It’s gotta be the ears [The history behind the Mickey Mouse ear hats]
The Disneyland theme parks are not just a stage for having a fun filled, exciting day: meeting characters, riding thrilling rides, or stuffing your face with food that will go straight to your thighs. It is definitely an arena where people can show their personality through their ears. Not the anatomical ones on the sides of your head, but the Mickey Mouse ones that you can purchase down Main Street USA or Mad Hatters, to be exact.
The creator of the famous Mickey Mouse ears was Roy Williams. The ears first made their debut on the popular 1955 television series, The Mickey Mouse Club. All Mouseketeers wore these hats throughout every episode, and viewers would long to wear those felt hats.
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- Photo courtesy of http://www.ew.com
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- Photo courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mickey_Mouse_Club
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- Photo courtesy of www.phil-sears.com
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- Photo courtesy of http://parade.com
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- Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com
By the mid-80s the creation of the Mickey headband started to be sold along with the Mickey Mouse hat ears at the Disneyland theme parks. With the growing popularity of the Mickey headband, a Minnie Mouse one was created by adding a red bow with white polka dots in the middle.
Like the world of fashion, the Mickey Mouse ears have changed over time and now have an array of different styles to choose from. From the classic black ears with Mickey’s face on it to having a princess themed Mickey hat, Disneyland goers can now choose which style of ears they want. When you enter the theme parks you get the choice of what to eat, what rides to ride, even what balloon you want, so it seems fitting that there will be choices for what ears to wear!
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- Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com
It also seems that the trend of the Mickey ears has seeped out of the theme parks and made its way into Hollywood. With wearing Mickey ears being more prevalent throughout social media, celebrities have been spotted wearing variations of these beloved ears outside of Disneyland territory.
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- Photo courtesy of www.eonline.com
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- www.reveal.co.uk
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- Photo courtesy of www.dailymail.co.uk
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- Photo courtesy of www.instyle.com
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- coolspotters.com
The Mickey ears have been one of the hallmarks of going to the Disneyland theme parks since the 1950s. They are one of the souvenirs that you can get engraved with your name, and that you can use over again when you go back. From 5-year-old children to 70-year-old grandparents, these Mickey Mouse ears are a fashion statement that is not only timeless, but ageless as well.
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Sources:
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Mickey_Mouse_Ears_Hat
http://www.mickeymouseears.com/history-of-mickey-mouse-ears.html
