2014.53.8.2 Paper doll from the Amos 'n' Andy radio show: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color paper doll depicting Amos Jones from the Amos 'n' Andy radio show standing with a tire laying over his left shoulder and holding a wrench in his left hand. He is wearing a brown cap, a rolled up white shift with orange polka dots, a stripped unbutton best, and patched up brown pants. To the left of the figure's right foot reads “AMOS” in yellow print on a green background. There are two black tabs at the bottom of both the right and left sides of the paper doll. The tab on the right has text in white vertically printed reading “COPYRIGHT 1931 / BY THE PEPSODENT CO.” The reverse side is light brown with black text reading “Newly Dis-covered! / Pepsodent / Antiseptic / Mouth / Was - 3 to 11 / times more powerful in / killing germs – Checks / bad breath 1 to 2 hours / longer than other leading / mouth antiseptics.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1931
• Distributed by: Pepsodent Company, American, 1915 - 1944
• Type: paper dolls
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 4 7/8 × 3 5/16 in. (12.4 × 8.4 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Advertising
• Topic: Amusements
• Topic: Caricature and cartoons
• Topic: Radio
• Topic: Sitcoms
• Topic: Stereotypes
• Object number: 2014.53.8.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.