Nicky and The Top Hat

One of my unusual obsessions when I was younger were top hats. I was just facinated by the cylinder shape of it. My favorite movies growing up had characters wearing top hats. Examples include, Willy Wonka, Barnaby from "March of the Wooden Soldiers," The Penguin from "Batman", The Mad Hatter from "Batman" and so on and so forth.

In fact when I was five years old, I wanted to be Willy Wonka for Halloween just so I could wear a top hat for the first time. I got my wish and went trick-or-treating with my top hat on. It was a dream come true.

As I got older in recent years, I make jokes about my Autism Nostalgia with top hats. Nicky loves March of the Wooden Soldiers as well. He loves the classic 1934 film which is also called Babe in Toyland. He has discovered other film versions of the story. There was another Babes in Toyland movie created in 1986 starring Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves. In this version, Barnaby doesn't wear a top hat. To Nicky's delight, I would yell out, "Barnaby, where is your top hat? Yes, that sheriff is wearing it but where is yours?" It's odd because this Barnaby had bad hair.

Nicky also discovered the 1997 animated version of Babes in Toyland. Barnaby does wear his top hat in this one. All three are pretty good movies and I highly recommend you guys checking them out. The 1934 was by far the best one. Laurel and Hardy were in it. At the time, they were considered the funniest guys in the world and they were really funny in that movie.

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Nicky wore a suit....and a top hat. He loves wearing top hats as well. He loves Willy Wonka, March of the Wooden Soldiers/Babes in Toyland, and Batman just as I do. (Back when I was four years old, I wanted the Penguin from Batman Returns toy because the Penguin's plastic top hat was able to come off his head. I saw it in a toy magazine and was hoping to get it although I never did.)

Back on topic, to complete the top hat and suit look, Nicky was also carrying around a cane just like Willy Wonka/Barnaby/ and the Penguin did. Nicky now has the same obsession I did when I was younger. It must be the power of Autism.

Last night (Christmas Night) I told Nicky that I used to love top hats when I was younger and the story about me being Willy Wonka for Halloween because of it. As I was telling him that story, he took the top hat off of his head and placed it on mine.

The obsession of the Top Hat is passed from older autistic brother to younger autistic brother....