Gretchen (The Nurse) - Kelloggs Corn Flakes mask (1950s) - cutout

This charming “Gretchen the Nurse” mask hails from Kellogg’s early 1950s cutout mask promotions, where characters from everyday life were featured alongside clowns, storybook figures, and personalities. Printed directly on the backs of Corn Flakes boxes, children were encouraged to cut them out, punch the eye holes, and act out skits or playful adventures.

“Gretchen” represents the wholesome postwar imagery of the era — a bright-eyed nurse with a neat uniform cap and friendly smile. Characters like this reflect not only Kellogg’s drive to make breakfast fun but also the cultural emphasis of the 1950s on nurses as heroic, cheerful, and approachable figures. These masks were flimsy by design, and most were lost to time after a few hours of imaginative play, making intact examples like this particularly collectible.

Maker: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

Year: Early 1950s

Series: Everyday Characters / False Faces promotion

Character: Gretchen (The Nurse)

Format: Cereal box cutout mask

Size: Approx. 7 x 8 inches

Condition: Vintage cutout; shows light wear from handling but colors remain vivid and display beautifully.