Object Details
Description (Brief)
Ceramic cookie jar made by California Originals in 1978. On the jar, Superman is seen emerging from a phone booth, carrying the clothes of his alter-ego Clark Kent. Although phone booths have become identified with the hero's costume changes in the popular imagination, except for a few notable exceptions, they have been seldom used by the character for this purpose.
The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, classical mythology and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing for inspiration.
With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
DC Comics, Incorporated
Date made
1980
ID Number
1987.0213.137
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.137
Object Name
Jar, Cookie
Physical Description
ceramic (lid material)
paint (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 13 in x 5 in x 5 1/2 in; 33.02 cm x 12.7 cm x 13.97 cm
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Superman
Food Culture
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_682921