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The Forgotten Cartoon Bird


Trevell

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As a die-hard Orioles fan since birth, I've always wondered why there were so many inconsistencies between the bird logos.

For example...

Neither of these cap logos are fully accurate. The one on the left is closer, but the bird on its cap looks like it has been flipped and slightly rotated.

cartoonbirds.png

Next, the three "swinging" birds. The one on the left is the bird found on the team's style guide and has been featured on all of the O's jackets and pullovers since the rebrand in 2009. The one in the middle is to celebrate the 1966 World Series championship. And the one on the right is from the "Baltimore Orioles" circle logo that was used as the team's primary logo from 1966 to 1988. All three of these are similar, but no two is exactly alike. Notice the better detail on the socks and shoes in the middle, the stylish accents on the right, and also how they all are at a different angle.

swingingbirds.png

And lastly, don't forget the angry birds!

otherbirds.png

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Tomorrow's just your future yesterday.

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The real question is why the team doesn't wear the stirrups that the bird is wearing. Those are sweet.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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I've always been surprised at how well-liked Happy Bird is. I find it to be a bit too silly, kinda like the "tough" blue jay with the maple leaf tatoo.

I loved the full-bird oriole that came out in the late 1980s. The recent effort to make it more realistic is a downgrade, IMO...I loved that the previous one was just a step above a silhouette.

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

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The cartoon bird is how I still remember/identify the Orioles. As a kid in the early-mid 70s, the cartoon bird was so identifiable. I still think it stands out so much more than the "real" bird.

As for the "O's" hats they were on occasion. Not a fan. Reminds me of Spaghetti-O's...LOL

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DSC4057a4578.jpg

Best Baltimore MLB cap. I prefer the O's cap with the current bird logo on the sleeve. I think the old school logo is fun, but anythong other than an alterante/throwback uni worn from time to time would be too much.

WORST cap in baseball. Looks fit for batting practice and would still be a horrible design.

The realistic bird is better than this, but that cartoon bird needs to make a comeback. He should have never gone away.

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As a die-hard Orioles fan since birth, I've always wondered why there were so many inconsistencies between the bird logos.

Good post, NDwas. I never noticed those details in the swinging bird. With the current cartoon cap logo, I figured they were trying to standardize and just narrow it down to one bird face, but then you see the bird they release officially, on the new, authentic/on-fild, TBTC cap and it's different still.

Furthering my research on the actual cap logos, I came across an auction site that has a ton of game used O's gear from the '50's through present:

http://www.parkwaypastimes.com/search.php

Just type 'orioles' or 'orioles hat' into their search engine and a bunch of stuff will come up.

Of the 22 '66-'74 caps, 21 are made by Wilson and 1 is made by KM Pro.

The hats are all uniform and consistent with this logo:

merv66.jpg

Except for this one:

cuellar66with75.jpg

Notice it's the '75 logo, but his beak isn't turned up. This cap is made by Wilson.

And this one:

100_0133.jpg

What's the late '70's bird doing on the '66 cap?! Maybe you could say the new TBTC cap isn't incorrect after all? It's listed as belonging to George Staller. He was the 1st base coach. This one is also made by Wilson.

So we have all 3 Cartoon Bird logos making their appearance on the '66-'74 cap!

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The '75-'76 caps were made by a company called AJD. Here are two different versions of the same logo:

brooks751.jpg

brooks752.jpg

The first one looks like a patch sewn on, while the second one is much smoother and refined, although that might be a patch too.

In a quick Google search, the only info I could find about AJD is that it was based in Richmond, Virginia, at one time:

BrooksAJD.jpg

Notice the tag inside the cap,"100% Nylon". Looks like they were 30 years ahead of New Era in using all synthetic fabric for their caps.

All the '77-'88 caps are made by New Era, and everything seems pretty consistent with this example:

weaver77.jpg

Except for Jim Palmer's cap:

100_0160-1.jpg

palmer77inside.jpg

Notice the material that makes up the white panels is smoother and looks more natural. He's also got a leather headband in his cap, while the rest of the caps have cloth. The question is, did New Era custom make Palmer's cap with the leather headband, or did a different company make them?

