A thief was busted at a Williamsburg hat store for attempting to pawn off a stolen shtreimel, the distinctive fur-and-velvet hat worn by many Hasidic Jews. The alleged thief, Robert Giuff, brought the hat—which he said he found next to garbage on the street—to a store where he tried to sell it for $350, which is not the smartest move when the owner's name is written inside. more ›

A baseball fan threatened to kill a stranger who was wearing a Los Angeles Dodger's hat in a Brooklyn diner yesterday. According to the Post, 38-year-old suspect Marcos Esteban — who was born 14 years after the Dodger's abandoned Brooklyn — menaced the Los Angeles fan with a boxcutter for wearing the wrong ballcap to the eatery, which is near the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Skillman Street. more ›

Where was this hat in Sylvia Plath's day? A 22-year-old designer has created a cute little knit cap that literally stabs you in the skull until you smile. It's like Stepford Wife-chic! The claim is that "Through repeated use of this conditioning device you can train your brain to smile all the time." Goodbye sad affect, hello manufactured happiness! See creepy video after the jump. [via Pat's Papers] more ›

How much would you pay for a sweaty, worn-in baseball hat? What if it were Babe Ruth's? Yesterday one of the player's old navy-blue flannel caps went for $328,000 at auction (nearly double what it was expected to bring in); the auction of Yankee memorabilia was held at the Javits Center. The NY Post notes that the hat is one of three in existence that the Babe wore during games, and his initials (G.H. for George Herman) are embroidered inside. One of the other caps belongs to ex-Yankee David Wells, who got his for a mere $35K. more ›

Times Square fixture The Naked Cowboy (Robert Burck) is singing a litigious song these days against Mars Inc., maker of M&M candies. He is claiming that the company is infringing on his trademark, i.e. singing in tighty-whities, cowboy boots and a Stetson, with a six string slung on his shoulder. Burck wants $6 million after the company started broadcasting a film on a billboard screen in Times Square showing anthropomorphic M&Ms re-enacting famous scenes, structures, and places around NYC. A blue peanut M&M is shown in briefs, boots, a hat, and strumming a guitar while singing in Times Square. more ›