Snowstorm mask
Plastic face protection from snowstorms. Canada, Montreal, 1939
Mickey Maus Gas Maske on Flickr by By Polly Roger
On January 7th, 1942, one month after Pearl Harbor, T.W. 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.
Other comic book character designs were to follow, depending on the
success of the Mickey Mouse mask.The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part
of a game.This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas
mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability.