Unsung Heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month: Dikran Karabedian

They were just ordinary people, living ordinary lives, until one singular sensation of circumstances conspired with fate to make them

UNSUNG HEROES OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Dikran Karabedian (1904-1967) was a humble immigrant shoemaker from Armenia with a knack for invisible and indestructible leather stitchery when he caught the eye of famed Hollywood costume designer Aida Cabeza. Karabedian’s architectural acumen was the secret structural salsa that made the towering fruit hats of Carmen Miranda possible.

Karabedian photo by IntelGuy.

Pocho Ocho props you need to be a proper Latino

Fruit hat

You know, sometimes it’s hard being Latino. You wake up, go about your day, do your business, and then people ask you where your donkey is, or whether your family is from Mexico.

And, you know, it may be that your family has been in the U.S. longer than theirs, or that no one in your family has a moustache, but why burst peoples’ bubbles with inconvenient truths like that?

So here’s a list of the Pocho Ocho indispensable Latino props — for those days that you forget you’re supposed to be a stereotype!

8. Sombrero — Don’t forget your hat, amigo!

7. Moustache — You know it does go with the sombrero, as does the poncho and/or donkey. Wouldn’t want you to leave home without it!

Mas…Pocho Ocho props you need to be a proper Latino