Keystone Cop - Airway Edwards Coffee - Safeway Grocery Store Promotional Mask (1950's)

This vintage promotional mask features a classic “Keystone Cop” caricature, issued in the 1950s as part of a Safeway grocery store tie-in with Airway Coffee (later rebranded as Edwards Coffee). Safeway, one of the largest supermarket chains in America, often used free giveaways such as colorful paper masks to promote products and encourage family shopping loyalty.

The “Keystone Cop” character itself comes from early silent film comedies of the 1910s–1920s, where bumbling, mustachioed policemen in oversized helmets became symbols of slapstick chaos. By the 1950s, the Keystone Cops were cultural nostalgia icons, easily recognized by both adults who grew up with silent film and children who knew the imagery from cartoons and advertising.

This mask would have been given to shoppers (often children brought along on grocery trips) as part of a marketing effort—an inexpensive but eye-catching way to connect entertainment with everyday household products. Bright lithographed printing, oversized comic features (the bulging eyes, red nose, and handlebar mustache), and the “SAFeway” imprint on the reverse make this an excellent example of mid-century advertising ephemera.

Historical Context:

Airway Coffee originated in the 1920s and was roasted in-store at Safeway markets before evolving into Edwards Coffee.

Promotional masks like this one were exclusive to Safeway grocery stores, tying together food marketing with children’s play.

The Keystone Cop design linked modern advertising to early Hollywood nostalgia, making it appealing across generations.

Details:

Date: 1950s
Sponsor: Safeway Grocery Stores (Airway/Edwards Coffee promotion)
Character: Keystone Cop (slapstick silent film icon)
Size: approx. 8" x 10"
Medium: Lithographed paperboard with cut eyeholes and staple tabs