This 1933 Moon Mullins mask is a paper relic of American cartoon humor—equal parts caricature and curiosity. Made of printed cardstock, it depicts the wide-eyed face of a cigar-chomping gent in a bowler hat, rendered in bright, hand-tinted tones with cutouts for the eyes and a mischievous smirk that seems perpetually unimpressed.
Originally distributed by Famous Artists Syndicate, this piece was a playful promotion for Frank Willard’s beloved comic strip Moon Mullins, which ran from the 1920s through the ’70s and chronicled the antics of a scrappy, streetwise boarder and his oddball companions. Masks like this were often giveaways or premiums—ephemeral by nature, which makes surviving examples like this one all the more remarkable.
Measuring roughly the size of an adult face, it’s both a nostalgic glimpse at Depression-era entertainment and a striking display piece in its own right—somewhere between folk art, advertising, and early pop culture artifact.
This 1933 Moon Mullins mask is a paper relic of American cartoon humor—equal parts caricature and curiosity. Made of printed cardstock, it depicts the wide-eyed face of a cigar-chomping gent in a bowler hat, rendered in bright, hand-tinted tones with cutouts for the eyes and a mischievous smirk that seems perpetually unimpressed.
Originally distributed by Famous Artists Syndicate, this piece was a playful promotion for Frank Willard’s beloved comic strip Moon Mullins, which ran from the 1920s through the ’70s and chronicled the antics of a scrappy, streetwise boarder and his oddball companions. Masks like this were often giveaways or premiums—ephemeral by nature, which makes surviving examples like this one all the more remarkable.
Measuring roughly the size of an adult face, it’s both a nostalgic glimpse at Depression-era entertainment and a striking display piece in its own right—somewhere between folk art, advertising, and early pop culture artifact.