I once found a Sports Specialties version of this cap. Sports Specialties made pro cap models for at least a dozen or so teams in the eighties and nineties, but I'm not sure if the O's actually wore them on the field:

Ossportsspecialty.jpg

Ossportsspecialtybottom.jpg

Here's another oddball cap that is listed as belonging to Doug Decinces 1977-78:

DougDecinces1977-78.jpg

DougRomanPro.jpg

It's made by Roman Pro. Notice that it's the '66 bird logo, but with the black button on top of the birds hat, instead of orange one. In my first post, I mentioned that the early Cooperstown Collection '66 cap replicas were correct, except for the black button on the birds cap. Well here's that same logo, but on the the '70's cap! What the hell!?

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So to sum up my findings thus far, here are all the cartoon birds featured on the black, '66-'74 cap:

100_0133-1-1.jpg

L-R:

1. This seems to be the most common bird seen on this cap. Made by Wilson.

2. KM Pro version of the bird. (I didn't realize there was a difference before)

3. This is the bird most commonly seen on the '75-'76 cap, but tilted up. Made by Wilson.

4. Most commonly seen on the '77-'88 caps. Made by Wilson

Here are the birds seen on the '75-'88 caps:

weaver77-1-1.jpg

L-R:

1. '75-'76 bird, donned both white and alternate orange paneled caps. Made by AJD.

2. Another variation of the same bird. The design seems about the same besides the materials and technique used to sew. Made by AJD.

3. Roman Pro version. Note that it's the same as the KM Pro version, except for the black button on the birds cap.

4. New Era version, seen on most merchandise today, but usually the orange logo on the birds cap is colored white.

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The smiling Oriole logo on the hat is one of my all time favorites. What's more, that logo represented Baltimore Orioles baseball at its greatest. The ones they have now represent the franchise at its worst owned by that colossal idiot Peter Angelos.

I say bring back the smiling Oriole and put it on a black crowned, orange billed cap, ASAP. That hat is what baseball is all about. And anyone who says otherwise is a hater.

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The smiling Oriole logo on the hat is one of my all time favorites. What's more, that logo represented Baltimore Orioles baseball at its greatest. The ones they have now represent the franchise at its worst owned by that colossal idiot Peter Angelos.

I say bring back the smiling Oriole and put it on a black crowned, orange billed cap, ASAP. That hat is what baseball is all about. And anyone who says otherwise is a hater.

I didn't realize you were the judge of personal opinions. I like the hat, but don't think it should be the everyday primary, but should replace the O's cap. By your definition anybody who doesn't think it should be brought back, regardless of their opinion on the design, is automatically a hater. That's just ridiculous. Not everything is defined as being a hater or not.

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A few things...first has anyone noticed just how "crappy" the stitching was on many of those caps. On the Doug DeCinces cap the button does not even look centered. If we would have these caps today we would scream they were Chinese counterfeits. The other thing this thread shows is that before the advent of digitization the designs were copied by hand so each shop had a different person working on them. The bird head is one of the most complex hat logos of that era, so minor variations would be common. Also I doubt there any groups back then that were anal about the design and asthetics to even care about such things. I hate the O's hat, and the current hat logo is just way to detailed. It looks like it should be part of the Audubon Hat of the Month club. I would like to see just a more realistic less cartoon bird head hat logo.

pissinonbobsmall.jpg

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By your definition anybody who doesn't think it should be brought back, regardless of their opinion on the design, is automatically a hater. That's just ridiculous. Not everything is defined as being a hater or not.

Not directed specifically at anyone here, but "hater" is one of those really stupid terms I wish we could un-coin.

It's worthless in terms of adding nothing to a conversation, but in its dismissal it's worse than that. "Hater" is a lazy attempt to shut up and shut out contrary opinions without having the courage or intellect to actually rebut them substantively.

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By your definition anybody who doesn't think it should be brought back, regardless of their opinion on the design, is automatically a hater. That's just ridiculous. Not everything is defined as being a hater or not.

Not directed specifically at anyone here, but "hater" is one of those really stupid terms I wish we could uin-coin.

It's worthless in terms of adding nothing to a conversation, but in its dismissal it's worse than that. "Hater" is a lazy attempt to shut up and shut out contrary opinions without having the courage or intellect to actually rebut them substantively.

Ditto.

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Wow this is one of the best threads since the Brooklyn dodgers logo one. I've learned alot, it is interesting to see all of the different variations of the same logo! Thanks Trevell NDwas and others. :grin:

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Besides, this is the best cap the Orioles have ever worn:

bal39.jpg

:P

And the jerseys that went with them were equally as great.

pissinonbobsmall.jpg

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

P. J. O'Rourke

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