HIYA PAL!
I'm just your typically average human with an avid affinity for all things Ear Hats. Here's my story!
I'm Dakota McKinnon, and if you haven't guessed, I collect Mickey Mouse ear hats in honor of my love for Mickey Mouse and to preserve the legacy of this cultural icon. (Sorry, no ear bands here!) You might recognize me for my brief appearances in the documentary Mickey: The Story of a Mouse streaming on Disney+, or *maybe* as that one guy handing out vintage ear hats FOR FREE at the 2019 D23 Expo. You may not recognize me at all, and to that I say, "Welcome! It's great to meet yah, friend!"
I have been actively collecting since 2005 after my parents bought me a celebratory pair of golden Disneyland 50th Anniversary ears with my name hand-stitched on the back. #IYKYK. Since then, I have been marking almost every trip to a Disney park with a new addition and scouring every nook and cranny of the internet to fill in the gaps.
For me, collecting Mickey Mouse ear hats began as a simple souvenir purchase with each visit to Disneyland. I would often start a trip by buying a new pair just before running over to show Mickey Mouse that I was just like him. Nearly 10 years passed before I realized that this quirky tradition of mine was actually a burgeoning badge of honor for the love I have for Mickey Mouse and the legacy he built hand-in-hand with Walt Disney.
In the early months of 2015, I began acquiring other peoples' collections piece-by-piece to grow my own collection. My humble assortment of roughly 30 hats exploded to 300-plus in a couple of years. Every year since, I add 20 or so pairs to the mix carefully stored away until the day I can construct a proper exhibition for fans to peruse.
Someone wiser than me once asked,
"Isn't it weird we idolize the Mouse by wearing his ears on our heads?" If it is, let it be known I am the weirdest.
The Mickey Mouse ear hat has long been a symbol of membership (...to a club that's made for you and me, if you will). Since 1955, the iconoclast of the ear hat has been evolving from the calling card of the Mickey Mouse Club to a love letter for all sorts for Disney fandoms and franchises. Over time, our shared love for Mickey Mouse blossomed into a love for the Disney Parks, a kaleidoscope of classic characters, memorable movies, and so much more making the ear hat the crown we all adorn to broadcast to one another.
My collection is a perfect intersection for my love for the Mouse himself and my memories visiting Disney Parks around the world. From Anaheim to Shanghai, designer to cast member, past and present, it is a living, ever-growing reminder of just how expansive OUR adoration has become. With that, I am honored to share my collection here with you.