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US Anti-Japanese Cinderella

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on August 25, 2025 by The Dude

A neat and simple little item dating from 1941/42, early in the Pacific War. This is what’s known as a Cinderella. To quote Google “A Cinderella postal refers to Cinderella stamps, which are non-postal labels that resemble postage stamps but are not issued by a government postal authority for the purpose of carrying mail. Named after the neglected character in the fairy tale who was excluded from the ball, these labels served other purposes like advertising, promoting charities (such as Christmas seals), raising funds, or for private local posts. They are not valid for legitimate postage but are collected and studied by philatelists for their diverse themes and historical significance.

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Anti-Japanese Postcard “Slap the Jap off the Map”

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on September 23, 2021 by The Dude

Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbour, American capitalism and racist jingoism met and fell in love. Their offspring was a flood of dime-store tat that was fed to the public in an ultimately successful attempt to stir feeling enough that they were prepared to spend whatever it took to defeat the Empire of Japan. Here is an example from my collection of a postcard printed for that purpose.

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Slap That Jap Propaganda Sheetmusic

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , , , , on September 23, 2021 by The Dude

Here’s a second variation on the sheet music for that classic agi-prop song, “We’re gonna have to slap the Dirty Little Jap”. The other one I have is here, and the record is here. The lengths the US Government had to go to get the US people fired up for war were pretty extreme at times and resorted to gross caricature and racism in most cases.

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Novelty Hitler Moustache

Posted in Propaganda Items, Toys with tags , , , on July 22, 2018 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesA little big of home-front propaganda. Probably American due to spelling. Late war and part of the dime store effort to make a penny while appearing to support the war effort.

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Hitler Propaganda Postcard

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on May 13, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesAnother simple bit of propaganda, mocking the Fuhrer. Looking at the material that propagandists used to attack the Germans, it focused mostly on Adolf Hitler. He was characterised as being a carpet biter, portrayed as a monkey or a rat or, as in this example, there was a toilet joke in there somewhere. This looks mid-war American, unofficial and designed for the home front. Let’s say it together, Fuck Hitler.

rsz_hitlerbowl2rsz_hitlerbowl1

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Slap A Jap Birthday Card

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , on March 30, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesVisitors to this site will have noted, perhaps, my rather retro-racist love for WW2 anti-Japanese propaganda. A common theme to this kitsch is the invitation to “Slap Japs”. It was pretty widespread to use this kind of disparagement of the enemy to build morale on the homefront. This birthday card, dating from 1943, is an example of this theme. Other examples are here and here, oh and here and here.

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End of the War Novelty Panties

Posted in Toys with tags , , , on January 28, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesIn the great tradition of “a serviceman and his backpay are soon parted” we bring you tiny novelty underwear. As the demobilisation of the US Forces got underway from September 1945 these troops, soldiers, sailors and airmen were shipped through a small number of West Coast ports on their way back through the system and ultimately home to civilian life. Along the way enterprising merchants attempted to siphon as much of the serviceman’s demob pay as possible and this little item is just one example of the methods they used. I find it kinda interesting because beyond the obvious puns being used here, it also plays to the fear of the cuckold and the “Dear John” letter that servicemen endured.

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Hang Hitler Propaganda Toy

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , on November 24, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesMan this stuff just cracks me up. It’s a cardboard doll from, I would guess, the USA around 1943. The legs and one arm are articulated and if you hold the noose and pull the string, well Adolf just goes nutzi! Honestly, fuck Hitler.

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Schicklgruber Propaganda Pin

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , , on October 11, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesCheaply made and pressed out in their millions these little lapel badges helped fuel the American people in their struggle against the Axis. This example is labelled “Wanted for Murder, Adolf Schicklgruber alias ‘Hitler'”. This is a reference to Adolf’s grandmother Maria Schicklgruber who gave birth to Alois, Hitler’s father out of wedlock. Apparently Americans found Schicklgruber to be a more comical surname than Hitler. It also suggested Hitler was a bastard by proxy.

