Akron History Center Displays Rare World War II Artifact – Mickey Mouse Gas Mask

On Monday, September 22, the Akron History Center will unveil a long-awaited display of a rare artifact from World War II that celebrates innovation in Akron’s rubber industry – a gas mask made for children in 1942. Manufactured by the Sun Rubber Co. and designed by artist Dietrich Rempel of Akron, the artifact is one of five known to exist. 

In the early days of World War II, the United States faced a threat of chemical warfare, and the government began to develop gas masks for civilians. The War Department turned to Akron’s rubber companies that made thousands of gas masks during the war for the military and civilians.

Trying to place the unwieldly (and scary) mask on the faces of children was an issue to be grappled with. Walt Disney, known for his ability to create characters that were familiar and comforting, was asked to design a gas mask that would appeal to children.

The Sun Rubber Company already had produced millions of rubber toys bearing the image of Disney characters. The assignment was given to Dietrich Rempel, a Russian immigrant, who was Sun’s head designer. Working around the clock for a month, Rempel designed the steel molds for the Mickey Mouse face. With no time to spare, Rempel spent two sleepless nights creating a prototype. On Jan. 7th, 1942, a month after the Pearl Harbor Attacks, he flew to Washington D.C. with the owner of Sun Rubber Company, T.W. Smith Jr.

“ I fell asleep in the cab on the way to the hotel,” recalled Rempel in a 1981 interview. “When Walt Disney walked into the room, I was still in a stupor.”

The Mickey Mouse gas mask was designed to look like the character’s head, with large glass eyes, a snout, and big, round ears. The mask was fitted with a standard 6-point harness, two small circular lenses, a red plastic exhale valve, and a cannister that contained activated charcoal for filtering out poison gases.

Walt Disney himself showed off the mask to civil defense and chemical warfare officials in Washington, D.C. The officials were reportedly impressed with the mask’s design, and they believed that it would help to calm terrified children.

As Major Robert D. 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. This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability.”

The Mickey Mouse gas mask also had its critics. Some people felt that the mask was too childish, and that it would not be taken seriously. Others worried that the mask would actually make children more afraid of gas attacks, by associating them with a character that was traditionally associated with fun and happiness.

Sun Rubber Company would produce over 1,000 Mickey Mouse gas masks and was honored with the Army-Navy “E” for excellence award in 1944.

“The Mickey Mouse gas mask is a rare and valuable artifact,” says Dave Lieberth, president of the Akron History Center. “Since most of the masks have disappeared, we are honored to be able to tell this forgotten story of Akron’s role in the Second World War.”

The Akron History Center is supported by the Akron-Summit County Public Library and the Summit County Historical Society. It is open to the public, Wednesdays-Saturdays, 10:00am – 2:00pm. Admission is free.

The mask to be displayed has been donated to the Summit County Historical Society by Sandra Smith of Akron, widow of Richey Smith, Sun’s last president and CEO. The display honors her father-in-law Thomas W. Smith Jr, who acquired Sun in 1923. In 1942-43, Smith was president of the Toy Manufacturers of the USA, Inc.

The mask has deteriorated significantly over the last eighty years. Masks are often in poor condition due to the fact that they were made of rubber and were not designed to last for long periods of time. The Akron mask was preserved and restored professionally by the Intermuseum Conservation Association of Cleveland over the last year.

Other gas masks are located at the 45th Infantry Museum in Oklahoma City, the US Army Chemical Museum in Fort McClellan, Alabama, Ft. Leonard Wood, and the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, California.

Despite its rarity, the Mickey Mouse gas mask is a fascinating piece of history. It is a reminder of Walt Disney’s creativity and his commitment to helping others. It is also a reminder of the threat of chemical warfare that existed during World War II.