The Green Bay Packers–Chicago Bears rivalry was already among the NFL’s most heated this season, with the two teams splitting their regular-season matchups before Chicago ultimately claimed the NFC North title. When they met again in the Wild Card round on Sunday night, the stakes and the drama were even higher.
After storming back from a 21–3 deficit to eliminate Green Bay, Bears players and fans celebrated memorably. Quarterback Caleb Williams and his teammates went viral for taunting the Packers with cheese graters, leaving many fans wondering: Where did the celebration originate?
What Is the Cheese Grater Celebration?
The trend began after the Bears’ Week 16 win over the Packers, when wide receiver D.J. Moore was spotted wearing a giant foam hat shaped like a cheese grater, a troll-worthy twist on the iconic yellow cheesehead hats Packers fans have worn for decades.
The hat was created by Foam Party Hats, a Houston-based company whose cheese grater design quickly went viral. Quarterback Caleb Williams helped fuel the trend by wearing the hat while handing out food boxes at his foundation’s holiday giveaway event, sending the company’s sales soaring.
Elite celebration here 🤣 🧀@ChicagoBears | @NFL pic.twitter.com/OZ30RKg8SD
– NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) January 11, 2026
Following Chicago’s thrilling Wild Card comeback win on Sunday, the celebration went mainstream. Williams, Moore, and rookie tight end Colston Loveland all donned cheese grater hats during the postgame show, with Williams even miming grating cheese on live television.
At this point, it is becoming clear that it has officially become part of Bears lore and is likely to become a new tradition in the rivalry.
Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, and Colston Loveland all put on cheese grater hats on the postgame show, while Caleb grated cheese.
Safe to say that the #Bears are going to enjoy this one😂 pic.twitter.com/mDqvMrltqw
– Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 11, 2026
To understand why the taunt resonates, you have to look at the history behind the “Cheesehead” nickname. While Wisconsin is famously associated with cheese, the term itself dates back to World War II and was later popularized, ironically, by Bears fans during Chicago’s dominant 1985 Super Bowl run.
Packers fans eventually reclaimed the insult and turned it into a badge of honor. According to As Goes Wisconsin, the iconic cheesehead hat was created in 1987 by Ralph Bruno, who leaned into the trash talk rather than fighting it.
“People from Chicago would refer to us Wisconsites as Cheeseheads, and it got worse after the Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986,” Bruno told the Huff Post. “I thought, ‘What’s the big deal? I like cheese. Wisconsin makes some of the best cheese in the world. I’m proud to be a Cheesehead.’”
Today, the cheesehead is one of the most recognizable fan symbols in sports. It has become an international symbol for Packers fans worldwide and a multi-million-dollar business for Bruno, who also creates other products for companies such as Pepsi, Popeyes, and various NFL teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.
Now, thanks to Moore and Williams flipping that symbol into a cheese grater, the Bears have found a new way to needle their biggest rivals. And as Foam Party Hats cashes in, the Bears–Packers rivalry has only grown louder, sharper, and more iconic.
