Mardi Gras Throws

We can’t talk about Mardi Gras without mentioning the sought after Mardi Gras Throws.
Mardi Gras throws usually consist of strings of beads, doubloons, cups, and other trinkets that are thrown or passed out from the floats in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parades to spectators lining the streets. Many other cities have now adopted the custom.The doubloons are usually stamped with the krewes’ logos, parade themes and the year, plus an array of plastic cups and toys such as soft footballs, frisbees, figurines, and many other sought after items. Many krewes throw personalized items, such as coconuts and shoes, to a few lucky parade goers.

The throwing of trinkets to the crowds was started in the early 1870s by the Twelfth Night Revelers. Around 1884, the New Orleans parade Rex started using medallions instead of trinkets. These medallions are represented by today’s doubloons. These doubloons are aluminum and anodized in many different colors. They depict the parade theme on one side and the Krewe’s emblem on the other. Glass beads were the first type of beads thrown from floats, but have now been replaced with the plastic beads we know today.

If you’re out catching a parade don’t forget to yell “Throw me something mister”!

Adela