Seinfeld Fans Can't Seem To Figure Out The Answer To This Sombrero Question

While Jerry Seinfeld is the titular star and several fans consider George Costanza (Jason Alexander) to be the main attraction, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is without a doubt a comedic force to be reckoned with on "Seinfeld," even securing an Emmy for her efforts in 1996. She is one of the show's main players that rarely disappoints when she enters the mix, and the scene-stealing sensation is in all but three entries. Her time on the NBC comedy has been a success mostly because of the uproarious failures Elaine experiences.

From her terribly hilarious dance skills to her Christmas card wardrobe malfunction, Elaine's legacy on "Seinfeld" is packed to the brim with wickedly funny humor resulting from some of the character's most memorable blunders. And some of her best efforts in this arena happened during her time at the J. Peterman catalog.

Superfans know that the show drove the real J. Peterman to bankruptcy, but some followers of the hit sitcom are curious about a certain product that the fictional version of the catalog put out. The urban sombrero was an idea Elaine had around the time she took over the company after J. Peterman (John O'Hurley) ran off to Myanmar in the premiere of Season 8. After getting a confidence boost from Kramer, she decides to run with the concept, only for it to end up being a total failure. Some fans have questioned a scene that references the product.

Fans of "Seinfeld" understand that the urban sombrero is a bit ridiculous, but some can't seem to get how it would get someone — let alone two individuals — fired. But in the end credits of Season 8, Episode 1 ("The Foundation"), Elaine is sitting on the train next to two unemployed businessmen who both lost their jobs because they were wearing the headwear.

u/matattack posted on Reddit, "How does this hat get them fired/caught taking a nap??????" Some users pointed out that they were terminated because they were sleeping on the job. But the same user that posted the question made an intriguing response, saying, "It's just weird if he had been taking naps every day, why would taking a nap with the hat on get him caught." The character credited as Businessman #1 (Herb Mitchell) does say he had been sleeping in his office for years, and no one ever seemed to care. After debunking several theories, a definitive solution could not be reached, with u/mattattack72 saying, "Glad to see I'm not the only one without a solid answer lol." It would seem that, for now at least, the mystery remains unsolved.

In the end, nothing worthwhile came from the urban sombrero. Two men were without work, and Elaine Benes's credibility in the fashion world was obviously affected. It was so horrifying it even appeared to force J. Peterman out of exile. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the hat was a magnet for controversy, especially in its journey to becoming a real-life item.

There is no denying that the urban sombrero is a classic moment on "Seinfeld" that fans continue to enjoy when rewatching the series. But many of them probably never would have guessed that it would become a real item. They are also likely unaware it was made by the real J. Peterman and the man who played the character in the series.

It appears the urban sombrero stirred up some drama in the real world as well. In 2016, the actor that played J. Peterman (John O'Hurley) on the show and the actual person went on the "Today Show" to unveil the real urban sombrero. It was also revealed the efforts to make the hat wasn't without drama. The real J. Peterman was not on board with the idea initially, and it took some convincing. O'Hurley revealed, "This has been a moment of contention for 18 years in the boardroom ... heated kicking and screaming, I'm not kidding you." Ultimately, the time had come to make the humorous idea a reality. Luckily, O'Hurley didn't need the real J. Peterman to run off to Myanmar to get the laughable headwear out to the public.

Despite the item not working out for the businessman, Elaine, or the J. Peterman brand within "Seinfeld," it did make its way into the real-life catalog. Hopefully, the urban sombrero doesn't get anyone fired in the real world, and everyone who uses it naps responsibly.