Do Minnesotan’s Wear Toboggans?

Being from the south, moving to Minnesota has been quite educational as far as lingo goes for me and my wife. We moved here in September of 2023, and we knew there would be some adjustment, but we mostly thought that would be for us getting used to the cold weather. 

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We knew that our accents would likely stand out in the Mid-West, but there has been a bigger gap than we realized. Things that we’re accustomed to saying on a regular basis in North Carolina leave Minnesotans a bit bewildered. 

For instance, my wife, Kim, was talking to her good friend Michelle recently and Kim asked her if she wore a toboggan? “A What?” Michelle asked. Kim said, "You know a toboggan”. 

We realized at this point we had some explaining to do.  

“A toboggan is a sled” Michelle said. That led to my wife asking what Michelle wore on her head in the winter. To which Michelle responded, “a hat”. 

There is some truth to a toboggan being a hat though. A google search explained that the term that Southerners refer to when they say “toboggan” was formerly known as “toboggan hat”. This was the type of hat that people wore when they rode their toboggan sled.  

And somewhere along the way, as Southerners often do, we developed a shorthand and just called them toboggans, or “boggans” for short.  

If you search the word toboggan on Amazon.com, you’ll get an option for sleds or hats. Even Amazon understands “Southern”. 

Today they are called beanies, knit hats or winter hats, and boy have we all had to use these a lot lately.  

So, if you hear someone mention a toboggan and there’s no sled insight, it’s probably my wife. Please just smile and say “u betcha” and try not to laugh too hard as you walk away.