World War II U.S. Military Matchcovers with Insignias

Webster's Dictionary defines an insignia as 1) a badge of authority or honor and 2) a distinguishing mark or sign. I have to think that similar to mascots, insignias are made to bring good luck as well. Military artists as well as several major cartoon studios produced these type of insignias for the U.S. military. These are a cousins of the typically voluptuous nose art seen on bombers during World War II and closely related to the current squadron insignias seen today in the Navy and Air Force.

Before the war had ended, Disney had created some 1,200 cartoon insignias for all of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as for many Allied troops. Reflecting the esprit de corps and bravado of the unit, the cartoon character patches were worn with pride. With the exception of Bambi, virtually every Disney character appeared at least once on a logo.  

From http://www.atissuejournal.com/2010/08/10/wwii-military-logos-by-disney/ 

Here are some of the World War II insignia matchcovers I recently bought:

This is an early Schlesinger version of Bugs Bunny used in this insignia.

College Matchcovers with Mascots

Webster's Dictionary defines a mascot as a person, animal, or object used as a symbol to represent a group (such as a sports team) and to bring good luck. I was always more fascinated with the mascot than the sport, but that's just me. Here are some college matchcovers I recently got that all have great college mascots on them. Just look at that smug look on Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle...

Matchbook: The Lost Billboard

Karyn Jimenez Elliott's Matchbook: The Lost Billboard

Karyn Jimenez Elliott has created a gorgeous tribute to the art and design of matchbooks entitled Matchbook: The Lost Billboard. She hasn't just used scans of vintage matchcovers, she's created a well thought out, transparent overlapping collage of the iconic images from the golden era of matchbook design.

Do yourself a favor and check out Karyn's work on her website:

 www.karynjimenezelliott.com

"The gradual death of matchbook art is similar to the loss of long-playing album art -- the format, printing process, and promotional purpose of these small billboards created a unique palette for graphic expression." Gene Gable