YEARS: 1953-1960

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A series of boxes touting “Spotlite” brand costumes, a trademark of A.S. Fishbach, Inc. who merged with Ben Cooper in 1942.  These were some of the last boxes to promote the brand.

The faces are masks that were all staples for the company dating back to the 1940s (link).

There are two versions of the box with the gypsy girl on alternate sides (which I refer to as “Spotlite 4/5” and “Spotlite 5/4” boxes.)

Both versions were used for Disney costumes with an overprinted variation of the Walt Disney logo on the front. Some printings had copyright info on the bottom right.

The design was modified for use on the company’s larger (11″x12.5″) boxes which sometimes had a solid front with “Life of the Party”, another Fishbach trademark, printed where the cutout window would normally be.

The smaller box was also used for the company’s line of “Lite-Up” masks with a logo at the top and an insert with instructions (link).

Additionally, there was a Space Rocket Commando version with a logo at the top and different text across the bottom. The box was printed with blue ink in place of black.

Design Notes:

The spacing and position of the design elements on the 4/5 box are different than the 5/4 box, as is the amount of stripes.  One version also has a red stripe at the top which may have been a printing alignment error. Aside from those differences, the content is identical.  It’s unclear why the design was changed, and which came first.

Versions of the non-Disney character illustrations were used for other boxes from the period (link).

Typefaces: Kaufmann (“life of the party”), Filmotype Flyer(?) (modified, “masquerade costumes”)