Baby
Books
Clothing
Computers
Education
Electronics
Health
Home & Garden
Local Places
Movies
Pets
Travel
Web Sites
more…
"Indiana Jones" Hat Indiana Jones Hat Review
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
The Genesis of the Indiana Jones Hat:
When George Lucas first created the character originally known as "Indiana Smith," he already had decided to set the globe-trotting archaeologist/adventurer's serial-styled stories in the mid- to late 1930s, a time when Indy could search for religiously-significant (and supernaturally-endowed) artifacts while facing off against the nefarious Nazis and other possible (and plausible) adversaries without having to create a totally fictitious Movie Villains' Guild a la James Bond's SPECTRE.
Of course, grounding Indy's adventures in a realistic setting meant that Deborah Nadoolman, costume designer for Raiders of the Lost Ark, executive producer Lucas, and director Steven Spielberg had to take their inspiration for Indy's "look" from fashions of the period as well as similarly-themed films such as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Secrets of the Incas.
Those movies, which featured such "tough guys" as Humphrey Bogart and Charlton Heston in roles similar to Harrison Ford's, were made (and set) before President John F. Kennedy's refusal to wear a top hat at his Inauguration in 1961 made hat-wearing by most men in the United States seem passe and quaint. But the hats - usually either fedoras or "safari hats" - gave the adventurers in them a certain panache and ready-for-action look. In other words, the hats looked cool.
In the Bonus Features disk of the original 2003 The Adventures of Indiana Jones DVD box set, Nadoolman reveals that she was the one who "discovered" the original "Indy" hat in the Herbert Johnson hat shop in Saville Row, London. "It was the shop's Australian model," she says, and because it had to look as though it was "a very lived-in and well-loved" hat, she and Ford "weathered" it by sitting on it and twisting the crown and brim till it looked decades-old.
With the success of Raiders and its two 1980s sequels, the Herbert Johnson original and its various copies and variants became synonymous with the character Indiana Jones, and although the hat's "technical" names are either snapbrim fedora or safari hat, movie buffs, Indy wannabes, and hat lovers everywhere know it simply as the Indiana Jones Hat.
The Indiana Jones Hat: A Buyers' Guide
Because of the hat's popularity and pop-icon status, there are several variants of the "Indy Hat" available (check out either the Indiana Jones Store at www.starwars.com or the "Indiana Jones" tab in the Hats in the Belfry website at www.hatsinthebelfry.com). Some, such as the 100% Beaver "Limited" Authentic Indiana Jones model, are expensive ($495.00), and there is the "Super" Indiana Jones Hat, which is a fur felt variant of the more affordable wool-felt model and boasts, according to Hats in the Belfry's product blurb, "quality of construction, the soft fur felt body, and the life of the hat." The Super Indiana Jones is not as pricey as the Limited model, but at $99.99, it's definitely out of reach for most shoppers.
The least expensive ,which happens to be the one I own, is the wool-felt hat, which sells for $39.99 plus tax and shipping. It's officially licensed, with "Indiana Jones" stamped on the hat's inner lining and a little metal pin with the famous Indy logo on the hat band's bow.
Key Features:
- Available in Brown
- Teardrop Style Crown
- Officially Licensed by Lucasfilm Limited
- Available in S,M,L,XL, and XXL
- Popular Safari Style
From the "Indiana Jones" hats product blurb at www.hatsinthebelfry.com:
Item # 551_indy
Indiana Jones Hat
This classic, genuine Indiana Jones hat comes from the world-famous Indiana Jones Hat Collection. Made of solid and supple wool felt, our Indiana Jones Hat is good for everyday use, or when you have to crack the whip. The brim length on this hat measures 2 1/2". Our authentic Indiana Jones hat has been one of our Best Sellers every month, every year, since 1982.
Boys' Sizes of the Indiana Jones Hat:
Additionally, The Indiana Jones Store at www.starwars.com carries Boys' Sizes models of the wool-felt model. Currently being promoted in conjunction with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, they are priced at $34.99 plus shipping and can be sent to almost every country except Mexico.
No matter which version of the hat you decide to get, you can be sure that as long as you get a Lucasfilm-licensed Indiana Jones hat, you'll own a piece of headgear that bears the distinctive silhouette that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg requested for their iconic hero.
Personal Viewpoint on the Indiana Jones Hat:
I've actually owned two Indiana Jones wool-felt hats. My mom bought me my first one in 1989 when we happened to be walking past the now-closed "brick and mortar" Hats in the Belfry store at Bayside Marketplace in Miami. It wasn't exactly a planned purchase, but she knew I'd wanted a hat like the one in Raiders of the Lost Ark for over eight years, so she decided to make my wish come true.I was in hat-weariing Nirvana. Because the clerk measured my head to see what size would fit me best (7.5"). my Indy hat fit snugly without being too tight and, of course, it didn't fall off my head easily. It was pretty comfortable to wear even in hot summer days; the wool-felt absorbed some heat but never too much, and the brim kept the sun off my face and the back of my neck. The only times I never wore it was when it rained; I knew the hat was pretty sturdy, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to let it get soaked in a South Florida mid-summer deluge.
For more than 17 years, that hat accompanied me on various trips both far and near, both in Miami and out-of-state.. And because I normally kept the Indiana Jones hat on a closet shelf and in its original white and green Hats in the Belfry bag, it looked relatively new; the only thing that was off was its missing "Indiana Jones" pin on the hat band.
Sadly, in a moment of carelessness, I left my hat within grasping range of Laika, the half Lab, half Husky we "share" with my neighbor Elena. She normally is a good dog and doesn't habitually grab things to chew, but shortly before my 44th birthday last year, Laika got bored sometime after noon and decided it would be really fun to chew on something that wasn't her chew toy. In a patently uncharacteristic move for her, she grabbed the hat and, because neither Mom nor I were in the area at the time, managed to tear the hat band off the crown and shredded it beyond repair.
I can still wear the hat, since neither the brim nor the crown were bitten, but without the band it no longer looks like a nice, if perhaps a bit worn, fedora.
Fortunately for me, I was able to Google "Indiana Jones Hat" and immediately discovered the Hats in the Belfry Web site and ordered a replacement. That one is still brand-new, with all its features intact, including the "official" Indiana Jones pin on the left side of the hatband, and though I plan to wear it, I'm saving it for a special out-of-town excursion.Final Thoughts: Although hats will probably not regain the popularity they once enjoyed until the 1960s as everyday men's apparel, the Indiana Jones hat has a certain aesthetic and iconic quality that has made it a popular fashion accessory. It is sharp-looking, and comfortable, with the basic wool-felt model priced reasonably enough for the average consumer to recapture some of the romance and excitement not just of the Indy movies, but also of a bygone era in American history.
Last edited on May 20, 2008
"Indiana Jones" Hat Indiana Jones Hat is recommended by Fardreamer
Comments about Fardreamer’s Review
Miracle at Midway Review - "This book is one of the best accounts of the...Gordon William Prange, Katherine V. Dillon, Donald M. Goldstein - At Dawn...The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition) Review - "Shawshank...
Star Trek: Generations (Special Collector's Edition) Review - "Star Trek:...
