Post box topper

A post box topper is a crochet or knitted hat or bonnet for a pillar box designed as a tribute, commemoration, or for public enjoyment. In the United Kingdom they have been used to pay tribute to NHS workers during the coronavirus pandemic, for Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee,[1][2][3] and in September 2022 as a tribute upon her death.[4][5]

A crocheted Christmas post box topper at Inverkip, Scotland, December 2020.

In June 2021, the Warrington Guardian reported that "yarn bombers" had placed numerous toppers or bonnets on post boxes in the area to mark local events or connections. Royal Mail said "We first began to see these toppers in 2012 over the festive season, although this soon spread to other key times of the year such as Easter. More recently, we have noticed decorations celebrating various frontline workers during the pandemic, including postal workers."[6]

On Christmas Day 2022, a knitted post box topper created by a woman using the pseudonym Syston Knitting Banxy appeared on an edition of Coronation Street.[7]

In March 2023, Daily Mail journalist Jan Moir branded those who make post box toppers as "Woolly Delinquents," a label that the topper community, also known as "Yarn Bombers", has embraced.[8]