There are a handful of cultural touchstones out there that we all recognize, whether we realize it or not.
I’m talking about everything from Mickey Mouse to the 21st Century Fox logo. We all see these things every time we watch movies or turn on the Saturday morning cartoons, but we don’t always realize just how ingrained these images are!
What’s even more remarkable is that we see these images every single day, but we almost never know the stories behind them.
Take, for example, the classic pinup images of the 1940s and '50s. We all know what they look like, but did you know that the aesthetic was almost completely based on one woman? Janet Elvgren, the wife of a famous illustrator, informed almost every vintage pinup you see today.
And there are a million more stories just like Elvgren’s — of unsung heroes who have names we don’t recognize and faces that are trademarked worldwide!
Scroll through the gallery below to learn the stories behind some of the world’s best-known images!
Thumbnail Photo Credit: Babbit Blog/ Oh My Disney!
The Real Snow White? Marge Champion!
Marge Champion, née Belcher, was just 14 years old when she got a job modeling for Disney's upcoming feature-length film, Snow White.
She was a trained dancer and the daughter of one of Hollywood's most famous choreographers, so she would head to the studio, get dressed up, and move around to help the animators capture the movement of a "real" Snow White.
Walt Disney wanted to make sure they got everything just right for Disney's very first animated feature film, so Champion went through all sorts of trial and error in the process.
The style of cartooning at the time was to create the characters with very large heads, so according to Entertainment Weekly, Champion was told to wear a football helmet during shooting.
She was paid about $10 a day for her work, and spent a lot of the time illustrating movements and mannerisms, like curtsies and hand gestures.
The job launched her career, and she also modeled for Fantasia and Pinocchio before becoming a famous movie star in her own right.
When the movie premiered, however, she was kept out of the spotlight because Walt Disney didn't want to ruin the illusion, and her participation in the movie was hidden for another eight years.
The Real Monopoly Man? J.P. Morgan!
We all recognize the Monopoly Man at a glance. He's the dapper, top-hatted man that appears on the boxes and money of the famous board game.
What's less well-documented is his origin story.
For example, his real name is "Rich Uncle Pennybags," also occasionally given as "Milburn Pennybags," and he first appeared in the board game in 1936.
For years, no one knew anything about the artist that created the famous character, until extensive detective work identified him as Dan Fox in 2013.
But what about the model that the character was based on?
In fact, this was quite a bit easier to surmise. People have long suspected that the Monopoly Man is a caricature of famous industrialist J.P. Morgan, who was well-known for his bushy mustache, dapper dress, top hat, and cane, which he often used to knout reporters that got too close.
The Real Columbia Woman? Jenny Joseph!
The film-going public is undoubtedly familiar with the famous logo for Columbia Pictures.
The opening credits for any movie made by the company feature a depiction of Columbia, the female personification of America, posed like a Greek goddess with a torch held high.
This logo has been around in one form or another for about a century, but the current version you see above dates back to 1992.
Incredibly, the woman who modeled for the role wasn't a model at all!
Her name is Jenny Joseph, and at the time, she was a graphic artist working full-time at the Times-Picayune.
She managed to grab some time on her lunch break, and as she tells it, threw on a sheet and held up a desk lamp to help the digital artist Michael Deas recreate Columbia.
For a quick lunch-hour project, this logo has certainly stood the test of time, still appearing more than 20 years later!
The Real Uncle Sam? Walter Botts!
Uncle Sam is another classic personification of America that has seen plenty of changes over the years.
He was first mentioned in a 1775 version of "Yankee Doodle" and appeared in print about a century later.
The man behind the Uncle Sam character is believed to be a New York butcher named Sam Wilson who provided rations to the American soldiers during the Revolution.
By the early 19th century, Uncle Sam was more popular than ever and appeared on the cover of a News Weekly.
The artist that created the poster, J.M. Flagg, used himself as the original model, but called on a different model when the image was redesigned as a recruitment poster for WWII.
A veteran of WWI, Walter Botts was the model who originated Uncle Sam's famous pose, and he was chosen for the job, according to his wife, "because he had the longest arms, the longest nose, and the bushiest eyebrows."
Did you know the secret backstories behind these famous characters? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE with friends and family!
