co-worker's desk while the cube farm was empty this a.m. Interior tag reads: "Made in USA, Columbia Knit, 100% cotton, machine wash warm, [n]o chlorine bleach, remove promptly, tumble dry low, RN#24265."

This is the second hat from the Love Your Melon collection I've featured (the first was PC 382) and I'm in such a mad scramble to hit 500 I'd probably have included even if it weren't such an a good cause -- and it is a good cause. The LYMF donates a hat to a cancer-stricken child for every hat purchased.

The beanies cost $30 (you can shop for 'em here) which means two hats to warm two heads -- and warm a whole lot of hearts.

Related:
PC 287: Bonita Springs
PC 187: Convertible Balaclava
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 386 - Gangsta Kitty Edition

Day 386 / Hat 386:Beige woven straw fedora with Hello Kitty applique on left side of crown. Additional detail includes pink hatband with allover print butterflies with matching bow in back of hat, white crown lining and white sweatband.

Pink interior label has Hello Kitty on front (with the name Ava handwritten underneath) and the words "Hello Kitty by Sanrio" on back along with the words: "used under license, ABG Accessories." Secondary tag reads: "one size, made in China."

Hat three of the quartet of wayward hats from the MRBOH, this obviously belonged to Princess Ava.

For those of you keeping track, with this fedora the Project now has a genuine hat-trick of "Hello Kitty" themed lids. To save you the searching (Did you know you could search the hats to date by key word by using the box in the upper left of the screen?) the first was PC 339 ("Hello Knitty Cap") and the second was PC 357 (Neon Rib-Knit Kitty).

Of all of them, in my opinion this is the most gangster one. When I put it on I immediately wanted to steal everyone's lunch money and act up during nap time. 

Related:
PC 286: Sinamaybe
PC 186: Talkin' Turkey
A Year Ago Today In Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 385 - Tiny Toby Topper Edition

Day 385 / Hat 385: White woven straw hat with pink grosgrain hatband detail folded into a flower with a jewel in the center. Additional detail includes two green fabric leaves on hatband, white grosgrain sweatband lining nd pink accent detail around brim of hat. 

Interior label reads "Toby NYC." In case you couldn't tell by the way the tiny Toby topper sits atop the peak of head mountain. Toby NYC is a children's accessories brand. This hat happens to belong to a seven-year-old girl.

Hat two of the four stragglers from the MRBOH.


Related:
PC 285: Miles and Millinery
PC 85: Crowning Glory
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 384 - Pink Whale / Ahab's Lament Edition

Day 384 / Hat 384: Pink foam whale measuring 25 inches from nose to tip of tail (accounting for the curve) and 11 inches tall, with black screenprinting that reads: Vineyard Vines®, Martha's Vineyard." Additional detail includes smiling face, eyes and eyebrows (though honestly, why would a whale need eyebrows? Except maybe to look at least 37% less freaky when viewed from head on (see additional photo below.)

This suh-weeeeeet addition to the Project swam all the way to the West Coast courtesy of my sister-in-law (the Bride's sister, not the best man's wife) and I'm going to take a wild guess that it came into her possession through her job at Orvis. (She'll disabuse me of that if she found it out in the wild somewhere.)*

In case you're not familiar with the brand  (whose logo is indeed the eye-browed pink whale), Vineyard Vines was founded in 1998 by brothers Shep and Ian Murray as a necktie business but has since grown into a full apparel and accessories brand for men, women and children.

In a cursory search of the interwebs I couldn't turn up any details on why the brothers chose the pink whale or if it has a name. When I opened the box (which arrived yesterday) the first thing that crossed my mind was that instead of pink elephants, pink whales must be what Ahab sees when he goes on a real bender.  Som I'mma gonna call him "Ahab."

In case you weren't aware (I'm guessing you weren't) this actually makes the THIRD whale lid in the Project line-up to date. The first (PC 98) showcased Soul Project's "goodwhale ambassador" Don Bueno, the second was a stealth snap at the American Museum of Natural History (PC 111). Why is this significant? Well, as anyone who was in my Donna Disch English class back in high school can tell you, there is a whole lot of number three mojo floating around the book "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" by Herman Melville. (My paper on the subject was, if I recall correctly: "A Supposition as to the Occurrence of the Number Three in "Moby Dick.")

