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Old gas stations

Ghostsoldier

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,410
Location
Starke, Florida, USA
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Rob
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,688
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Those were for mechanics to wear while standing underneath a car on a lift or a grease pit. They kept oil and grease drips out of the hair or off the proper uniform cap, and were generally giveaway items provided by jobbers if you bought a certain line of products. They were usually made out of stiff, cheap cotton cambric, and were designed to be thrown away once soiled. They were the same kind of deal as those cheap disposable painters' caps handed out by hardware stores.

The common alternative to these gimme-hats was for mechanics to wear an old sailor cap or a dress hat with the brim cut off and folded up to turn it into a beanie-type skullcap. Goober wears the latter kind of headgear.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,688
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
That's what I was thinking of when I mentioned a "whoopie cap." Thanks for the explanation, I thought you would probably know. Any idea when those giveaways started?

I've seen them dating back to the late twenties/early thirties, and they seemed to hit their peak just before the war. The exact type of cap was also sold in novelty catalogs and by street vendors to advertise conventions and parades -- "WELCOME LEGIONNAIRES" or things like that.
 

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