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They were sold in department stores, not in the five and dime. Mickey, wearing it, is actually attempting to frighten his nephews, by saying, "Booo-oo." One thinks "He's a bear," while the more astute of them, proclaims, "Sonly 'Unca' Mickey!”Ĭ ostumes, like this, in elegant substantial boxes, were not necessarily meant for Halloween. Actually, the illustration on the can addresses the fact that it is scary. Apparently, the idea of including Mickey was to make the whole concept of a gas mask seem more friendly. But it might explain the origin of the name, for, with it came this incredible canister to carry it, by the English tin toy manufacturer, Happy Knack. The mask, itself, looks even less like Mickey. Y ears later, another, more convincing one showed up. This one, in the box, is as good an example to show, as any. I saw it more as a myth than a hit! Over the years, several of these have found their way to me. It is more a Mickey, in name only, than in visual reality. It took me a long time to embrace it emotionally, and I must confess, I never fully did. It did not look the way I imagined it would be. He did! I must confess, I was a little disappointed. Years ago, she asked her dad, in Dover, to try to get me one. My wife, Eunice, being English, remembers these. I suppose, as this page is dedicated to masks, the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask should be included here. And I made a wish that, one day, Santa Claes would offer it to me. I made several pilgrimages to this secret temple, to stand in awe, before this haunting idol, glowing in the solitude, illuminated by a single spotlight. The sign also proclaimed that this fabulous false face belonged to the artist, Claes Oldenburg. It was worth the journey.Ī small sign explained that the mask was worn by Mickey Mouse Balloon handlers, in the early Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades. who commuted, every day, told me it was there, so, I went to see it, and brought my camera with me. And balanced on a pole, in the very middle of it, looking as if it were floating in space, was a most incredible Mickey mask. There was nothing there, except, against one wall, a single showcase, large, with glass on three sides. Even on a sunny day, twilight reigned in this gloomy place. Perhaps, crowds of commuters poured through that area, during rush hour, but it was always deserted when I was there. I n the last years of the 1960s, there was a sort of passageway, spacious, but dimly lit, that led from the Pan Am Building to Grand Central Station.