Fun Hats – HATTINGDON HORSES

Lollipop classic

07/20/202508/14/2025 Blog HattingdonLeave a comment

In 1908, candy maker George Smith revolutionized the candy world by creating a hard candy mounted on a stick, the first modern lollipop. According to his memoirs, he named the treat after his favorite racehorse — Lolly Pop.

National Lollipop Day is celebrated each year on July 20. It is a day to celebrate hard candy, sweet treats and being a kid.

Hattingdon does not have a “lollipop hat” per se, but she does have a very pretty classic hat inspired by the sweet lollipop Vivian created, seen below.

We named the design Lolly. Hattingdon fans call it the Lollipop hat. That’s cool. Here she is.

Lollie classic hat with lollipop in coordinating colors. — *Lolly with her Lollipop*

Isn’t she sweet? Love love love the colours. Oh. Before we go, here is a bit of lollipop history.

History of the Lollipop

Jon Prince, writing for CandyFavourites.com, states, “The first incarnation of the lollipop was probably created by cave people thousands of years ago, who collected honey from beehives with a stick. Not wanting to waste the sweet nectar, they most likely licked the stick, thus inventing the world’s first lollipop. Good for them (good for us).”

“Archaeologists believe that ancient Chinese, Arabs, and Egyptians all produced fruit and nut confections that they ‘candied’ in honey (which serves as a preservative), and inserted sticks to make it easier to eat.”

What are your favourite lollipops? Let us know. Love, Hattingdon.

Nat’l Cherry Day

07/16/202511/03/2025 Blog HattingdonLeave a comment

AT this time of summer, the cherry harvest is at its peak. Today is the perfect time to celebrate all things “cherry”. It is July 16th, National Cherry Day.

Many farming communities celebrate with a harvest festival. We don’t have to tell you what is in the baked goods for those celebrations.

The Hat

Hattingdon can wait no longer to join the festivities and show off her new hat — designed especially for her for this day. How cool does she look? Ain’t she sweet?

Variety of cherries

Cherries are a fun and tasty fruit. There are sweet cherries for eating fresh. There are tart or sour varieties that are best for baking. There is even a yellow variety. Yellow varieties are quite sweet. In addition to tasting good, cherries are healthy eating.

Super snack

Pop a few into your mouth and feel guiltless. Why!? Simply because they are good for you. While they are sweet, they are also low in calories.

Cherries are high in fiber. They are high in vitamins A and C. Their high level of antioxidants helps to fight free radicals. It contains anti-inflammatory properties, too. And, they have lots of potassium. Cherries are gluten-free.

Studies show that they help to lower blood pressure. And, if you have trouble sleeping, have a few pieces of this magical fruit in the evening. They contain melatonin, a natural chemical that helps to induce sleep.

Even diabetics can enjoy the natural sugars in cherries. But, don’t eat a whole bunch at one sitting. Rather, eat a few at a time.

Cool facts

• The first recording of the cultivation of cherry trees goes back to ancient Mesopotamia in 300 B.C.
• Ancient Romans and Chinese dynasties also cultivated them.
• Prehistoric caves in Asia and Europe contained cherry pits.
• Cherry blossoms are a symbol of beauty and renewal.
• Cherry trees are not native to N America. Early settlers brought them to the New World in the 1600s.
• According to legend, George Washington chopped down the family cherry tree. But, when confronted by his father, he could not tell a lie. The rest as they say is history.
• The first time cherry turnovers were made was in 1440. At the time, cake was banned in some European countries.
• The average mature tree produces approximately 7,000 fruit each year.
• Japanese cherry trees do not produce fruit. Rather, they are ornamentals.
• On August 30, 1909, Japan announced it was donating 2,000 cherry trees to the United States for planting along the Potomac River. The trees arrived in the United States on January 6, 1910. Today, millions of people visit D.C. at Cherry Blossom time just to see them in bloom.
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You see. We are more than just pretty hats. Wink. See you again soon. Love, Hattingdon.