At any rate, I digress. A sincere hat-tip for 'Thleen for harpooning this bad boy for me.

*(Update, 3:12 p.m.: Consider me disabused. 'Thleen actually did find it out in the wild. She says they were giving them away outside the store in Manchester. "You know I had to pull over," she says. Yeah, you did.)

Related:
PC
PC 284: Rebel Bucket
PC 184: Enchantment 
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins


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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 383 - Sunburned Zebra Bucket Edition

Day 383 / Hat 383: Pink and black zebra-print bucket hat with black lining, black hatband and black sweatband detail. Interior label that reads: "First Kiss." (In that hat? You gotta be kidding me.) Interior fabrication tag reads: "RN#: 90737, Mpo#: A60009, Date Code: 112011, Upper: 100% cotton, Lining: 100% polyester, Zongshan China."

This was one of a quartet of unworn (for Project purposes anyway) lids I discovered while repatriating the MRBOH to Marilyn. As you might suspect, it belongs to her darling daughter Ava who came to visit the office yesterday. (She proudly proclaimed: "I'm seven!" upon arrival.)

This hat reminds me of that joke about what's black and white and red all over? A zebra with a sunburn! It is, of course, much funnier when asked aloud as the homophonic red/read pun allows the other answer to be "a newspaper."

The hat-tip to Ava for the loan of her lid!

Related:
PC 283: Croc with a Soul Patch
PC 83: Case of the Willies
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 382 - Love Your Melon Edition

Day 382 / Hat 382: Navy blue cotton cap with snapback brim and brown leather patch on front that reads: "Love Your Melon." Interior label reads: "Competition Headwear, made in U.S.A., ASI 46179." Additional detail includes adjustable leather size strap in back.

This landed at my desk a few days ago courtesy of our Mind & Body editor Mary MacVean who had received it from the folks over at the Love Your Melon patch in advance of that group's hat-donating tour of the West Coast.

I'm glad Mary dropped it by for the Project because I recently caught a segment on the local TV news (NBC 4 if I'm not mistaken) about the Love Your Melon Foundation's visit to a local Ronald McDonald House. If there's a charitable organization I can get behind it's one that helps children battling cancer. And if that organization happens to help through headgear? Well, count me in twice!

Here's a little description of the organization from its website:

The Love Your Melon Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to putting a hat on every child's head in America battling cancer.  Through its Buy One – Give One program, Love Your Melon goes into the hospital and provides comfy hats to give them something to wear during this difficult time. Our hats do more than keep them warm, they restore confidence. Love Your Melon’s gifts create smiles on the faces of children battling cancer and make them feel comfortable after losing their hair due to chemotherapy treatment. Additionally the crew comes in dressed from head to toe as superheroes to create an experience for the children in the hospital. For every product purchased, another of equal value is given to a child battling cancer.

If water started to leak from your eyes as you read the above, you're not alone. The shopping page for the Minnesota-based organization has a deep bench of $25 caps and $30 knit-in-Portland beanies as well as a couple of tote bags and even an iPhone case. For those hat-averse folks who still want to support the worthy cause, donations can also be made by clicking here. 

While Mary MacVean gets today's hat-tip, I doff my cap and applaud the efforts of the LYMF folks. Maybe some of the loyal followers of Project Cubbins will open their hearts and wallets and donate to your worthy cause.

Related: 

PC 282: Turkey in the Juniper

PC 82: Red Stihl

A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 381 - Behind the Veil Edition

Day 381 / Hat 381: Black stretch jersey knit cap with dotted birdcage veil held in place with two vintage buttons (also black). Interior label reads: "EugeniaWoods.com."

Plucked specifically for the Project by the Bride from her extensive headwear archive. "I don't remember when I got," she said, "all I remember is that it I think it was kind of a knockoff of something someone else was doing at the time."

