BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap

Subject: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 08:30 PM

I've wanted a Greek fisherman's cap for a long time, ever since I noticed that folkies wear such things. I could have bought a very nice cap made by a firm in Stockton, California, but it didn't seem authentic to me. So, I waited.
Finally, I found a perfect fisherman's cap at a good price at a shop on the Isle of Rhodes. It was made by a Greek firm named Stamion in Thessaloniki, and I've worn it proudly for two years. The other day, I noticed something ominous on the label. In small print, it says:

©Disney

Could it be I've been sold a bill of goods by Corporate America, and my cap isn't authentic?
Somebody, please explain this thing to me!
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman'
From: Janie
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 08:32 PM

Ooohhh NOoooo Joe!

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman'
From: number 6
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 08:34 PM

I got one of those for Christmas Joe ... an authentic Greek Fisherman's hat made on the island of something or other in the Agean ... it had an authentic little tag to go with it ... but I do not see any Disney logo.

But then ... where on the hat is the label?

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 08:35 PM

It could be Demetrios Disney, Walt's illegitimate half-son twice removed on his great-aunt Ethel's side....

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Alba
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 08:50 PM

LOL Rapaire

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Beer
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:09 PM

While visiting friends in St. John's Newfoundland about 8 years ago I passed by this hat store 3 times and kept looking at this "Sod" in the window. The friend I was with said to me " You've just finished buying tapes(3) at nearly $20.00 each and in 3 or 4 weeks you will hardly play them. Yet the cap (sod) at $80.00 (100 % leather) you'll wear for years". Well she was correct. I wear my sod whenever I can and I don't even remember where those tapes are.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: SINSULL
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:13 PM

Ebay, Joe!

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:27 PM

What color is the cap, Joe? If it's brown then the "©Disney" label was affixed in error.

Brown caps are supposed to have a label that says "©UPS".

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:45 PM

Mine says Made in Greece, but who knows?

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Deda
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:51 PM

I love my Greek fisherman's cap, which I just got a week or so ago at the Army/Navy store here in Boulder. It just says "Made in Greece" on the inside, plus what percent wool bla bla.

I had an identical cap many years ago, bought at the same store, which disappeared -- so I am delighted to have replaced it. I don't think I'd really care if it did say "Disney" in it, I'm just veryhappy to have it.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 10:13 PM

Try this, Joe. Put your Greek fisherman's cap on your head. Go stand in front of a mirror.

Now, does what you see in the mirror look more like this or this?

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 10:14 PM

♫ "Ebay, Joe, I'm gonna go
To the Bayou.
Buy a hat to impress
My ma chero mio" ♫

maybe Disney just owns part of the whole world...

I have a black Greek fisherman's hat I bought in Alaska in 1975...label long gone....a brown one I bought locally maybe 14 years ago, a denim one I've had for 10 years...and a leather one I got about 5 years ago. I usually wear only the leather one now.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 10:24 PM

I don't have one. But I do have a baseball-type cap that says "Goex Black Rifle Powder" and another one that says "Bite Me." Do they count?

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 10:45 PM

They do in MOAB-land.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 12:47 AM

So what cap does El Greko wear, and what does he fish for, besides compliments?

:P

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 01:07 AM

Joe: When you looked at mine at camp I was wearing my blue one on which the label is pretty well obliterated. My brown one says, "Made in Greece by Agean, Athens and San Francisco". Disney is not involved.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Kaleea
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 01:24 AM

disney? man, that's scary!

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Dave Earl
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 02:19 AM

I wear one of these all the time.

They are similar to the French Breton Cap (does that give you a clue)

Available from https://secure.bretonshirts.co.uk/bretton/default.htm
(sorry haven't worked out the clickie thing yet)

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 02:24 AM

It looks pretty much like this (click) one that Bee dubya linked to, but mine is a fuzzy black, like felt. the tag says "Stamion Thessaloniki ©Disney" on a white rectangular fabric label that sits right in the middle of my bald spot.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 05:23 AM

Sorry, I am coming into this late... But all is OK - I did my research as usual (I come from Thessaloniki, remember), and I bring good news: The hat is genuine.

In fact, few Greek fishermen wear such hats these days, most of them preferring the fluorescent orange sou'westers and headgear. But Stamion, the biggest of the firms that used to manufacture such hats, has continued doing so, finding new markets in the tourist trade and abroad.

In 2004, on the run up to the Athens Olympics, an unusually (and foolishly) huge consignment was purchased by Disney, who were hoping to flog them at their "It's a small world" rides - the idea being that there would be lots of people who could not make it to the Olympics but would still somehow wish to partake of the Greek spirit of joie de vivre. So they added the "@Disney" label to indicate location of sale (not manufacture).

But the Disney venture failed after the vertically challenged Zorba lookalikes (OK, they were dwarves) employed by "It's a small world" were constantly absent from the scene. They were spending a lot of time trying to pass themselves off as members of Snowhite's entourage in hopes of getting off with her and on one memorable occasion were caught sleeping off a particularly heavy drinking session behind the miniature Acropolis. Disney, left with a load of useless Greek fishermen's caps, offloaded them on the general market at knock-down prices. End of story.

Stamion the Stallion (but that's another story) continues making the hats in Thessaloniki, in his little sweatshop employing illegal Albanian immigrants, just behind the main Police Precinct.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 05:25 AM

The "copyright symbol" should have been an "@" of course. That's just a glitch (have you ever read the English translation of Greek menus?)

