In 1949, Victor Hoeflich, founder of a novelty manufacturing corporation, invented a radio hat. He called it “Man from Marr, Radio Hat.” During the announcement of his product, he used teenage models that were wearing the radio hats for newspapers and photographers. These photographs were published with articles in newspapers from coast to coast. The articles typically included a photo of a young girl wearing the radio hat with a story defining its feature and instructions.
How did the radio hat function?
Radio valve technology was advanced during World War II, which allowed it to work on low voltage and long-distance. While the transistor had been invented in 1947, and the battery was carried in the users’ pocket. The hat’s radio relied on vacuum tube technology, and Hoeflich made the tubes a prominent feature along with the loop aerial. He tuning knob sat between the two valves.
How it was marketed
The radio hat was initially sold in the department stores and by mail orders. The price was $7.95 at that time. The helmet was in eight different colors, later seven more colors were added. A California service station chain sold the hats as a promotional item to customers who purchased gasoline.
Why the radio hat was failed
Despite the massive publicity and marketing, the sales did not last for a long time. Victor Hoeflich stopped the advertisements and marketing in the early 1950s. Its failure was primarily due to technical limitations and poor performance. The signals were frequently dropping, and they could be lost at all as the user turned his or her head. Sometimes when the users were trying to tune a radio station, all they could get was an annoying squeal. In a 1956 interview, Hoeflich said the company still got orders for the hat even though it was long out of production.
