Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "Mr. President" Halloween costume

Object number2015.062.0001

Date1963

ClassificationsArtifacts

ObjectArtifact

Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection

MediumCardboard; Fibers, Man-made; Plastic; Metal

Dimensionsoriginal package: 11 3/8 × 8 3/4 × 2 13/16 in. (28.9 × 22.2 × 7.1 cm)
costume: 44 1/2 × 46 in. (113 × 116.8 cm)
mask: 9 5/8 × 7 3/4 × 2 5/8 in. (24.4 × 19.7 × 6.7 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVintage Ben Cooper Magic-Glo "Mr. President" glow-in-the-dark Halloween mask and costume. The costume includes a plastic mask and a one-piece rayon glow-in-the dark "suit." While the costume was called "Mr. President", the mask bears a strong and unmistakable resemblance to President John Kennedy, and the costume itself has a pocket square with the initials "J.F.K." The costume was manufactured by Ben Cooper, Inc. in 1963.

Curatorial Commentary

This "Mr. President" 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. "Mr. President" 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 suit and a glow-in-the-dark mask, available along with a similar one for Jackie Kennedy labeled "First Lady," 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. 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 this costume, please see the February 2020 Museum public program, "Pop Culture Camelot," on the Museum's YouTube channel: Pop Culture Camelot: John F. Kennedy - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator