Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
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Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
Vintage Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" glow-in-the-dark Halloween mask and costume. The costume includes a plastic mask and a one-piece rayon glow-in-the dark blue dress. While the costume was called "First Lady", the mask bears a strong and unmistakable resemblance to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The costume was manufactured by Ben Cooper, Inc. in 1963.
Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
1963
Fibers, Man-made; Plastic; Cardboard
Box: 11 1/4 × 8 1/2 × 2 7/8 in. (28.6 × 21.6 × 7.3 cm)Other (Costume): 37 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (95.3 × 56.5 cm)Other (Mask): 9 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 2 in. (23.8 × 21 × 5.1 cm)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
2015.063.0001
This "First Lady" costume was produced for the Fall 1963 season by Ben Cooper, Inc. the most prominent manufacturer of children’s Halloween costumes in the United States at that time. "First Lady" was on store shelves alongside Ben Cooper’s other offerings, which included Howdy Doody, Gumby, Bozo the Clown, George Jetson, and a wide range of Disney characters. The costume, consisting of a one-piece rayon dress and a glow-in-the-dark mask, available along with a similar one for John F. Kennedy labeled "Mr. President," sold for just under $2, or around $19 adjusted for inflation in 2022. Ben Cooper costumes tended to be pricier options for parents, but as the packaging boasted: each costume was "double stitched for longer wear and treated to temporarily retard flame." Eight-year-old David Sherman of Rochester, New York, was among those who dressed up as President Kennedy for Halloween in 1963. In an oral history with the Museum, he remembered, "President Kennedy was only maybe two years older than my dad. It was a White House that was like our house." David refused to wear a jacket even though the weather in Rochester was in the upper 30s that Halloween night. He said, "I got sick afterwards. But I went door to door as the President. I think people liked it. I think they laughed." As with other Kennedy pop culture items, several thousand "Mr. President" Halloween costumes were destroyed by Ben Cooper, Inc. following the assassination. Although unconfirmed, it is very likely that all remaining "First Lady" costumes were also destroyed at the same time (since, of course, by Halloween 1964 Jacqueline Kennedy was no longer First Lady). Interestingly, perhaps reflecting the unique youthful appeal of the Kennedys, this was the only time in Ben Cooper, Inc.'s entire history (1937-1992) that they produced children's costumes depicting a U.S. president or first lady. To learn more about these costumes, please see the February 2020 Museum program, "Pop Culture Camelot," on the Museum's YouTube channel: Pop Culture Camelot: John F. Kennedy - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
Vintage Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" glow-in-the-dark Halloween mask and costume. The costume includes a plastic mask and a one-piece rayon glow-in-the dark blue dress. While the costume was called "First Lady", the mask bears a strong and unmistakable resemblance to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The costume was manufactured by Ben Cooper, Inc. in 1963.
Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
1963
Pop Culture
Mask
Childhood
Clothing
Halloween
Costume
Kennedy, Jacqueline
Ben Cooper, Inc.
Brooklyn
Fibers, Man-made; Plastic; Cardboard
Box: 11 1/4 × 8 1/2 × 2 7/8 in. (28.6 × 21.6 × 7.3 cm)Other (Costume): 37 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (95.3 × 56.5 cm)Other (Mask): 9 3/8 × 8 1/4 × 2 in. (23.8 × 21 × 5.1 cm)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
2015.063.0001
This "First Lady" costume was produced for the Fall 1963 season by Ben Cooper, Inc. the most prominent manufacturer of children’s Halloween costumes in the United States at that time. "First Lady" was on store shelves alongside Ben Cooper’s other offerings, which included Howdy Doody, Gumby, Bozo the Clown, George Jetson, and a wide range of Disney characters. The costume, consisting of a one-piece rayon dress and a glow-in-the-dark mask, available along with a similar one for John F. Kennedy labeled "Mr. President," sold for just under $2, or around $19 adjusted for inflation in 2022. Ben Cooper costumes tended to be pricier options for parents, but as the packaging boasted: each costume was "double stitched for longer wear and treated to temporarily retard flame." Eight-year-old David Sherman of Rochester, New York, was among those who dressed up as President Kennedy for Halloween in 1963. In an oral history with the Museum, he remembered, "President Kennedy was only maybe two years older than my dad. It was a White House that was like our house." David refused to wear a jacket even though the weather in Rochester was in the upper 30s that Halloween night. He said, "I got sick afterwards. But I went door to door as the President. I think people liked it. I think they laughed." As with other Kennedy pop culture items, several thousand "Mr. President" Halloween costumes were destroyed by Ben Cooper, Inc. following the assassination. Although unconfirmed, it is very likely that all remaining "First Lady" costumes were also destroyed at the same time (since, of course, by Halloween 1964 Jacqueline Kennedy was no longer First Lady). Interestingly, perhaps reflecting the unique youthful appeal of the Kennedys, this was the only time in Ben Cooper, Inc.'s entire history (1937-1992) that they produced children's costumes depicting a U.S. president or first lady. To learn more about these costumes, please see the February 2020 Museum program, "Pop Culture Camelot," on the Museum's YouTube channel: Pop Culture Camelot: John F. Kennedy - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
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