LOT #16075 |
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Mickey Mouse Gas Mask Face with Company Brochures and Walt Disney Newspaper Clippings Group (Walt Disney/Sun Rubber Co., c. 19... (Total: 5 Items)
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Sold on Dec 9, 2022 for:
$4,800.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Description
Mickey Mouse Gas Mask Face with Company Brochures and Walt Disney Newspaper Clippings Group (Walt Disney/Sun Rubber Co., c. 1942). This may well be the strangest thing to ever be offered in an animation auction. It's an extremely rare face portion of a child's World War II gas mask, made in the shape of Mickey Mouse! It's true - the Walt Disney Studios designed it in coordination with the U.S. military. A newspaper clipping (included with the mask) features Walt himself showing the design to Major General William Porter, with a published date of January 9, 1942. After Pearl Harbor was bombed in December, 1941, concepts like this were put on the fast track, and by December of the following year, some 300,000 gas masks were distributed across the country, in sizes ranging from infant to adult. Sadly, none of those were in the form of Mickey. This Mickey Mouse gas mask was manufactured by the Sun Rubber Company, using soft non-toxic rubber. It has been reported that less than 100 of these prototypes were made for testing, but as no gas attacks occurred on US soil, it's doubtful any were ever used, unless shipped to England and Europe; it's even more doubtful many are still in existence. Of the few known to have survived, most are in museums such as the US Army Chemical Museum and the 45th Infantry Division Museum. One identical to this one resides at the Walt Disney Archives, and a video of it is available on YouTube. This partial, unpainted mask face is a sample/prototype; it has holes for a canister at the bottom, a mouth hole for a ventilator, and large round eye openings for goggles. The approximate size is 7" x 7.5" x 5". With the mask are two Sun Rubber Co. magazine-sized brochures, both with images of the mask; a set of five black and white publicity photos with the mask in the background; and the afore-mentioned clipping with Walt, plus one extra newspaper clipping showing a close-up photo of the full mask. If you think your Mickey Mouse or WWII collection is complete, you might want to check again - do you have one of these? Chances are you don't, so this may be your one and only opportunity! The mask is in Very Good condition with some light soiling and handling wear; the brochures are also in Very Good condition. Clippings are in Good condition with age-related paper toning and edge wear.More information about Walt Disney Studios - Fab Five. See also: Fab Five, Disney's Fab Five Artist.
Auction Info
2022 December 9 - 12 The Art of All Things Disney Animation Art Signature® Auction #7295 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2022
9th-12th
Friday-Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 25
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,690
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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