Quack, Quack, Donald Duck Hat

I didn’t visit a Disney park until I was in my 40s. I grew up (and live) in Oklahoma, which meant both Disneyland and Disneyworld were over a thousand miles away from where I lived. My childhood vacations were spend in cars, not airplanes, so we never quite made it to the east or west coasts. Of course some people did, which is probably how things like this vintage Donald Duck hat I recently saw at a garage sale made its way to Oklahoma.

I cannot quack a lie. Based on that thing’s weird eyes and odd color, I thought for sure this was some sort of knockoff bootleg item; a homemade hat made by some well-meaning grandmother for that grandchild that loved Donald Duck but just couldn’t afford a… well, whatever that thing is. But, no — turns out, it’s an officially licensed hat. As I like to say, somebody approved that thing.

From what I’ve been able to find, these hats date back to the late 1960s. I haven’t been able to find much information about them, but eBay is full of similar hats dating back to those years. The only thing creepier than some kid walking around with this hat on their head is an army of kids with them.

The top of the hat confirms its authenticity. Along with the words “Disney Parade” you can see copyrights for both Walt Disney Productions but also Benay-Albee Creations. Benay-Albee is better known for making those Mickey Mouse ear hats everyone is familiar with.

I am not a Disney aficionado and don’t fully understand the red and white hot air balloon included on top of the hat. I know Disney once had a red and white balloon called Zippa Dee Doo Duck which was part of Disney’s balloon fleet, but that’s from the 90s and this hat looks like it predates that.

While I’m not a germaphobe, I mostly avoid garage sale hats and plushies, especially ones like this one that smell like smoke. (The thought of someone standing around and smoking while wearing this hat is actually pretty amusing.) I had to leave this one behind but hopefully someone else who visited the parks as a kid will find it and love it.