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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News-Record, 1977-04-07, Page 12• PAGE 12—CLINT°N W8'RECORD THURSDAY APRIL 1977 . ^ ^ - Peter Cot Iife-Iong friend of Clinton's Gerfrude By ChrisZd*b Where does -the Easter Bunny to buy a new Easter outfit? And where does actor Marlon B,undo go to buy a giraffe costume? Why to Gertrude Cornell of course, the lady whose career was literally "dreamed up". Mrs. Cornell was the leading creator on,d manufacturer ,of promotional costumers until her se,cni-retirementmo Ctintn three years ago Elizabeth Arden, Walt Disney, and R.H. Macy all knew that 'Cornell' was the name if you were in the market for a promotional costume. Depmrtmmentxtnro owners and manufacurers of children's toys and infants' accessories were her inngcst customers. Today she works primarily for the three largest photographic con{gonioo in North \n,,,icu. A|most 40years ago, Mr. Cornell was a droas:muker in Toronuu, one of five sisters who were all taught to sew by their, mother. She was one of dozens of dressmakers in the city, until onenight she dreamt of making faebimu masks that could be worn bynuode|oIduriug fashion shows. She got up and wrote out = Is it or isn't Gertrude CornelI, the bunny lady, knows for sure. Mrs. Cornell is pictured with her infamous friend who will make a stop in Clinton this Saturday at Bartliff's bakery. (News -Record photo) Ger-hide Cornell ��fiers Mehd•cturer. of Promisflosel oos*spoo. 140 WEST 42nd STREET NEW rm«mm.m.v. WI 7-1220 FACTORY: BleIrsterre, N..1. Some people make a better Mouse Trap ^,We make dbetter mouse. *444€10 Wt4,400 Vic auvide/ He's a real, livingtalking Mickey Mouse. AHIT LIVE, PERSONAL APPEARANCE COSTUMES The ONLY way mw*-1owm end Mickey Meese Club Network yr !Programs Au*orlled costumes /or living Aopeerances for your store's Mickey Mouse Club House or other promotions lor local Mouseketeer MICKEY MOUSCOSTUMES °photo- graphed fine n"^/'° red velour "��" black brushed rayon head and bodyWhite brushed ~,on gloves and yellow felt padded shoes These costumes can be on store mannequins ." between personal appearances » Gertrude Cornell, creator and manufacturer of promotional costumes worked for such names as Elizabeth Arden, Walt Disney and Warner Bros. over her 36 years of promotional costume -making in New York. Today, she has semi- retired to Clinton, far from the maddening crowd. the formula for making the masks and next morning had the idea patented. From that moment on there was no looking back. ^l| was in the days before p\uodcu.^ explained Mrs. CnrnoU, whose masks were made of buckrum, the material used to stiffen garments and hats. Up until C.c time her idea entered the nn!,ku/, masks were heavy ,mon' :tneide, made of papier nno.che.,Bor idea would in time revolutionize' the world of fashion shows, and 'later the /hurketo[promotional ouytumeo. � . "1 took thb mask patent and set set pff for New York intending to stay, three wcekm" said Mrs. Cornell, "and lundud upstaying for 3oyeuro." Fashion designer Elizabeth Arden saw the masks and ordered |m tusenduou]| her shops throughout the United States. While her fame and fortune grew south of the horde,, only the Robert Simpson Co., of Toronto, the Canadian representative of Elizabeth Arden products, purchased Mrs. Cornell's masks back home. The problem of a Canadian market was that there was no Canadian market: no )urgodepo,,tment stores like Macy's or (}imh\c'y to pur- chase her masks. ur',huschc,moyko, Meanwhile fashion models paradea the runaways of New York wearing "Galatea" masks by Gertrude CorneU, whose work was growing in demand. Pearl Harbour put an end to fashion shows. and yrs. Cornell found herself looking for something new and came up with an idea for a bunny mask. The mask give rse to the Easter Bunny, who would come to rival Santa Claus in popularity with childr.en. A department store in Scranton. Penn. bought the Easter Bunny idea and built up his or9ivo|. by having him burst through a large paper egg made cspecially for the occasion. Thousands of people crowded into the store and spilled out onto the street to ,cc the arrival of the Easter Bunny. Decked out in his finest purpletrousera. and satin pink jacket, the Easter .Bunny was more than worth waiting for, and ' worth more than his $135 price tag. There were other Easter Bunny constumes out on the market. but there was always one thing that made Mrs. Cornell's design stand ears above the' others. "Instead of dressing a man 411^ a bunny's suit, l dressed a bunny in a '' man's suit.she said, making the furry Yel\ow appear more life -like and realistic. The