Aunt Eppie Hogg (Toonerville Folks) - Einson Freeman Co. (Par-T-Mask) Paper Mask (1933)

This vintage advertising mask features Aunt Eppie Hogg, the unforgettable comic strip character from Fontaine Fox’s “Toonerville Folks.” Introduced in the 1910s, Aunt Eppie Hogg was a larger-than-life figure in both size and personality. Her exaggerated bulk and domineering presence made her a recurring source of humor in the strip, representing one of the more outlandish and instantly recognizable Toonerville characters.

Production & Distribution
In 1933, the Einson Freeman Company of Long Island City, NY, produced this paper mask as part of their “Par-T-Mask” line. These were commercially marketed paper masks often tied to comic characters and promotions, meant for children’s parties, Halloween, and advertising giveaways. The Toonerville Folks tie-in reflected the strip’s enduring popularity during the Depression years, when comic relief was more essential than ever.

Cultural Significance
Aunt Eppie Hogg represents both the comic exaggeration typical of early American strips and the kind of broad humor that connected with a wide audience. By 1933, Toonerville Folks had been running for nearly two decades, and Eppie’s inclusion in promotional items like this shows how deeply embedded the characters had become in American pop culture.

Measures 8 inches by 11 ½ inches.

A bold survivor from the Depression-era golden age of comics, this Aunt Eppie Hogg mask bridges Toonerville’s humor, Einson Freeman’s advertising genius, and the ephemeral joy of 1930s popular culture.