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Hitlers Will Novelty, Version 2

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on March 18, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis is the second version of this novelty that I have. Content wise it is very similar to this one here. However there are minor differences, in the front and rear pages and small verbiage deltas. This one is not attributed to the Robbins Novelty Company but it is so similar that it’s either theirs or a knock-off.

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Three Dirty “Rats” License Plate Topper

Posted in Propaganda Items, Vehicles with tags , , , , on March 1, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesMore home front nonsense here. This plate topper (designed to be mounted above the rear number plate of a private car) comes out of the States and perfectly captures the three axis stooges theme of mid-war anti-axis personality propaganda. A good solid yellow bucktooth Tojo, followed by Hitler and the giant-chinned Mussolini. These are just about impossible to find anymore. They didn’t have reflective paint like we do now so the paint contains ground glass to make it shine under light at night.

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Hitler’s Will: The Novelty Version

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on March 1, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesI love these home front items. They represent a great view into the social zeitgeist that existed or had to be manufactured in the middle of the largest war we have ever seen. They range in execution from the cheesy comedy to toxic racism. It really does show how hard they had to work to generate the hatred necessary for a democracy to defeat militarism. This particular one is a novelty representation of Adolf’s last testament. It was manufactured by the prolific D J Robbins Novelty Company of NY in 1943.

 

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Heel Hitler Propaganda Card

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on February 18, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis is a great example of the mid-war propaganda coming out of the U.S. home front. It’s a card designed to be mailed in the accompanying envelope. It uses a bit of misdirection in the delivery of the joke as initially you are led to believe that Hitler will be squashed under the heel of a boot. Instead he’s in the shitter and obviously not too happy about it. Made by the D J Robbins Novelty Company of NY in 1943. Charming.

heelhitlerad

Advertisement for these novelty cards. These were intended as “ticket lifters” and sold through convenience stores and barbershops.

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Japanese Surrender Documents

Posted in Paper with tags , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_Japan.svgThis booklet, dating from 1946, is a facsimile of the surrender documents signed on the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, on the 2nd September 1945. These were produced by the National Archives in the US for distribution to institutions and individuals in education. I have the German ones here.


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Nachrichten Für Die Truppe Propaganda Newspaper

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , on September 5, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis is the 12th of April 1945 edition of “Nachrichten Für Die Truppe”. This was a German language newspaper craeted by the Allies and dropped by bomber over the troop lines. It combined real news about Allied successes with unverifiable gossip about the Nazi leadership. Classed as grey propaganda since the Allies never owned up to producing it and the German soldier was under no doubts about who did write it. It was very popular with German soldiers. The newspaper was produced from April 1944 until the end of the war. Interestingly enough the Germans themselves printed their versions of this in order to combat it.

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SHAEF Propaganda Newsletter

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , on September 5, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis is an example of the S.H.A.E.F. (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) The Daily Organ of Supreme Headquarters newsletter from April 13th 1945. In the Summer of 1944 the Psychological Warfare Division of SHAEF, under General Eisenhower, took over the propaganda campaign against Germany. This newsletter was produced from April until July 1945. The newsletter was dropped from converted bombers and was produced in 4 languages (1 per page), English, German, French and Polish. It was classified as white propaganda as it contained factual information about Allied successes as well as survival and civilian advice for displaced populations.

 

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WW1 Anti-German Toilet Paper

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , on July 30, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThe arrival of the US in the First World War was accompanied by a rash of the usual cheesy propaganda items. This one, a sheet of toilet paper with Kaiser Wilhelm’s face printed on it, was typical of the tone many of these items adopted. Bloody funny still and Bill’s been dead for 90 years.

