Fruit hat facts for kids
A fruit hat is a bright and fun hat decorated with different kinds of fruit. These hats became very popular thanks to the famous singer and actress Carmen Miranda. People often connect them with sunny places.
You might see fruit hats worn by people who love fashion, in movies, by characters in comic strips, or even for Halloween costumes. The fruit on these hats can be anything from bananas and berries to cherries and pineapples. It usually sits on top or around the head.
History of Fruit Hats
Even a long time ago, people used fruit to decorate hats. In 1895, a newspaper called the Los Angeles Times said that dried fruits were a "newest trimming" for hats. Another newspaper, The Chicago Tribune, mentioned fruit ribbons on Easter hats.
In 1918, The New York Times wrote about fake fruit being used on hats. By 1941, fruit and vegetable decorations were very popular on "gay hats" at a big hat show in New York City. A hat designer named Lil Picard got ideas for her hats from nature, including ripening fruits.
The famous Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda was known for wearing amazing hats, often decorated with fruit. She wore one of her most famous fruit hats in the 1943 movie The Gang's All Here.
In this movie, Carmen Miranda sings a song called "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat." During the song, dancers wear yellow turbans and small skirts. They play with huge fake bananas and bounce inflatable strawberries. This whole scene was designed by a famous choreographer named Busby Berkeley.
Fruit Hats in Marketing
Carmen Miranda's fruit hats inspired a very famous cartoon character. In 1944, the United Fruit Company created the Chiquita Banana logo. This logo showed a cartoon banana with a face and a fruit hat.
The artist Dik Browne, who also created the Hägar the Horrible comic strip, designed this logo. In the 1940s, different singers gave the Chiquita Banana character her voice in advertisements. These early ads were even shown in movie theaters.
Later, the company became Chiquita Brands International. For many years, their logo continued to feature a banana wearing a fruit hat. In 1987, the banana character was changed to a woman. This was done to make Miss Chiquita seem more like a real person to the public.