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:59 AM

Well, yeah, at the Greek restaurants here in town. (We have at least two Greek restaurants, but no Japanese, Indian or Thai. Odd, for a University town.)

They say things like "Retsina: The favorite wine of Greece" and "Spanikopita: spinach, onions, and other delicacies in a puff pastry."

I've got a BIG bunch of spanikopita in the freezer. Bought it from the food festival at the Greek Orthodox church.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: SINSULL
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 09:11 AM

AEGEAN SAN FRANCISCO-ATHENS in mine too. Along with a 57-71/8 sticker. AND embossed in gold - Greek Fisherman's Cap cotton 100% MADE IN GREECE

Got it on Ebay

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: number 6
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 09:44 AM

The 'certificate of authentication' that came with mine states it is hand made in Greece and signed (yes signed !) by Greg Darnian founder of Agean Imports and Mike McGillis president Agean International Inc.

So I guess I can wear mine with pride knowing that it is authentic, because it is signed by those 2 guys.

What the hell, don't really care cause I like it regardless.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 09:59 AM

There may be a song in this meandering thread, a possible parody of "All Around My Hat" but that might be a stretch.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, who wears wool in winter and denim in summer

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joybell
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 05:01 PM

Are there marks where mouse ears have been carefully removed, Joe? Dead giveaway the mouse ears. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Micca
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 05:31 PM

Mine is very similar to those pictured. Made from slightly shiny waterproof cotton and has a neat stamp inside on the lining that says " South China Trading Co, Portland, Maine" Bought there 2 years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: GUEST,Zorba
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 06:01 PM

You can wear it on a Monday, a Tuesday, a Wednesday,

But never on a Sunday.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 08:22 PM

El Greko, I am throughly relieved to know that my cap is authentic - and that Disney got taken to the cleaners in the process.
The cap does a great job of protecting me from sunburn in summer and cold in winter. Wish I had bought a couple more.
And besides, it looks a lot better than the baseball caps worn by most Old Guys around here.
-Joe Offer, pseudogreko-

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 04:25 PM

Later on, George told me that he made up his Greek Disney story, and that he really doesn't know how my cap got a Disney trademark on it.
I'm crushed.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: ranger1
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 04:29 PM

Joe, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Scoville
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 05:20 PM

I've got a hand-me-down Norwegian fisherman's cap, which is similar. I got it in Norway so I can be sure Disney had no hand in it.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Bee
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 06:15 PM

Can't be sure, Scoville... the Disney has a long reach...

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 06:30 PM

Joe? M - I - C, K - E - Y, m-o-u-s-e...

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Don Firth
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 07:07 PM

I've had a Greek fisherman's cap since the early 1970s. Black. No labels in it other than a size tag. I got it at a chandler's shop on the Seattle waterfront. Still got it, it's in great shape, and it wears like iron.

I'm looking for a deerstalker. I think I have the face for it (nose, jaw, the whole bit).

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 07:49 PM

Joe, I prostate myself humbly before you and beg forgiveness for my tachymania (trans. "pulling a fast one")!

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Scoville
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 09:58 PM

Nope, no Disney labels. Disney hadn't quite started flooding the market with souvenir-everything at that time, either. Ah, those were the days.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: CET
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 12:37 PM

I'm sorry to hear that you are starting the Greek fisherman look, Joe. In an effort to be just like you, I bought a shapeless Donegal tweed hat in Freeport, Maine just after New Year's. How can I win the Joe Offer lookalike contest now?

Edmund

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: EBarnacle
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 08:05 PM

There is a chain of hatters called Hats in the Belfry. They carry them as does West Marine. Unfortunately you have to try them one indiviually as the relationship between the size labels an reality is fictive.

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 01:57 AM

Never fear, Edmund - I wear my Greek fisherman's cap only on certain occasions, and never when I have to travel by air and risk crushing my cap.
I still wear my Irish tweed hat every day - although I prefer tweed from Connemara.
-Joe Tweed-

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 10:14 AM

It's no longer made in Connemara, though, Joe; you may not be aware of this, but tweed cloth making moved from there to just south of Liklle, France, some 12 years ago....oh, I can't keep a straight face any more!

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: GUEST,pattyClink
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 11:51 AM

Joe, I liked George's story too. Here's an alternative scenario: labels can have typos too. What if the labelmaker was runnning 10,000 Goofy hats, got done, switched over to the little Stamion order, punched up the new info, but didn't scroll over far enough to the right in the little Windows dialog box to see that "copyright Disney" was still there?   And what if Mr. Stamion didn't notice that because he doesn't read much English anyway, but the 1001th tourist noticed, but by that time, he didn't really care, because who's gonna see it while you're wearing the hat?

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: Alec
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 12:17 PM

Though tongue in cheek,I think pattyClink may be close to the truth.
Pallopiia Stamion S A are a long established and well respected Greek Milliner's BUT they are also licensees for Disney, Warner Bros & Forever Friends merchandise.
It sounds very much as though a legally required label for a licensed product has been attached in error to an item from a more traditional range.
I would suggest taking a pair of scissors & removing the Disney label.
Carry on wearing the Cap though, they manage to be comfortable, stylish & very practical.
What more could you ask from a hat?

Subject: RE: BS: My Greek Fisherman's Cap
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 01:21 PM

Quite the opposite, Alec - instead of removing the Disney label, I suggest that Joe keeps it, because it makes the cap unusual, collectible and potentially more valuable than the price he paid for it.