Mickey Mask
On December 7, 1941, Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II. The United States’ entry into battle increased the threat which the nation had, other than Pearl Harbor, avoided; namely, that Axis powers may launch assaults on American soil. Isolated geographically from the war, this seemed unlikely previously, but with the United States now an active participant in the Allies’ efforts, the risk became more and more real.
As part of America’s domestic security efforts, the government issued and distributed gas masks to the population of Hawaii. But the masks were made for adults, and not only did they not fit young children, but they were scary devices which would be hard to get a child to use anyway. The solution: Mickey Mouse — in gas mask form.

Want a mask? Sorry, but they are nearly impossible to find. After the war, the military distributed some of them to senior officials as keepsakes. But by and large, most went the way of the 8-track– obsolete and therefore discarded.
From the Archives: Lookout Air Raids: The mainland U.S. was hit during World War II.
Related: Can’t find your own Mickey Mouse gas mask? How about making your own?
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