Popular Entertainment - Overview
This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.
The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.
"Popular Entertainment - Overview" showing 28 items.
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The King and I Mask
- Description
- This exquisite mask, based on 19th-century Thai ceremonial headgear, was created by Australian designer Roger Kirk for the 1996 Broadway revival of the musical play, The King and I. It was worn by dancer Tito Abeleda as part of his costume for the show's second act ballet based on Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The King and I, created in 1951 by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-librettist Oscar Hammerstein, is one of the American musical theater's most enduring works.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1996
- wearer/user
- Abeleda, Tito
- designer
- Kirk, Roger
- ID Number
- 1998.0048.23
- catalog number
- 1998.0048.23
- accession number
- 1998.0048
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Aladdin Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This hard plastic lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1993. It has a plastic snap for hinged lid and hinged plastic carrying handle. The box is a sparkling blue with an image of Aladdin first freeing the Genie from his lamp in the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin on the lid. Concerned mothers feared metal lunch boxes could be used as playground weapons, so metal boxes stopped being manufactured in 1985. As such, this box was made from plastic, and its image is papered on.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1993
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.27.01
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.27.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Aladdin Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1993. It has a screw-on dark blue cup lid with handle, and screw-on beige stopper. The thermos is blue and white with cartoon images of the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1993
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.27.02
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.27.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Urkel Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This hard red plastic lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1991. It has a hinged handle and closing snap for hinged lid. The lunch box features an image of Steve Urkel from the show Family Matters on lid. Family Matters ran from 1989-1997 on ABC and 1997-1998 on CBS, mainly part of ABC’s TGIF block of programming. With his catchphrase “Did I do that?” and distinctive laugh, Urkel became the breakout star of the show and is the star of this box.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1991
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.28.01
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.28.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Urkel Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1991. It has a screw-on red cup lid with handle and screw-on beige plastic stopper with hinged pouring spout. The bottle is a cream color with silhouettes of Steve Urkel in various poses on the exterior.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1991
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.28.02
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.28.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Mulan Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This insulated soft fabric lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1998. The lunch box has two green fabric carrying handles and green zipper for lid. There is a cartoon image of the character Mulan from Disney’s film Mulan on lid.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1990s
- date made
- 1998
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.29.01
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.29.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Mulan Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1998. It has a screw-on purple cup lid with handle, and screw-on beige plastic stopper. The thermos has images from Disney’s Mulan, including the main character Mulan carrying a parasol.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1990s
- date made
- 1998
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.29.02
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.29.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pinky and the Brain Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This insulated soft fabric lunch box was made by Aladdin in 1996. It has two red fabric carrying handles and red closing zipper for lid. The box has a purple background with colorful dots, and cartoon images of Pinky and the Brain. Pinky and the Brain was an animated cartoon that was originally part of Animaniacs on The WB, and it ran from 1995-2001. Because of the fear of kids using metal lunch boxes as weapons, many lunch boxes during the 90’s were made of insulated fabric like this box.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1996
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.30.01
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.30.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pinky and the Brain Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This plastic thermos bottle was made by Aladdin in 1996. It has a screw-on red cup lid with handle and screw-on beige stopper. The bottle is white with cartoon images of Pinky and the Brain from the cartoon series Pinky and the Brain.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1996
- maker
- Aladdin
- ID Number
- 2003.3070.30.02
- nonaccession number
- 2003.3070
- catalog number
- 2003.3070.30.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
McDonald's Holiday Pie Box
- Description
- This clam shell paper box was used to distribute one Holiday Custard Style Pie. It is decorated with Toy Story 2 advertising and McDonald’s® golden arches logo. Woody and Bullseye the Horse, both Toy Story 2 characters, appear on one side of the box, Jessie appears on the reverse side. In 1996, McDonald’s® and Disney signed a 10 year, exclusive partnership agreement where McDonald’s® was able to use Disney characters for Happy Meal® premiums and Disney would receive free promotion of upcoming movies through McDonald’s®. This partnership appeared like a natural fit for the two companies since they had an overlapping market base. From November 26, 1999 through December 23, 1999, McDonald’s® marketed the Toy Story 2 Happy Meal® premiums.
- The McDonald’s Corporation is one of the most recognizable hamburger restaurants in the United States. As of 2011, the McDonald’s Corporation and franchisees were operating in 119 countries with 1.9 million employees, making it the 4th largest employer in the world.
- In 1940, Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald opened the first McDonald’s Bar-B-Q drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, the brothers redesigned their menu, centering on the 15 cent hamburger. In 1954, Ray Kroc, a Multimixer (milkshake machine) salesman, became interested in the McDonalds brothers’ high volume restaurant. He worked out a deal with the brothers to be their franchising agent and opened the first franchise location in Illinois the following year. Under Kroc’s direction, the company grew to become the giant we know today.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1999
- ID Number
- 2012.3045.09
- catalog number
- 2012.3045.09
- accession number
- 2012.3045
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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