Has the Cheesehead Finally Curdled?

At TriggPack, we keep you on top of the latest Packer news from every angle -- not only what's happening on the field, but everything else from food to fashion.  And I identified a major trend on the fashion front this weekend.  While visiting the Packer Pro Shop, I suddenly noticed a stack of the iconic yellow foam cheeseheads – not proudly stacked in a ceiling-high pyramid display as I’d remembered seeing them years ago, but instead tucked away under a table gathering dust like some shameful discount item.  This observation sparked my curiosity – was the cheesehead past its expiration date?

I reflected on the fact that my own cheesehead has been tucked away on a shelf in my garage for some time, and it's taken on a bit of a gray-ish hue.  Wondering if other cheeseheads had met a similar fate, I decided to do some impromptu field research during my visit to Lambeau over the weekend.  Sure enough, the cheesehead seems to have lost its once firm grip on the heads of Packer fans.  I barely noticed any outside at the tailgates on game day, except for a classy cheese bra and panties set (on a guy).  I only saw a few in the stands.  And I didn’t see anyone actually purchasing one in our three visits to the Packer Pro Shop.

Packer fan fashion seems to have finally evolved, with team jerseys more prevalent than ever before (though, of course, it was a nice enough day that you could actually wear a jersey instead of a parka).  The new hot item seems to be the retro Acme Packers blue jerseys with the yellow circle and number on the chest.  That jersey has the unfortunate consequence, particularly in a game against the Lions, of injected blue into the stands, but at least we never had purple as a color.  I learned that, at one point, Curly Lambeau tried to give the team the nickname the “Blues.”  That was the second-worst idea Lambeau ever had (the worst was his failed attempt to re-purchase the Packers with the intent of moving the franchise to Los Angeles).

But I digress.  The cheesehead seems to be going the way of the leather helmet.  I’m sure the Packers' marketing department isn’t sad to see it go -- no NFL logo royalties on a faux wedge of cheddar (with the fromagically incorrect Swiss-cheese holes).  Maybe the meathead will be the next fad.