Deely bobber

A woman wearing a deely bobber
This cat's head is too small for this deely bobber, but its body is not.

A deely bobber (also deeley bobber or deeley bopper)[1] is a novelty item of headgear comprising a headband to which are affixed two springy protrusions resembling the antennae of insects.[1] These "antennae" may be topped with simple plastic shapes or more elaborate and fanciful decorations, such as mini pom poms or light-emitting diodes. The name "deely bobber" is a genericized trademark;[2] other names include deely-boppers,[3] bonce boppers, head boppers, or space boppers. The product was introduced in 1981 and quickly became a fad of the 1980s. In June 1982, a headline of The New York Times called them Martian antennae.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Hard-Times Baubles". Time. August 9, 1982. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference etymonline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Ayto, John (2002). Twentieth century words. Oxford University Press. p. 531. ISBN 0-19-860230-8.
  4. ^ Alexander, Ron (June 7, 1982). "A new fad invades: Martian antennae". The New York Times. p. B11. Retrieved 8 February 2010.