Mickey Mouse - Quaker Crackels Cereal - Einson Freeman Co. Promotional Paper Mask (1933)

A true piece of American pop culture history. This scarce mask was issued in 1933 to promote Quaker Crackels cereal, created through the advertising firm Einson Freeman Co., who were pioneers in the use of premiums and promotional tie-ins.

By 1933, Mickey Mouse had only been on the scene for five years (since Steamboat Willie in 1928) yet had already become a national phenomenon. Walt Disney was just beginning to build the empire, and cereal companies like Quaker were quick to harness Mickey’s immense popularity. Masks like this were slipped into boxes or given as send-away premiums, designed to let children “become” Mickey in the middle of the Great Depression—a time when a free toy or mask was worth its weight in gold to families.

This example bears all the hallmarks of early 1930s Disney character licensing: bold graphics, simple die-cut design, and the instantly recognizable wide-eyed Mickey smile. Distributed nearly a century ago, most of these fragile paper masks were quickly cut out, played with, and discarded.

Date: 1933
Maker: Einson Freeman Co., for Quaker Crackels cereal
Context: Very early Disney tie-in, released just five years after Mickey’s debut
Size: 8" x 9.5"
Rarity: Extremely scarce survivor of early Disney cereal promotions