Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "First Lady" Halloween costume
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 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
