FROM: MouseMerch Published Thursdays

Disney Baseball Hats

In the market for a new baseball hat? Wishing there were some way to combine two such All-American pursuits as going to a baseball game and going to Disney World - while wearing your new baseball hat? Chris Taylor is here to make your dreams come true.

- by Chris Taylor, June 23, 2011

Hello, my name's Chris, and I'm an American. (Hi, Chris!!!)

As an American, I need to live up to a few expectations: I love Target, make a yearly pilgrimage to Florida, and wear a baseball hat (or cap) much of the time.

Plus, I work at a university where baseball hats are practically a uniform, so I really should have one.

Of course, dear readers, my baseball hat has a Disney thme. Would you have expected anything less?

The Stealth Mickey Hat

After the column I wrote last week for Father's Day, you'd expect my hat to be subtle, and you'd be right. Black on black, baby! Mom calls it my stealth Mickey. I got it from the online Disney Store, but last time I checked, the version of the hat that I bought is no longer available. Clearly, it's now in the vault awaiting its 4 disc Blu-Ray release...

The hat was part of the personalzation line, and as of this moment, I see only a Pirates option available.

Baseball Hats at Disney Parks

But the Disney parks are full of baseball hats. Seriously. Take a minute to notice the next time you're there. Sure they shield your eyes from the midday sun, that's why you wear them, but baseball hats are also a great way to show off your loves and interests.

Favorite team? Check. Favorite NASCAR driver? Check. Favorite college? Check. You get the idea.

You see a fair amount of Disney hats, too. In the past few years, I've seen more Lightening McQueen and Buzz Lightyear hats than any other on kids. But they're mostly for boys. My daughter has a pink Atlanta Braves hat that she likes, but no Disney ones yet.

There are literally hundreds of hats to choose from when you're in the parks. And this doesn't even include the Mickey Ears or the Goofy Ears (which come with a big green hat on top). Goofy... yeah, that's a good word for them.

Lets take a look at a few of the Disney baseball hats that you can buy not only in the parks but outline, too. After all, we can't all be in Disney World right this minute. And frankly, who'd want to be. Have you been in central Florida in June and July? I have. It's not pretty.

First, Some Hat History

Before we get to the gallery, let's do a quick history.

The baseball hat is thought to have originated in Brooklyn in the late 1800's during baseball's infancy. It was in the 1940's, when latex rubber was modernized, that the version of the hat as we know it - stiff brim, adjustable - was born.

This is the style of hat worn nowadays by everyone from military generals to ball players to regular joes like me and you.

Disney Baseball Hat Gallery

Where better to begin than old-school Disney style, as seen in the classic hat released for the 40th Anniversary of WDW. It's full of 70's vintage goodness. Mesh with a silk-screened foam front, it's what my friends would call a 10-gallon hat due to it sitting high on your head, unlike today's hats. Add the rainbow collection of the old WDW logo, and you've got some great Disney style.

Each year, the Disney Resorts release a new collection of wearables, and 2011 is no different. If I could afford it, I'd buy them every year, as a Disney tradition.

Then you have the WDW character logo hat, each letter represented by a classic WDW citizen. I've seen different annual versions of these hats, and you can even get a car plate to match.

Next, we have my favorite of the current selections, a navy-colored hat with a red classic mickey pose. Subtle, stylish, fun to wear. Buy it.

Disney's affiliation with both New Era brand hats and the Orlando Magic basketball team, coupled with its purchase of Marvel Comics, has produced the strangest combination I've seen: the Avengers/Magic 59fifty hat. For when Thor is in town to play some round ball with Chris Duhon.

By the way, 59fifty is New Era Hat's fitted cap line. These are also the official hats of Major League Baseball.

This leads me to the Disney 59fifty hats. New Era's licensing deal with Disney allows them to produce Disney caps each year. You usually can't get these from Disney, and like a lot of New Era's hats, you have to look for them online, because often they're not in stores (though if your local mall has a Lidz franchise, you might find them there).

New Era has produced hats from Tron and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as your favorite sports team paired with Mickey. They've even got a cool Jose Caricoa cap. Jose is one 'The Three Caballeros' featured in Epcot's Mexico Pavilion ride, The Gran Fiesta Tour, and he has made cameos in Alice in Wonderland and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

But the really cool stuff you have to dig for.

In 2010, New Era commissioned six of the best street artists (think graffiti but better) to interpret Mickey for a collection of hats. My favorite is the Aroe version in which Mickey sports shades and a pair of BOOM-SHAQALAQA bass ears. They're out of stock, but you can find them on eBay.

This year, New Era has released what they call the Smiling Face caps. Six hats featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Marie from The Aristocats in a single color that matches the underbill. As with so much else, you can't get them in America just yet. They are available at Cap Collector One, but only in Japan only. However, the company does ship internationally if you buy on-line, so you may luck out.

Like Disney, baseball hats are ubiquitous in American culture. There's no reason not to mix the two for a grand explosion of Disney hat awesomeness!

Wear yours with pride.

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