'Mythbusters' Geek Goddess Kari Byron in Zombie-Killing Real Deal Brazil Recycled-Tarp Hat

Some people we can’t help but wanna see wearing one of our hats. Cuz who can argue with a perfect fit, y'know?

Ron Perlman. Johnny Depp. Erica Cerra. That Dirty Jobs guy. And like that.

And way up high on that list: Kari Byron, the geekboy dream on Mythbusters, Discovery Channel’s veritable nerdfest of brainy coolness.

So late last month, we sent the fiery-haired Mythbusters host a note and a couple of hats, our compliments. We figured the package would come back to us, wrong address, refused, etc. But then, playing around online today, we stumbled across this Tweet from Kari: 

“Just got a Zombie killing hat in the mail! What a great gift! Thanks Real Deal Brazil.”

Oh, blush! Our little fanboy hearts goin' boom, boom, boom! Her Tweet, by the way, included the photo you see above. (Can you say: office poster!)

Here’s a version of the note we sent Kari, which will bring you up to speed on exactly why we sprang the Real Deal love on her now:

So when we saw that Mythbusters would be giving the drooling undead their due (in an episode tentatively slated for this spring), we got a little excited. We are, to be fair, a pretty excitable bunch here, though maybe even a little more so when the subject is zombies. Them lifeless brain-munchers been very, very good to us.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Real Deal Brazil … (allow us to) sum up: Recycled-truck-tarp hats handmade in rural equatorial Brazil and, most notably for many folks, worn with great aplomb by eco-minded actor Woody Harrelson in Zombieland, in his wildass character’s quest to annihilate the ravenous scourge of rotting meatbags and find spongy yellow snack cakes that might actually have zombie-making-properties all their own.

Consequently, our hat routinely surfaces in zombie-centric blogs and forums, and even in documentaries on zombie-this and zombie-that. We have become, you see, the world’s premiere zombie-killing hat. The absence yet of actual zombies does nothing to change that.

Thus, this package (you’ve just received). You folks are doing zombies. We kill-a the zombies. And like that.

Also, as Mythbusters watchers, we are united in the certainty that if there’s one person who would so rock our hat (besides Woody H., of course, and maybe the Queen of England; she’s tougher than she looks), it’s you. Your show’s plans for zombie mythbustin’ finally gave us all the excuse we needed to get mushy and gift-give-y, and send this along. We blushing fanboys do what we must.

We’ve included several hats of different sizes, in hopes one fits you comfortably; Mama always said to never assume a woman’s head-size. We’re confident you can find willing noggins for the others. …

So if this package actually reaches you, we hope it becomes the source of much hat-wearing joy, for you, and for anyone else you deem Real Deal enough.

Since we’re all so sold here on you wearing an RDB and lovin’ it, should we then never see any evidence to this effect, we’ll just pretend otherwise. Our world makes so much more sense that way.

What a great world. Cuz now we don’t even have to pretend!

We're Now Increasingly Up-Top Down Under!

Not sure what's led to it all of a sudden, but we're seeing more and more orders from the opposite side of the world, from Australia, and New Zealand. We love it!

That said, here's a recent great note from one of our new Aussie buddies, James Dean. As in, yes, really, his name's James Dean. That's not him, above, by the way. We don't have a photo of James right now to share. So, then, things got kinda silly. Just be glad we couldn't find a shot of a kangaroo we liked is all we're sayin' ...

So this from James, who hails from Cessnock, in New South Wales:

Hi guys just wanted to give u a quick rave...first saw ur hat on woody in zombieland (man good publicity) and decided it was about time to get me one...in australia its what is known as bloody hot...well i got my trusty akubra (THE australiam manufacturer of hats...an aussie stetson if u will) but a man can never have too many hats in this country...well it finally arrived and...wow...sorry akubra all $160 of you...the tarp hat would have to be the most comfortable hat i have ever worn...in the bush it is just fantastic...light comfortable and bulletproof...i can throw in the the back of the ute and put tools on top of it and when its time to use it again...perfect...so thanks guys...good for the planet and good for my head and truly my go to hat for as long as it lasts...a long time i imagine...outstanding.

The Real Deal Brazil. Increasingly, it's Australian for cool ...

A New Year's Shout-Out From the Real Deal Brazil

The first day of a new year. No better time to stop and recall all our American brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, son, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends abroad, in service in hostile places, be they members of the U.S. military, military contractors, support staff, diplomatic corps, aid workers.

So as a never-frequent-enough shout-out today, we share this just-received message, and these four photos with fun descriptions, from one American military contractor and his buddy, dedicated Real Deal Brazil fans both, from somewhere in-country, Afghanistan:

Hello from Afghanistan!

