Dinosaur Pilgrims: 1 simple trick to make a fun Pilgrim hat for your dinosaur

Inspiration can come from the most unlikely sources.

When ruminating about how dinosaurs celebrate Thanksgiving, we found numerous graphics of dinosaurs in Pilgrim hats. Very cute. Try as we might, we could not find a capotain to dress up our own dinosaur Pilgrims.

This sparked a quest to build our own Pilgrim hat for a dinosaur.

But who knew inspiration would come from an order of fries?

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Who were the Pilgrims?

The first Pilgrims were a group of Sepratist who sailed to North America on the Mayflower and established a colony in what is now Massachusetts. Puritans soon followed. They had fled religious persecution in England, were in exil in the Netherlands, and decided to sail to the New World in 1620.

The Pilgrims fasted during pivotal moments, then feasted and celebrated for days, giving thanks to God before Christmas. This tradition is much older: Romans, Greeks and Egyptians gave thanks to their gods and celebrated the Autumn harvest. Native Americans also celebrated the Autumn harvest long before the Pilgrims reached the New World.

Thanksgiving, as celebrated in America today, can be traced back to celebrations held in 1619 in Virginia and 1621 in Massachusetts. The latter was celebrated with Native Americans who had showed the Pilgrims how to farm corn, catch fish, and tap maple to help them survive the winter.

The Puritans were conservative, as reflected in their clothing. Dark colours and modest cuts were the rage. Married women covered their hair with a linen cap and men wore a tall black hat called a capotain.

What’s a capotain?

A capotain, also called capatain or copotain is a tall-crowned, narrow-brimmed, slightly conical hat, usually black, which was worn by men and women from the 1590s to the mid 17th century. Puritans were so fond of wearing capotains that the hats became known as Pilgrim hats. Images of Pilgrims wearing capotains are also synonymous with Thanksgiving.

The buckles on capotains, however, are a 19th century addition.

1 time-saving trick for your dinosaur Pilgrims

After establishing that dinosaurs would be present at the Thanksgiving feast, we decided they needed to look the part. Various images of dinosaur pilgrims (such as the one on this Raglan top) were our aspiration.

The most difficult part of this exercise was trying to find a way to make a cylinder for the capotain.

I considered making the cylinder out of card stock, but was concerned it would either:

1. come apart too easily or
2. look shabby, and not in a good way.

Lunch at the zoo provided the solution. The ketchup and mayonnaise for our fries came in little paper cups. A quick chat to the staff and we had two extras to use to make our hats. This made it much easier and meant we didn’t have to visit Great Aunt Agatha in her old folks home to raid her pill cups!

What you need to make a capotain for a dinosaur Pilgrim

These Pilgrim hats are simple to make – your little dinosaur fan can help – and the few things you need you probably have on hand.

• Little paper cups, the kind used to serve ketchup or medications.
• Black craft paint.
• A paintbrush.
• Coloured card stock, in black, brown and yellow. If you have it, use gold paper instead of yellow card stock for the buckle.
• Craft glue or a hot glue gun and glue stick.
• Craft scissors.
• Something with a diameter about 1.5-2 cm larger than the paper cup. I used an egg ring.

Make your own dinosaur Pilgrims this Thanksgiving

Are you looking for a simple dinosaur craft to make this Thanksgiving with your little dinosaur fan? Make these dinosaur Pilgrims and our Thankful dinosaurs! They’re simple and fun and perfect for Thanksgiving!

Though I’m sure Great Aunt Agatha would still love to see you and your little dinosaur fan.

Will you be putting a dinosaur twist on your Thanksgiving? Why not make a matching Pilgrim hat for your little dinosaur fan?

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