Cheesehead
{{short description|Nickname for people from Wisconsin}}
{{For|the screw head shape|Cheese head (screw)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox phrase
| title = Cheesehead
| image = Cheeseheads_in_Stadium_(14819823518).jpg
| image_size =
| alt = A man wearing a cheesehead hat in a football stadium
| caption = A Packers fan wearing Cheesehead hat
| origin = Sports
| meaning = {{ubl|Person from Wisconsin|Fan of the Green Bay Packers}}
| original_form = Derogatory term, now a common nickname
| context = Wisconsin is "America's Dairyland"
| coined_by =
}}
Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from WisconsinKapler, Joseph, Jr. "[http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/wmh/id/43274 On Wisconsin Icons: When You Say 'Wisconsin', What Do You Say?]" Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 85, no. 3 (Spring 2002), pp. 18–31. or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers.
Background
Wisconsin is associated with cheese because the state historically produced more dairy products than other American states, giving it the nickname "America's Dairyland".{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fVoYAAAAIAAJ |title= Nicknames and sobriquets of U.S. cities, States, and counties |first1= Joseph Nathan |last1= Kane |first2= Gerard L. |last2= Alexander |publisher= Scarecrow Press |year= 1979 |page= 412 |isbn= 9780810812550 |quote= Wisconsin – America's Dairyland, The Badger State ... The Copper State ...}} The use of the term "Cheesehead" as a derogatory word for Wisconsinites originated with Illinois football and baseball fans to refer to opposing Wisconsin sports fans. The term, however, was quickly embraced by Wisconsinites and is now a point of pride.{{Citation | title = Foamation: About Us | url = http://www.cheesehead.com/aboutus.asp | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090302092337/http://www.cheesehead.com/aboutus.asp | archive-date = 2009-03-02 }}.
Other uses
During World War II, German soldiers mockingly referred to the Dutch as cheeseheads because of the Netherlands' extensive dairy farming industry. The Dutch term kaaskop, literally "cheese head", is considered a profanity to refer to a person as stupid or dense.{{cite news |last1=McCollum |first1=Maureen |title=Why Do People Wear Cheeseheads? |url=https://www.wpr.org/culture/why-do-people-wear-cheeseheads |access-date=November 16, 2024 |work=WPR |date=October 18, 2019}}
In the 1969 novel Papillon, the term was used to describe the unsophisticated jurors who voted to convict the main character.{{cite news |last1=Carlton |first1=Jeremy |title=A Chicago insult we embraced: 10 things you need to know about Cheeseheads |url=https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/cheeseheads10things |access-date=November 16, 2024 |work=OnMilwaukee |date=November 24, 2015}}
Cheesehead hat
Rose Bruno first saw a cardboard "Cheesehead" hat at a Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox game in Chicago in 1987 worn by fellow Milwaukeean Amerik Wojciechowski.Foamation, Inc. v. Wedeward Enterprises, Inc., 947 F.Supp. 1287 (E.D. Wis. 1996){{Citation|last=Cigelske |first=Tim |title=When I was 30: Michael Bednar: Cheeseheads were spreading |newspaper=MKE |date=September 8, 2005 |url=http://www.mkeonline.com/story.asp?id=353849 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070801032944/http://www.mkeonline.com/story.asp?id=353849 |archive-date=August 1, 2007 }}. Ralph Bruno later made the first one out of foam while he was cutting up his mother's couch. It was made popular by centerfielder Rick Manning, who saw the hat while playing.{{cite web|url=http://search.espn.go.com/greg-garber/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914161518/http://search.espn.go.com/greg-garber/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2008|title=Greg Garber News, Videos, Photos, and PodCasts - ESPN|website=ESPN.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wxow.com/story/17094560/cheesehead-hat-creator-honored-by-state|title=State honors cheesehead hat creator}} Bruno started a multi-million-dollar business to sell the hats as novelties. The "Cheesehead" trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam "Cheesehead" in 1987.{{cite web |url=http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4808:o6um5o.3.7 |title=Trademark Serial Number 75106687 |date=1996-05-20 |website=U.S. Patent and Trademark Office |access-date=2019-08-21}} Along with the original Cheesehead "wedge", Foamation has made other similar "cheese" apparel, including baseball caps, cowboy hats, and earrings. In 2023, Bruno sold Foamation to the Green Bay Packers, making the Cheesehead official Packers merchandise.[https://www.tmj4.com/sports/green-bay-packers/green-bay-packers-acquire-cheesehead-hat-maker-foamation "Green Bay Packers acquire cheesehead hat-maker Foamation"], WTMJ-TV, July 24, 2023.{{Cite web | url = https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/24/green-bay-packers-acquire-maker-cheesehead-hats/ | title = Green Bay Packers acquire maker of Cheesehead hats | date = July 24, 2023 | access-date = July 24, 2023 | website = WBAY.com }}
The Cheesehead gained attention in 1995, when Packers fan Frank Emmert Jr. was flying on a private plane back to Wisconsin after attending a Packers game against the Cleveland Browns and the plane crashed due to ice accumulation. Emmert suffered a broken ankle and other minor injuries but was saved from further serious injury when he used his Cheesehead for protection in the crash.{{cite news |date=9 November 1995 |title=Cheesehead May Have Been a Livesaver |publisher=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-11-29-9511290211-story.html |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306045426/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-11-29-9511290211-story.html |archive-date=6 March 2022}} In 2013, sports fans of Chicago replied to their rivals by wearing cheese graters.[https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/12/26/cheddar-shredder/ Cheddar shredder] - Chicago Tribune, 26 December 2013
Cheesehead hats have evolved beyond sports to become a cultural and political symbol of Wisconsin. Notably, Wisconsin delegates wore Cheesehead hats at both the 2024 Republican National Convention{{Cite web |last=Bentley |first=Drake |title='Why are people wearing cheese hats?': What to know about the Cheesehead — a Wisconsin product |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2024/07/18/what-to-know-about-the-cheesehead-a-wisconsin-product/74464495007/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Journal Sentinel |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Wise |first=David |date=2024-07-19 |title=Wisconsin delegation dons cheesehead hats for final day of RNC |url=https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/wisconsin-delegation-dons-cheesehead-hats-for-final-day-of-rnc/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=WisPolitics |language=en-US}} and the 2024 Democratic National Convention{{Cite web |last=Karnopp |first=Hope |title=New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore sign Packers cheesehead hats at DNC |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/19/kathy-hochul-wes-moore-sign-packers-cheesehead-hats-at-dnc/74864154007/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Journal Sentinel |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=van Wagtendonk |first=Anya |date=2024-08-20 |title=Wisconsin Democrats prepare for symbolic roll call in unusual DNC |url=https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-democrats-roll-call-convention-chicago |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=WPR |language=en-US}} to represent their state.
See also
References
{{Green Bay Packers|state=collapsed}}
Category:American regional nicknames
Category:History of the Green Bay Packers