corning of the Easter Bunny became ubig event for many American department stores who in some in- stances, had the mayor of the city greet n'moncoa.hadtharnayornYUzocitygreet the distinguishel visitor as he arrived by / train or plane or sometimes by open car. Mrs. Cornell's design was also better than those of her cornpetitiors because it was lighter to wear than the traditional papier ^nbohe masked -kind that were clumsy and hot. When she wasn't designing Easter Bunny costumes, Mrs. Cornell busied herself with theatre ''Costumes. She designed contunnoo for summer stock theatre featuring the players or Oscar Wilde, Noel Coward, Agatha Christie and William 8hukeSpoaro. Mrs. Cornell also �ufitted plays on Broadway, which included Marlon Brando's first ap- pearance before the stage floodlights. He played a giraffe. Mrs. Cornell's n?nxks, costumes and even stage settings appeared at Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall. and night clubs from New York to Hollywood. Unlike h dcpignery who sketched out idea before putting them into practice, Mrs. Cornell would sculpture her ideas in clay, She worked with about three people in her small factory in B\uirstown. N..}., returning to her New York shop to sell her merchandise. There was no mass production of the coyturncs, all were painstakingly made by hand. . With the advent of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club, Mrs. Cornell found herself facing a new .field of design television. She made the first Mickey Mouse who appeared on television in }o»o, and subsequently came to specialize in Mickey Mouse costumes as well as Minnie Mouse, Donald [)uck, Pluto, Goofy and the Seven Dwarfs. As her advertisement read: 'Some people make a better Mouse Trap . . We make ubetter mouac.' After Mickey Mouse, came Freckles the Hill Billy Bunny, Elsie Borden the cow, King Korn of the trading stamp company and Oogie the Elf from Outer Space all handmade by Gertrude Cornell and company. She' even managed to find time to pick up a Parents' Institute Award for her use of plastics to design 'baby pretties', like the forerunner of the plastisized diaper hag. In nearly 40 years oworking n New York, Mrs. Cornell said she never had to go after work, it lways came to her. Her .secret, "was, to be aware of 'what everybody else is doing and make it better." Her retirement in |Vr4 utthe age of 68, "was not to stop working but to make time to design more churucusro.^ she said. She retired to Clinton because it was near Oudcrich, where she used to spend many many a acation during her New York hey day. Mrs. Cornell may not be making as many Faser Bunny outfits as she used to. hut the little fellow has yet to look shabby. This Easter the Easter bunny will be dressed in all his usual splendor when he puts in an appearance at BurUi[y'o Restaurant and Bakery, Saturday. Gertrude Cornell has certainly distinguished herself from other designers over- the last 40 years. Atter all, how many others can boast of Peter Cottontail and Mickey Mouse among its clientele? Uncle Wiggly snd Nurse Janecharacters in books by famous children's author Thornton Burgess, left, came to life under the sewing skills of Gertrude Cor- nell. Burgess, creator of such characters as Peter Cotton- Tail and. -Brer Rabbit, appeared with two of his charaters while on a promotional tour. The phenomenon of the lEaster outside a department store in Yonkers, N.Y. The store's doors were closed five minutes after 'the arrival of thecoast to coast recognition through such Easter Bunny to cope with the large crowds for the event. Gertrude Cornell's Easter Bunnies in attendance gained romotional events. � ° • • • A «* ,� grim A good name to grow by .4 . EE US` N � orYourFertilizei Needs TIiiS 5pring. At Agrico W, we have thelatest equipment for applying: * ANHYDROUS AMMONIA We have Tool 134r Applicators available, from 15 tm27feet: Tool Bar AppVUcatormarelamter and more efficient than conventional equipment. Ask us for further details. * AGRICO GR~~~_.~------ UREA, With 46 percent Nitrogen, is available for dry application. We also have the required Starter Fertilizers tO suit your need sw Let our staff, facilities, and resources work for you to help maximize profits. mm . g T M '`w ''/ `" ^".'^" ."'^~'/` A good name .to grow by , FOR PROMPT, EFFICIENT SERVICE, CALL TODAY LIMITED ' Brucefield . Phone 3948 t. as ' m� A school of Schmoos, created by famous American car- toonist Al Capp, graced a department store window, ' - of costume creator Gertrude Cornell, -''living-_ Clinton. Mrs. Cornell was one of the leading 'and manufacturers of promotional costumes in the United , States for ahnogt 40 years. " ,