Why did Mickey Mouse become a gas mask? The terror of war and mass destruction.

                                          

In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, panic prevailed in America. The war was up and down and could be attacked at any time. 

On January 17, 1942, a month after Pearl Harbor, protective gas masks for children were released by San Rambert. The masks were in the form of Mickey Mouse and the plan had been taken by Wolt Disney himself. 

They hoped the Mickey Mouse mask would "trick" the kids into thinking that the whole situation was just a toy. So they would be more willing to wear it all the time. 

Child protection was a basic concern of all the countries that became entangled in the Second World War.  In Germany a child’s gas protective crib was designed to shield infants against chemical attacks and protective hoods were made for toddlers and older children who could not fit into the adult-sized masks. The United Kingdom also manufactured Mickey Mouse gas masks, although they were not designed to look like the popular cartoon character.

                                          

The masks, fortunately, have never been used, and after the end of the war, they have given some to officers as souvenirs.