She says she bought it via Etsy which has an entry for a Black Veiled Beanie described as 95% cotton and 5% Spandex and describes the label as a small, woman-owned business. It concludes: "We incorporate vintage and modern fabrics with lush leathers. All items sourced within the US and all our lovely items are handmade from sunny Florida!"

I'm not quite sure what I'd make of this if I saw it out in the wild, but for purposes of the Project, I'm lifting the veil and offering a resounding "I do!"

You may now kiss the bride ...

Related:
PC 281: Turban Cowboy
PC 181: Head Full of Hound's Teeth
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 380 - Tlapehuala Sombrero Edition

Day 380 / Hat 380: Braided plant fiber sombrero with 4 1/2 inch brim, slighlty tapered four inch crown and raised ridge front to back along the crown (about the diameter of a number 2 pencil) with a black grosgrain ribbon tied in a bow on front of crown. It is threaded through two grommets on the crown to become a chinstrap of sorts. Additional detail includes a pair of crimped metal and thread tassels hanging off the front brim of the sombrero.

Interior of crown is lined in a red, lightweight silk-like material and sweatband is a red faux leather material. The inside top of the crown depicts a line drawing of a horse in red against a white background and the following in red lettering: "Fabrica de Sombreros, de Astilla y Palma de 1a., I. Allende No. 3, Tlapehuala, Gro."

Sine my Spanish is rusty to non-existent, I turned to Google Translate to help me parse the lid legend. It goes
something like this: "Hats Factory, Splinter and Palma" (which perhaps means it's made of wood and palm fibers but that's just a guess). Tlapehuala is a city in the state of Guerrero in southwestern Mexico.

Based on a little more digging, it turns out the braided palm fiber hats of Tlapehuala have quite a reputation for quality -- akin to the Panama hat. (Here's an 2007 article from the newspaper La Jornada Guerrero that roughly translates to "The Tlapehuala hat: between folk art and artwork." (Elsewhere I found the city referred to as "the undisputed center of local hat making.")

This is the Project's sombrero cuatro, and it joins such delightful installments as the Deadline Sombrero (PC 229), the Poquito Sombrero (PC 242) and the ultra-swanky green velvet "dress" sombrero (PC 139).

This is the penultimate loaner plucked from the MRBOH, so MR gets the hat tip.

Related:
PC 280: Porch Derby
PC 180: Megamindful
A Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 379 Hard Hat Blues Edition

Day 379 / Hat 379: Blue HDPE plastic hard hat with gray plastic and fabric interior harness with asjustable knob and black fabric padded forehead. Interior sticker reads: "CAP SC6 BLU 391."  Typing that into the interwebs turns up that this is, in all likelihood, the "Jackson Safety SC-6 Head Protection with 4-point Suspension, Blue" which is available all over the place, inclusing Amazon.com and Walmart.

I got this one form the always generous MRBOH.

Yeah, it's a hard hat, but somebody's gotta wear it ...


Related:
PC 366: White Hard Hat
PC 67: Red Hard Hat
A Year Ago Today on Project Cubbins

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. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 378 - Lost Tapes Edition

Day 378 / Hat 378: Black, baseball-style cap with white embroidery on front that reads:  "Lost Tapes." Interior label reads: "Philadelphia Rapid Transit Headwear, made in China." Fabrication tag reads: "100% cotton."

Graciously loaned to the Project by Brian Razanno (part of the same batch of loaners that gave us PC installments 365, 369 and 371) who was an editor on the show for three seasons.

He describes it thusly: "They were scripted short horror movies and each creature related to an animal to tie it together like vampires and bats or sea monsters and aquatic life. It had a cult following."

I'd actually forgotten that this hat was in the mix that Ruth and Brian handed me at Rosey and Dev's Memorial Day barbecue, and only discovered it while I was doing some Sunday afternoon defragging of the office. So you might say that I'd momentarily lost track of the "Lost Tapes" lid.

The hat-tip to Brian, who can rest assured the quartet of loaner lids is safe and sound and waiting to be reunited with its proper owners.

Related:
PC 377: Tschornatubby
PC 78: L'il Froggy
One Year Ago Today in Project Cubbins

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.