My name is Randy Thackston. After 22 years of Military service, and my 6th year as a military contractor, I realized I needed some really tough protection against the elements, and the hazards of War. After some extensive searching, I discovered the Real Deal Brazil Original Tarp Hat. I immediately knew I had found the ultimate body-armor! I placed an order and received it at my Forward Operational Base within 9 days. When my partner Mike saw my new Original Tarp Hat, he knew that my survivability factor had increased by 110%, and he realized that the only way to survive over here to procure one himself. He did just that! Now for us, danger is just another day in the field. (Well, that’s pretty much every day anyway).

Thank you so much for the World’s most Awesome Headgear!

I’d like to share with you how my partner Mike & I, with the help of Real Deal Brazil, survived our close call with the End of the World.

-- Randy (Freedom) Thackston
Mike (Charger) Sircher
Undisclosed Locations, Afghanistan

Above, in Randy's words: "As you can see, my RDB Original Tarp Hat easily provides me with superior protection against the brutal Afghan sun, so that I can concentrate on more important things like having some fun on the 4th of July."

Above, in Randy's words: "Here you can see us watching the end of the world coming at us with complete confidence that we will most likely be among the survivors. Thanks to Real Deal Brazil ultimate head protection, we’ll be around to help repopulate the world. (By the way, that is 3, yes, 3 tornadoes coming at us, categories F2-F3, several miles out.)"

Above, in Randy's words: "Even while facing imminent annihilation, Tarp Hats securely mounted, we face the end of the world head-on with confidence. (One F2 tornado nearly on top of us.)"

Above, in Randy's words: “Can you believe it? I got a text at the very last minute … Apparently ‘They’ decided to postpone the End Of The World (again) until 2020. I will be ready, my friends!”

'Ripping Frosty's Head in Two': Another Real Deal Brazil Gift-Success Story!

Not sure which we've enjoyed more, the photo, below, of new Waco, Texas, Real Deal Brazil owner/fan Jeffrey Piht Bull Quintavalle and his darling young daughter, dwarfed under daddy's great, big hat, or Piht Bull's killer just-got-an-RDB-for-Christmas note, a little further below.

Piht Bull's note, in its entirety: 

Just got to say something. I have drooled over RDB hats from the moment I saw Woody's hat in the Zombieland preview. I am a hat guy but I could never find a hat that was just right. I gave away a $300 felt Stetson just because it wasn't right. I wanted a certain look and feel. I watched Zombieland and the hat had the beat up battle-worn look I wanted. So I dreamt of this hat but could never find the extra cash to get one. 

Well Friday the wife and mom and her partner let me open a gift early. I unwrapped the Santa paper to reveal a snowman shirt box. My initial reaction was "a shirt?" That’s not special enough to open this early. So I cracked the tape off of one side and caught a small shimmer of frayed canvas and stitching. I could not believe it! It was my RDB hat! I tore open the box ripping Frosty's head in two and pulled out the most badass hat in the world. Just the right color a few patches that ARE covering holes. Stains from the beautiful Brazilian weather and probably greasy military hands.

This hat I know will outlive me and that’s exactly what I want. After I’m gone I want grand or great-grand kids to pull it out and remember the stories I told them about my roller coaster adventurous life. 

The only two modifications I will make is add a hat band I’m making out of random stuff I'll find in the woods and I’m getting the wife to draw a pit bull on it. I really want to thank you guys for the amazing work on both sides of the company. My mom said customer service was amazing and I can see the hard work that went into turning what would be trash to most people into a lifelong work of art I will wear daily and very proudly state its REAL DEAL BRAZIL when asked. I live in Texas and I assure you I will be asked daily about my hat. Well I could rattle all day about this rugged masterpiece so I guess I better cut this off now.

Thanks again. I’m a fan for life.

With fans like Piht Bull, we are indeed conquering the world, one cool head at a time ...

So, You’re Still Alive, Huh? Good for You!

(ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO POST 12/22/12, BUT, NADA; CURSES, BLOGGER.COM!)

By now you’ve probably noticed the gas mains not exploding, the absence of fireballs raining from on high, the extreme lack of streets buckling and buildings collapsing into rubble. Also, a plane has utterly failed to fall on your boss and the ocean hasn’t risen up and swallowed the coast of California whole.

Mayan Apocalypse? End of Days? 12/21/2012? Meh. We’re all still here, and still very much alive, including your boss, that bastard.

So congrats to you on, y’know, not dying. In fact, here’s a snazzy personalized trophy from all of us at the Real Deal Brazil, to commemorate how pleased we are that you aren’t toast.

Feel free to print it out and tape it to your wall, a reminder of your own continued existential success. And, really, no need to thank us – you and everyone else earned it!

There are definite downsides to this dearth of cataclysm, of course: You few straight guys who might have made it through the staggering destruction and unprecedented loss of life won’t now be able to swagger up to any post-apocalyptic hotties and say, “It’s our responsibility to repopulate the Earth; we owe it to humanity!” and have that line possibly work for ya.

Still, it’s better to focus on the positive here: Not only are you, dear reader, not resoundingly deceased, but you’re also not careening around in smoldering ruins with one leg snapped in half and your head on fire. Great, right? And that’s not even to mention that terrific trophy we just gave ya!

Sometimes, when a widely publicized apocalypse fails to happen, it’s the little things that make it tolerable.

Speaking of which: Us! The Real Deal Brazil! We’re not only still also among the living, but still also the bestest hat to have if ever TS truly does HTF (didn’t get that? Think: a fan, some hitting, and poop). Because the next pending apocalypse typically is just around the corner …

 Personally, we’re hoping it will include zombies.

What Hat Will You Wear to the 12/21 Apocalypse?

Dec. 21. One week from now. That’s it. Boom.

Earthquakes, Volcanoes. Tidal waves. Tornados. Hurricanes. Cities in flames. California plummeting into the sea. Also, an end to the Twinkies, though that was gonna happen anyway.

Just in case you haven’t been keeping up with the Facebook posts from that one creepy-intense guy from high school who always said the moon landings were faked, it’s simple: The Mayan calendar is about to run out, so we’re all gonna die. And no doubt wretchedly, which is generally regarded as the worst way to die.

There is the very faintest chance you’ll live. John Cusack did in that movie 2012, and yet his career’s kinda been in the toilet for a while now. Which means there’s gotta be some hope for at least a few of us, right?

Potential ragtag band of survivors. Lucky for humanity, all are wearing RDB hats.

So if you end up among the ragtag band of survivors entrusted with repopulating the planet, you won’t have the luxury of being dumb. You’re gonna need a good hat. Life in a post-apocalyptic hellscape is a whole lot better with a good hat.

So choose wisely, would-be-survivor. Choose wisely.

Hat Terrific, but Please: No 'Ripe Oyster' Smell

We get the greatest notes and letters. So we give you, in full, this one from eastern North Carolina resident Tracy Sanderson, about her husband, Kevin, the guy in the photo below:

"Dear Real Deal Brazil,

Today, my husband came home from work telling me about a hat that he had found ... in the river.  I thought this was a little strange, seeing that my husband works for the North Carolina Department of Transportation ... and normally works on roads ... not on rivers. My water loving husband proceeded to tell me his hat tale. He had parked the machine he was running and was taking his lunch break. He decided to walk along the rivershore to 'see what he could see.' It was at Adams Creek, which also serves as part of the Intercoastal Waterway (in North Carolina). This body of water is part of my husband's favorite shrimping waters. The tide was out and he was looking along the rivershore when he spotted what looked like a hat. He was concerned that there might be a body along the rivershore that went with the hat. But back in the summer, he and his buddy were out shrimping, and Shaun lost his hat that he had gotten in Australia. Kevin thought it would be cool if he had found it."

A hint from us: It wasn't the one from Australia! So guess what it was! Oh, guess what it was!

Sorry. We already know the ending, and we're pretty easily excited.

Please continue, Tracy:

"Kevin is kind of like the seagull from the Little Mermaid ... he will pick up just about anything. Over the years, he has brought home snakes, wallets, boat cushions ... you name it. All of which he has found on the side of the road. Just last week he found a camera bag with marijuina scales, which was turned over to the authorities. Today, it was a hat covered with mud and river algae. After bringing it home and power-washing it, he discovered the label on the inside that proclaimed it to be a Real Deal Brazil canvas hat. We looked up your website (www.RealDealBrazil.com) and decided to tell you his adventure for the day. We are including a picture, which we wish had scratch and sniff ... so you would be able to smell the 'ripe oyster' smell that is embedded in the hat." (Emphasis is ours; we just think that's funny!) "Kev says the he sure wouldn't mind if you send him a new one ('xl' he says) ... preferably a non-smelly one. But for now, it will serve as an ornament on the wall of Kev's garage man cave."

Oh, and yeah: Kev's absolutely getting a new original Real Deal Brazil recycled-tarp hat from us -- minus, of course, that dreaded ripe-oyster smell. His wife's story is payment enough!