Jackie-o-Lantern plastic Halloween bucket

Images(2)

Jackie-o-Lantern plastic Halloween bucket

Object number2015.063.0002

Datecirca 1960

ClassificationsArtifacts

ObjectArtifact

Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection

MediumPlastic

Dimensions11 1/4 × 8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.6 × 20.3 × 21.6 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionOrange molded plastic “Jackie-o-Lantern,” meant to be a trick-or-treat bucket for Halloween. It has a thin black plastic handle that attaches near the top opening, and it is in the shape of an orange pumpkin with the top cut open. The face is meant to be that of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The hair is painted in black in the style and shape that Mrs. Kennedy wore her hair in the early 1960s. Two eyebrows have been painted in black above the eyes that have only been painted in the center with two black dots. It is unknown when or where this unusual pop culture item was created.

Curatorial Commentary

A matching "Jack-o-Lantern" with an equally unusual likeness of President Kennedy was manufactured at the same time as this "Jackie-o-Lantern" in the early 1960s. Unfortunately, the Museum does not currently have a "Jack-o-Lantern" in the collection. Over the years, we have shared images of our "Jackie-o-Lantern" on social media around Halloween, most recently in 2019. Facebook comments at the time included, "This is terrifying... yet, I need one," and "Looks more like Elvis." Another individual questioned whether it was President Kennedy's face but with Elvis's hair.

The name "Jackie-o-Lantern," of course, is a play on the classic jack-o-lantern, which dates back to English folklore in the 1660s. Coincidentally, after Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968, she became famously known as "Jackie O." around the world. This Halloween bucket predated that nickname by at least five years. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator