A Houston-based company is taking aim at the Green Bay Packers' iconic cheesehead tradition with a new foam hat that looks like a cheese grater, and it's proving popular with Chicago Bears fans ahead of Saturday's playoff matchup.
Foam Party Hats has sold 7,000 cheese grater hats this season, according to owner Manuel Rojas. Business picked up significantly after a Chicago Bears player was spotted wearing one following a Bears victory over the Packers.
"It has been incredible," Rojas said. "Just when the game before this happened, I went to bed really early, and the next day, Sunday morning, my phone was blowing off with messages, and people sending videos."
The company, which makes party hats for various occasions and sporting events, was once featured on the TV show "Shark Tank." Rojas said he's having fun with the Packers-Bears rivalry and believes other teams should create their own foam hat traditions.
Watch here: Why the man behind the up and coming cheese grater foam hats says he is hoping to inject some fun into the legendary Packers-Bears rivalry.
"Why let you guys keep all the fun?" Rojas said. "Why don't we come up with something similar to it, and everybody can enjoy it."
The cheesehead is a tradition dating back to the late 1980's for all things Wisconsin and embraced by Packers fans at games over the years.
"The Cheesehead is just as popular today as it has been in our past history, maybe even more so," Chrysta Jorgensen, director of retail operations for the Green Bay Packers, said. "It is one of our top sellers every year. That has not changed."
Nor has the love of the cheesehead from fans all around the world. It's an endearing and iconic symbol that even movie star Hugh Jackman donned while in Milwaukee last year.
"We, as the Green Bay Packers, have the cheesehead because we're proud of our team, and that we love our fans wearing something that represents what they're proud of, being from Wisconsin, being a fan of the Packers, you know, we're often emulated, never duplicated," Jorgensen said.
While Rojas is rooting for the Bears to win Saturday's playoff game, his company is preparing to expand beyond Chicago. The cheese grater hats are being made available in other team colors for fans who aren't Packers supporters.
The concept gained additional momentum when a Baltimore Ravens player wore a cheese grater hat after their recent victory over Green Bay, signaling potential for a broader market beyond the Bears fanbase.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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