Sports Direct removes Cymru bobble hat with incorrect spelling
The nights are closing in, the temperatures are plummeting and many people venturing out into the arctic wasteland beyond their front door are thinking of how they can best keep themselves warm.
We’re a patriotic lot here in Wales, so what better way of keeping your head nicely heated than with a bilingual bobble hat – which both shows off your love of your country and keeps you toasty into the bargain.
Sportswear retail giant Sports Direct no doubt recognised this and thought it was a great idea to create a bobble hat specifically for all of us here in god’s own country.
Their thinking was no doubt that including the Welsh translation of Wales would show recognition to the Welsh language and be hugely popular this winter.
All well and good so far then, until it was revealed that that the retailer had unfortunately misspelled ‘Cymru’ as ‘Cyrmu’.
Many people took to social media to point out the company’s grammatical faux pas – and wonder how it came about when it is so easy to check the spelling.
After the error was communicated to the retailer the bobble hat was removed from sale from its online platform.
Dear @SportsDirectUK can you maybe spell Cymru correctly 🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/usLBUZVeFy
— Sianz (@Sianz) December 2, 2024
Cyrmu
— Rachel 🦢 (@raccoonstans.bsky.social) 2 December 2024 at 18:05
Several of the hats were spotted in captivity on the heads of supporters at the Wales women’s Euro 2025 playoff final first leg at Cardiff City Stadium last week.
We're still in this tie. Funniest moment tonight – realising there was a row of fans in front of us who all had matching bobble hats spelling… CYRMU! pic.twitter.com/EJE8V2nrIp
— Ian Hamer (@ian_hamer) November 29, 2024
Maybe in the meantime the bobble hats will become collectors items – just as misprints on records can enhance their rarity.
Nation Cymru contacted Sports Direct for a comment but as yet we have received no reply.
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Any truth in the rumour that Reform has bought them as a job lot to donate to refugees from Clacton heading for the Welsh border.
Seriously though, Sports Direct could really do a lot good with those hats. Homeless charities could really benefit from this.
Is there potential here for a ‘counter-hat’ ? That is, putting together a print run of bobble hats with the words ‘Sprots Dricet” or something like that on the side?!
“Welsh translation of Wales”?
Someone in the research department clearly let them down on this occasion.
But, to their credit, at least they tried.