The unpleasant looking gentleman in the corner is “ThePolitician,” a puppet, by Lou Bunin.FLORIAN SATZINGER, SOKOL Prize winner 2023 (along with Gerald Scarfe), was a student of well-regarded Disney, MGM and Hanna-Barbera animator and animation director Ken Southworth («Alice In Wonderland», «Woody Woodpecker», «Tom & Jerry», «The Flintstones», «Peanuts», «The Smurfs») who influenced him greatly. It radiates an aura that is irresistibly up-beat. If one were to ask me if I liked "The Flintstones," I would reply that “I Yabba, Dabba, Don’t!” But there is something about this mask, its enormous size, and audacious presence, that I like. And, for reasons that I can’t explain, it pleases me. It sits over in a far corner, by the window, a place I rarely go, but when I do, it catches my eye, as it did, when I acquired it. In spite of my proclamations of the pleasures of patina, artfully applied by the hard knocks of time, there is something thrilling about lifting the lid of a box, like this, to behold its pristine contents, absolutely mint! It kind of takes your breath away! And they were a year-round part of play time, in the era, before TV. They were sold in department stores, not in the five and dime. Mickey, wearing it, is actually attempting to frighten his nephews, by saying, "Booo-oo." One thinks "He's a bear," while the more astute of them, proclaims, "Sonly 'Unca' Mickey!”Ĭ ostumes, like this, in elegant substantial boxes, were not necessarily meant for Halloween. Actually, the illustration on the can addresses the fact that it is scary. Apparently, the idea of including Mickey was to make the whole concept of a gas mask seem more friendly. But it might explain the origin of the name, for, with it came this incredible canister to carry it, by the English tin toy manufacturer, Happy Knack. The mask, itself, looks even less like Mickey. Y ears later, another, more convincing one showed up. ![]() This one, in the box, is as good an example to show, as any. I saw it more as a myth than a hit! Over the years, several of these have found their way to me. It is more a Mickey, in name only, than in visual reality. It took me a long time to embrace it emotionally, and I must confess, I never fully did. It did not look the way I imagined it would be. He did! I must confess, I was a little disappointed. Years ago, she asked her dad, in Dover, to try to get me one. My wife, Eunice, being English, remembers these. I suppose, as this page is dedicated to masks, the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask should be included here. And I made a wish that, one day, Santa Claes would offer it to me. ![]() I made several pilgrimages to this secret temple, to stand in awe, before this haunting idol, glowing in the solitude, illuminated by a single spotlight. The sign also proclaimed that this fabulous false face belonged to the artist, Claes Oldenburg. It was worth the journey.Ī small sign explained that the mask was worn by Mickey Mouse Balloon handlers, in the early Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades. who commuted, every day, told me it was there, so, I went to see it, and brought my camera with me. And balanced on a pole, in the very middle of it, looking as if it were floating in space, was a most incredible Mickey mask. There was nothing there, except, against one wall, a single showcase, large, with glass on three sides. Even on a sunny day, twilight reigned in this gloomy place. Perhaps, crowds of commuters poured through that area, during rush hour, but it was always deserted when I was there. ![]() I n the last years of the 1960s, there was a sort of passageway, spacious, but dimly lit, that led from the Pan Am Building to Grand Central Station.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |