Cheerio Champion hat with felt/cardboard brim in blue, with orange and white cloth cap, and three-color felt patch. This hat would have fit the head of an 8-12 year old child. Hat is probably from the late 1930s or late 1940s. The felt brim portion has faded with time, a common occurrence with these hats. More than 75 years ago it was a richer blue color.
Cheerio felt patches were notorious for not being color-fast, unlike most Duncan patches. As a result, if a parent made the unfortunate mistake of washing the patch, all the colors bled out of it and ruined any other clothing items that were in the same wash. That may help explain--in part--why it is so uncommon today to see vintage Cheerio award patches still sewn onto their original sweaters or other articles of vintage clothing, or at auction. Now you know: never try to clean a Cheerio felt patch!
The hat and patch in this exhibit have never been cleaned; it is in original condition.
Cheerio hat patches came in three text variations: "I'm a Cheerio Champion", "I'm a Cheerio Yo-Yo Champ", and "Winner Cheerio Contest". "Cheerio" is always embroidered in the middle of these patches and in a much larger size compared to the surrounding text.
