God Bless the Internet (aka Hambone, Hambone)

It's true: you really can find anything online, including corroboration of family lore.

For some reason (do not ask me to explain; if my life depended on it I could not), while sitting at my computer (read: fooling around rather than cleaning), I thought of an old family story, which goes something like this: Once upon a time, when I was small, my little brother (LB), who was even smaller, took an inexplicable fancy to a white, bowl-shaped, ladies hat. He wore it everywhere. Said hat reminding the 'rents and older siblings of a TV character from the early '60s, they took to calling LB by the character's name: Hambone.

Now, although I have pictures showing LB in The Hat (which also features prominently in a First Haircut story), I have no memory of said TV character or show. Or, by the way, of The Hat. The whole mystical Hambone-hat connection was just one of those many items of family mythology that I had to take on faith. Until today.


Today I typed "Hambone" into my trusty Google search page, and what do you know, The Hambone Gallery1 was the very first entry. And there was Hambone, in all his goofy glory. And a white pith helmet.


Which yes, if you squint, does sortakinda resemble the hat LB is wearing. (Are we or are we not two of the cutest children you have ever seen in your life?)

So the Hambone hat story, at least, is true. God, I love the Internet.

For added enjoyment, check out The Hambone Song. Photos and musical link courtesy of Christopher Gross's Sandy Becker's page.