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The Daily Insight

Why do the Green Bay Packers fans wear cheese hats?

Author

Andrew Ramirez

Published Apr 07, 2026

Why do the Green Bay Packers fans wear cheese hats?

It was a schoolyard way of calling someone an idiot or dense. Supposedly, some time after WWII, Illinoisans started to call Wisconsinites—Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers fans in particular—’cheeseheads’, harkening back to the Dutch insult.

Where did the term Cheesehead come from?

History. The term “cheesehead” began as a derogatory term used by Illinois football and baseball fans to refer to opposing Wisconsin sports fans. Riding high from the Chicago Bears only Super Bowl victory in 1985, fans of Chicago sports began ridiculing citizens of the Dairy State by calling them “Cheeseheads”.

Who created the Cheesehead?

Ralph Bruno
Ralph Bruno, who invented the yellow wedge cheesehead in 1987 from his mother’s couch stuffing, on Jan. 16, 2020 in Milwaukee.

What kind of cheese is the Packers Cheesehead?

Four minutes later, the Cheesehead emerges, the same orange-yellow color of American cheese so many of us ate growing up. Bruno’s vision, purists are at pains to point out, is actually a compilation of three cheeses, borrowing its shape (one-sixth of a wheel) from Gouda, color from cheddar and holes from Swiss.

Why do Cheeseheads have holes?

Cutting out a triangular piece of the couch cushion, Bruno burned holes in it to give the appearance of Swiss cheese and painted it a shade resembling cheddar, entirely unaware that he had just started a new chapter in Packers fan history.

Why are they called Packers?

The company gave its name to the Green Bay Packers. The football team took its name after Curly Lambeau, a shipping clerk for the company, successfully asked the company’s owner, Frank Peck, for money for jerseys and use of the company’s athletic field in 1919.

What causes the holes in Swiss cheese?

Under the specific conditions that Swiss cheese is made, the P. shermanii produce a gas: carbon dioxide. Because Swiss cheese is made at a warm temperature – around 70 degrees Fahrenheit – the cheese is soft and malleable. So as the bacteria grow, the gases they emit end up creating round openings.

Where does the name Cheese head come from?

For the screw head shape, see Cheese head (screw). Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from Wisconsin or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers NFL football franchise.

What do you use to make head cheese?

Head cheese. The parts of the head used vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. The tongue, and sometimes the feet and heart, may be included. It can also be made from trimmings from pork and veal, adding gelatin to the stock as a binder. Sometimes it is made with nothing from the head.

What kind of cheese is made from the head of a cow?

Head cheese. Head cheese is not a dairy cheese, but a terrine or meat jelly often made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig, or less commonly a sheep or cow, and often set in aspic. The parts of the head used vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. The tongue, and sometimes the feet and heart, may be included.

Who is the owner of the Cheesehead trademark?

The “Cheesehead” trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam “Cheesehead” in 1987. It has also been referred to as a “Cheese Hat” since it is legally a hat. In 2013, sports fans of Chicago replied to their rivals by wearing cheese graters.

Where does the name head cheese come from?

Head cheese. Head cheese or brawn is a cold cut that originated in Europe. A version pickled with vinegar is known as souse. Head cheese is not a dairy cheese, but a terrine or meat jelly often made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig, or less commonly a sheep or cow, and often set in aspic.

Why is it called Brawn instead of head cheese?

People called it head cheese to steer people away from the fact that it’s head meat, although there whether head cheese is a better alternative is up for debate. Head cheese also goes by “brawn”, “souse”, or can also appear on area menus under the names tête, testa or pig’s head terrine.

Head cheese. Head cheese is not a dairy cheese, but a terrine or meat jelly often made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig, or less commonly a sheep or cow, and often set in aspic. The parts of the head used vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. The tongue, and sometimes the feet and heart, may be included.

The “Cheesehead” trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam “Cheesehead” in 1987. It has also been referred to as a “Cheese Hat” since it is legally a hat. In 2013, sports fans of Chicago replied to their rivals by wearing cheese graters.