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US Personality Identification Playing Cards

Posted in Odds & Ends with tags , , , , on January 17, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis deck of playing cards, manufactured by the US Flag King Leisure Products Company, dates from the Second Bush-Iraq War in 2003. These cards were developed by the US military in order to facilitate the capture of the Baath Party regime bureaucrats and military leaders. This was critical since being Arabs and all having moustaches they were effectively identical to the US occupation and therefore difficult to capture. This is what is called satirical flourish.

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1000w Westinghouse Spotlight Bulb

Posted in Odds & Ends with tags , , on January 17, 2015 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThis is a 1000w incandescent bulb manufactured by Westinghouse in 1943. These were made for a military contract and likely ended up on a naval vessel or coastal emplacement. This particular one was removed from a Sperry spot light. Interesting only because it is fragile and bloody big.

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Anti-Japanese Postcard

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on December 14, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesThere’s a racist theme in early war propaganda coming out of the US. Fairly uniformly the Japanese were displayed as small, bucktoothed and simian-like. Certainly the phrase “Slap the Jap” was very common. Of course the US would have a very hard war in the Pacific that wasn’t really helped by their consistent underrating of the Japanese soldier. This postcard, franked in October 1942, is illustrative of the messaging used at this point in the war.

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Mussolini Propaganda Ashtray

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , , , on December 14, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesHere’s a particularly ugly bit of home decor. It’s a caricature of Benito Mussolini, intended as an ashtray and manufactured by Bassons Dummy Products of New York City in 1942. There’s one of Adolf and Tojo as well which I shall cast the Eye of Sauron onto and track down.

mussomouth

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You’re a Sap, Mister Jap Lyric Sheet

Posted in Paper, Propaganda Items with tags , , , on June 6, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesI never get sick of the overt racism inherent in the US response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Here is the sheet music for the December 23rd 1941 hit by the Murphy Sisters, “You’re a Sap, Mister Jap”. On a side note the A-B-C-D that the song refers to is the joint alliance of America, Britain, China and the Dutch, most of whose naval assets were sent to the bottom of the South Java Sea by the Japanese in early 1942.

You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you make a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sammy’s gonna spanky
Wait and see before we’re done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun*
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you don’t know Uncle Sammy
When he fights for his rights, you’ll take it on the lammy
For he’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. Jap

You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you make a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sammy’s gonna spanky
Wait and see before we’re done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh what a load to carry
Don’t you know, don’t you know, you’re committing hari-kari
For we’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap, sap, Mr. Jap

You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh it makes a Yankee cranky
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, Uncle Sam’s gonna spanky
Wait to see before we’s done
The A, B, C and D will sink your rising sun
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh you don’t know Uncle Sammy
When he fights for his rights, you’ll take it on the lammy
For he’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. Jap

You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, oh what a load to carry
You’re a sap, Mr. Jap, you’re committing hari-kari
For we’ll wipe the Axis right off the map
You’re a sap, sap sap, Mr. Jap

rsz_japsap1 rsz_japsap2

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Propaganda Underpants

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , on June 3, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesI don’t know what to say here. Basically I think, in WW2 USA you could stick an anti Japanese or anti German statement on a turd and someone would say I’ll buy it. This pair is stamped U.S Navy and has the message “Shoot the Pants off the Japanazi”. So Kitsch.

rsz_japanazi1f-03821-2

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Anti-Axis Propaganda Ashtray Set

Posted in Propaganda Items with tags , , on March 15, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesA little while ago I picked up the Hitler ashtray from this set. Then recently someone emailed me to say they had the full set with it’s cardboard box.

This is a set of three Anti-Axis ashtrays manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States by the Kemper Thomas company and aimed at Hirohito, Mussolini and of course Adolf. Still with it’s original box although that’s in a bit of shaggy condition.

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Winchester 45-70 Round

Posted in Ammunition & Fusing with tags , , , on February 13, 2014 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_StatesI have always had an interest in the Indian Wars and especially the Custer Battlefield. This is a 45-70 Government round with a Winchester Repeating Arms headstamp.

rsz_45-70

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