ABSTRACT
In early 1987, hood ornaments had moved from cars to teenage jewelry; i.e., necklaces, bracelets, key chains. The hood ornaments were generally taken from expensive cars such as Mercedes-Benzes and Cadillac's, although Volkswagens and various sports cars were also targeted. Some felt the phenomenon was tied to a music video by the rap duo, The Beastie Boys, in which one of them wears a Volkswagen hood ornament around his neck. However, Harold Schmidt, a long-time Mercedes dealer, recalled that stealing these and other automobile accessories was also popular during the 1960s. School officials as a whole cracked down on the practice of wearing them by means of 'unofficial' dress codes and similar strategies. Some youths got involved through legitimate means by purchasing smaller, legal facsimiles of the ornaments that were available at jewelry stores. School authorities appeared to be unanimous in allowing students to wear these copies.
