2/1/2024 0 Comments Mickey mouse gas mask![]() In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Newton also designed several models of the Sunbabe doll, including “So-Wee,” “Cindy-Lee,” and “Babee-Bee,” and several inflated rubber toys such as Chunky (girl) and Rompy (boy). Employment at the plant increased from 800 to 1,150 to meet production demands of 12,000 dolls per day. Newton, a children’s book author and illustrator, was the designer. The 10-inch doll had a soft rubber head with painted features, was fully jointed, and drank, wet and cried when squeezed. In February 1949, Sun Rubber introduced Amosandra, the radio daughter of Amos and Ruby from Columbia Broadcasting’s Amos n’ Andy show. ![]() In 1947, Sunbabe dolls were produced at the rate of 20,000 every 24 hours to meet Christmas orders. It came with a flannelette diaper and safety pin and included the “Sunruco” drinking and wetting feature utilizing a glass nurser bottle with rubber nipple. The initial model was jointed, flesh colored, had a hard rubber head, metal sleeping eyes, and painted hair and mouth. However, it was the doll line that guaranteed Sun Rubber Co.’s strong position in the toy market. This is one of the key reasons why 1940-41 represents a significant dividing line when differentiating “antiques” from “collectibles” in the 1990s. As a result, household products and toys from the pre-war period are vastly different from the toys of the post-war period. Few new household or toy products were developed and manufactured during this period. Manufacturers across America produced war-related goods between 19. What happened to Sun Rubber was not unique. The plant operated 24 hours a day and employed about 900 workers. One casualty was toy production.ĭuring the war effort, the company made molded rubber goods (face blanks for high-altitude oxygen masks and respirators, corrugated rubber mask tubing, rubber bellows for testing the fitness of high-altitude oxygen masks, grommets for batteries and flashlight equipment, and pipeline gaskets), rubber bonded to metal (bullet-sealing cell fittings), self-sealing fuel cells for airplanes, and all-rubber athletic balls for troops in training camps and fighting zones. In 1942, Sun Rubber “went to war,” entering the battle of production waged by American industry. with its Sunruco products focused on three consumer areas: educational and recreational toys and playthings office specialties, and custom-molded rubber articles and surgical goods. Now, the rest of the story.īefore 1941, the Sun Rubber Co. of Barberton, Ohio, from its founding in 1923 until the advent of World War II. Mouse Mask Murphy T-shirts available here.In a previous column I covered the history of the Sun Rubber Co. More info about the Mickey Mouse Gas Masks here. It became an old idea whose time had passed. When the war ended, further desire for the mask vanished. Mickey Mouse Gas Masks were distributed to senior officials and others during the war as keepsakes. Overall, production of the Noncombatant Gas Masks (and in fact, all gas masks) was one of the most successful production programs of the war. Thankfully, no chemical attacks occurred in the United States. The Sun Rubber Company produced approximately 1,000 Mickey Mouse gas masks and earned an Army-Navy ‘E’ for excellence in wartime production in 1944. In tests, with proper coaching and good salesmanship by the leader, young children could be induced to wear the gas mask for extended periods. Ultimately, the Office of Civil Defense bought the M2 Noncombatant Gas Mask for small children to protect them from chemical agents. The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part of a game, thus reducing the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improving their wear time and, hence, survival. Porter, Chief of the Chemical Warfare Service, and it was approved. ![]() This design of the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask for children was presented to Major General William N. Smith, Jr., the owner of the Sun Rubber Company, and his designer, Dietrich Rempel, with Walt Disney’s approval introduced a protective mask for children. ![]() A critical need existed to protect the civilian population, but no gas masks were available for children. By early 1942, the US military was fighting a losing battle on all fronts and fears of saboteurs and submarines attacking the US were high. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Walk who served as a Weapons of Mass Destruction Individual and Instructor Training Officer at the US Army Reserve Command explains everything courtesy of the very interesting Gasmasklexikon blog. Have you ever wondered why Ron English‘s character, Mouse Mask Murphy (above) wears Mickey Mouse gas masks? Major Robert D. Settle in for a little lesson in history, kids.
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