• Featured Image: Red Cherries. Freepick.com.

Summer 2025 begins today

06/20/202508/26/2025 Blog Hattingdon1 Comment

June 20, 2025

Ooh la la! Summer is officially here. Hattingdon has the perfect hat — naturally. She has been wearing it all day long. We named the hat Summer. Take a look.

The Summer design features a fashion hat with a tall, rounded dome and wide brim, all in delicious stripes of deep pink, sky blue, lime green and pure white. Vivian made a pinwheel to go with it. How sweet it is.

Summer striped hat in hot pink, sky blue and lime green stripes and pinwheel. — *Summer Hattingdon & Matching Pinwheel.*

Summertime

Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on the longest day of the year. Also known as the Summer Solstice, this date officially celebrates a time of year when the sun is warm and the outdoors is the place to be.

Many schools are out of session during the summer, which gives families the opportunity to take vacations — using the time to explore and enjoy the great outdoors camping, hiking, and biking.

Community pools open up. Beaches are open, too. Water adventures in the form of kayaking, canoeing, skiing, and fishing entice us to the rivers and lakes.

Now that it is here, what are you looking forward to most?

• Guest post by Charlene English.

Updated 7:40 pm / 20 June 25.

Popcorn Day

05/15/202505/30/2025 Blog HattingdonLeave a comment

May 15th

Hattingdon has the perfect hat for National Popcorn Day. Naturally. Here it is.

Anyone who has ever gone to a movie theater in the US recognizes the red and white striped containers that many of them use for their popcorn. This hat is inspired by those containers — popcorn included. Vivian named the design Zea. Very cute.

Origins unknown

The Holiday Calendar reports, “The origins of this holiday [National Popcorn Day] are currently unknown, at least to us, but many people claim that it started because of the Super Bowl. We’re not sure what the Super Bowl has to do with popcorn, but that is what some people say. Regardless of who started this holiday, however, the one thing we can say for sure is that this holiday has been celebrated since 2005.”

Hmm. Next . . . .

Popcorn facts

Popcorn has a day celebrating it. Holiday Calendar (again) writes:

Let us turn our attention to talking about some of the most fascinating facts about popcorn that we could unearth. As we did our research on this holiday, we came across a variety of facts that we thought were pretty interesting. Of course, you’ll ultimately be the judge of just how interesting they really are, so let’s dig right into them and find out.

Did you know . . . ?

Americans eat about 17 billion quarts of popcorn every single year. That’s over 52 quarts for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.
Every year, the amount of popcorn consumed by Americans increases by about 5%.
Not surprisingly, popcorn is the number one snack food in the U.S.
Approximately 66% of all the popcorn eaten in the United States is consumed at home. The other 33% is served at various sporting events, festivals, and movie theaters.
In Illinois, popcorn is the official snack food. The state also has its own Popcorn Day, which has been celebrated since 1958.
The biggest popcorn ball in the world was 12 feet in diameter and weighed over 5,000 pounds. It required 2,000 pounds of corn, 4,900 pounds of sugar, and 280 gallons of corn syrup.
If you’re popping corn at home, then you’ll want to know that two tablespoons of kernels cost about a quarter and make about a quart of popcorn.
Americans buy about 90% of their popcorn in unpopped form.
Most of the popcorn eaten around the world is grown in the United States.
Popcorn has more iron than eggs and spinach. It also has more fiber than potato chips.
Nebraska produces about 250 million pounds of popcorn every single year.
Nebraska produces 25% of all the popcorn the United States produces each year.
The Aztecs used popcorn during their ceremonies.

Popcorn has more iron than eggs and spinach? Get out of town. Wink. — Vivian.

. . . . . . .

P.S. National Today lists January 19th as Popcorn Day. Movie theaters like AMC, Cinemark and Regal, as well as food brands often celebrate with discounts and freebies on their popcorn.

Zea is a girl’s name of Latin origin meaning “grain“.

Corrections made 15 May 25

Category: Fun Hats