5/29/2023 0 Comments Mickey mouse gas mask ww2Most of the American masks have totally disappeared, although a rare few remain in museums. Instead the name was supposed to be part of the “game” to get children to wear them. It was also called a “Mickey Mouse” gas mask, although had nothing to do with the character. Since chemical warfare never made it to the United States in World War II, they weren’t used, but in England there was a British version that used bright red and blue colors to attract children. This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability.”Ībout 1,000 of them were made by the Sun Rubber Company, each with glass eyes staring out from the cartoonish face connected to an air filter. Walk of the US Army Reserve Command explained in an essay on the mask: “The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part of a game. The small mask with its Mickey ears was meant to put children at ease in an emergency situation (although the masks of the adults around them would probably still be nightmarish). With the approval of Walt Disney himself, the Mickey Mouse gas mask was imagined in 1942. With the brutal potential of World War II for chemical warfare on American soil, an intriguing approach was taken to get children to wear their terrifying gas masks. Mickey Mouse Gas Mask at the 45th Infantry Museum in Oklahoma.
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