/internal/media/dispatcher/48699/fullJackie-o-Lantern plastic Halloween bucketcirca 196011 1/4 × 8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.6 × 20.3 × 21.6 cm)Plastic
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection2015.063.00020One orange molded plastic “Jackie-o-lantern” with thin black plastic handle that attaches near the top opening. The very top of the object has been cut open, but it looks like it was cut by hand - the plastic is very ragged around the edge. The mold marks are clearly visible on the front, bottom, and back of the pumpkin form; the front seam runs right down the center of the face that decorates the front of the pumpkin.
The face is means to be Jacqueline Kennedy. Hair is painted in black in the style and shape that Mrs. Kennedy wore her hair in the early 1960's. Two eyebrows have thinly been painted in black above the eyes that have only been painted in the center with two black dots.
The black paint is chipping off in many areas; the plastic surface is dirty. (JM 04/07/2017)Artifacts6635520.320040640128.575057150146675Artifact21.5900431801Orange 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.Pop CultureMaskChildhoodHalloweenCostumeKennedy, JacquelineBen Cooper, Inc.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