Pharrell Grammy Hat: 'Happy' Singer Sells Viral Twitter Meme to Arby's
Pharrell Williams has sold his now iconic Vivienne Westwood hat on eBay. It sold for $44,100, which Pharrell plans to donate to the charity organization, From One Hand to Another.
So who was the lucky buyer of the hat? None other than fast-food chain Arby's.
Arby's purchase of Pharrell's signature hat tops off a running joke in which people compared the singer's tall headwear to the restaurant's official ten-gallon hat logo.
Pharrell was at first unaware that the chain had won the auction, tweeting, "Thank you to whoever bought my Grammy hat on @ebay for $44,100. Your donation benefits From One Hand To AnOTHER."
"You're welcome," Arby's tweeted back, "We're HAPPY to support a great cause and get our hat back."
Pharrell's hat rose to memetic stardom at the Grammys last January when he took to the stage sporting the enormous fedora. It set social media on fire, even inspiring someone to give the hat it's own twitter page.
Even though the hat has now found a new home, its legacy will likely be kept alive by Pharrell's collection of similar headwear. The singer unveiled a new black version of the hat when he performed his hit single "Happy" at the Academy Awards Sunday night. His performance got the entire crowd going, with Pharrell leaving the stage and dancing with Oscar nominees Amy Adams and Lupita Nyong'o in the front row.
The hat also made a re-appearance when Oscar host Ellen Degeneres borrowed it to collect money for a mid-show pizza delivery.
While his hat's fifteen minutes of fame may be over, Pharrell might have given birth to a new internet meme when he stepped on to the red carpet rocking a pair of stylish Tuxedo shorts. And yes, the shorts also have their own twitter.