Novelty Cigarette Dispensers (1950s)

The box on the right shows an illustration of the elephant cigarette dispenser with a cigarette being dispensed out the rear of the animal and a man smoking a cigarette. The caption of the box reads: Mr. G.O.P. Cigarette Dispenser. What do you think of the campaign promises? Pull my trunk and see!! The plastic elephant is red in color with white tusks.
The box on the left shows an illustration of the donkey cigarette dispenser with a cigarette being dispensed out the rear of the animal and a cigarette sitting in an ash tray. The caption of the box reads: Mr. Dem. Cigarette Dispenser. What do you think of the campaign promises? Pull my ears and see!! The plastic donkey is entirely yellow in color.

The Mr. G.O.P. and Mr. Dem. Cigarette dispensers are novelty tobacciana items. These vintage items are designed to hold and dispense cigarettes, which are stored in a compartment on the back of the animals. A cigarette is dispensed from the rear of the animal by pulling either the elephant’s trunk or the donkey’s ears. The elephant and the donkey are the iconic political symbols of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively, which are the two major political parties in the United States and date from the 19th century.

The Republican elephant originates from Thomas Nast’s 1874 cartoon titled “Third Term Panic” with the elephant representing “The Republican Vote.” The cartoon was a reference to the possibility of President Ulysses S. Grant seeking a third term as president, which was legal in the United States until the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951. Grant, however, did not seek a third term.

The origins of the Democratic Party donkey began during the 1828 U.S. Presidential election. Opponents of Andrew Jackson referred to him as a “jackass” during the campaign. Jackson was amused and included donkey images on his campaign materials. Jackson went on to defeat incumbent John Quincy Adams to become the country’s first Democratic president.

These items are found in the Eisenhower Materials Collection (M756), which is currently being processed. This collection was donated to Special Collections by Dr. John Pendergrass.

If you have questions about the collection or these items, contact Brandon Ball at Brandon.Ball@usm.edu.

Text by Brandon Ball, Processing Assistant, Historical Manuscripts & Archives.