Child's red rubber 'Mickey Mouse' gas mask with additional red rubber nose piece and blue rubber around the rim of the goggles. Such gas masks were standard government issue for children aged two to five years during World War II. The supposed resemblance of the masks to the Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse was intended to make putting them on seem like dressing up. Despite government attempts to make the masks more appealing, there was no disguising the distinctive smell and feel of the rubber that made wearing the masks so hot and uncomfortable.
