Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio) - Gilette Blue Blades - Advertising Promotional Paper Mask (1939)

Issued in 1939 as part of Gillette Blue Blades’ national promotion with Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, this Jiminy Cricket paper mask is one of the earliest appearances of the character in printed advertising ephemera.

Children could wear the lightweight mask, cut from promotional stock, while the Gillette brand cleverly tied itself to Disney’s much-anticipated feature film. Bright litho printing shows Jiminy’s iconic blue top hat with his name boldly printed across the brim, marking him as Pinocchio’s wise, cricket-sized conscience.

Unlike the Pinocchio masks, which were distributed more widely, Jiminy masks are significantly scarcer, since he was a secondary character at the time. Their fragile paper construction meant most were discarded, making intact survivors highly sought after by both Disneyana collectors and advertising historians.

Date: 1939
Issued by Gillette Blue Blades as a Disney tie-in for Pinocchio
Measures approx. 9.5" × 8"