Haydel's Bakery – Support a New Orleans Tradition

For more than 50 years and three generations, Haydel's has been providing the New Orleans area and beyond with delicious king cakes, pastries, and other savory items. Show your support by wearing a Haydel's hat or shirt!

Every year, Haydel's Bakery donates a portion of the Mardi Gras Bead DogTM merchandise proceeds to charitable organizations like the Louisiana SPCA.

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The History of the Mardi Gras Bead DogTM

Since the beginning of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, carnival krewes threw beads made of glass. In the mid 1960s, plastic beads replaced glass as the throw of choice. Often when these plastic beads were thrown from floats they became tangled and broken. Children enjoyed sorting through the tangled beads and soon discovered that by twisting the beads in different ways, they could create animals.

The most popular and easiest animal to make was the dog. Cub Scout and Brownie troops, school clubs and various children's groups made the little bead dogs and sold them for fundraising activities.

In continuation of the spirit of this New Orleans tradition, New Orleans artist Philip Weddle created a rendering of the old time Mardi Gras Bead DogTM jazzed up for the 21st century.

>> Click here to see our Mardi Gras Bead DogTM items.