World War II Insignia Photostat Print: Pluto and Bumble Bee

Pluto

MEDIUM: Photostat Print with Hand-Drawn Graphite Markings
IMAGE SIZE: 18.75" x 14.5"
YEAR: c. 1940s
SKU: CCV4595 

NOTES: This photostat print shows signs of moderate wear: corner creases, small tears, edge wrinkles. Parts of the design have been partially traced over in graphite. 

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Walt Disney Productions created thousands of insignia designs during World War II for both American and Allied military units. Designs were also created for other organizations such as civil defense and war industries. All of this work was done by the studio free-of-charge as a donation to the war effort. This specific print features an insignia of a Bumble Bee riding on Pluto. While bee caricatures were often used for bomber divisions, the crossed hammer and wrench may suggest an aircraft / construction workers insignia. 

This piece comes from the estate of veteran Disney animator and director Jack Kinney, who was awarded a Winsor McCay Award in 1983 in recognition for his lifetime contributions to animation. Kinney was the primary director of the Goofy series, responsible a total of 39 entries. His most notable creations were the Goofy How to... shorts, where the character demonstrated how to play various popular sports. Kinney also directed two entries in the Pluto series, as well as directing four entries in the Donald Duck series, including Der Fuehrer's Face (1943), a wartime satire of Adolf Hitler, which became the only Donald Duck short to win an Academy Award.