Disney Films' Glamorous Portrayal of Pipes and Cigars Made Me a Smoker

Growing up I had a strict regimen of videos I watched, alternating between the ever-popular Peter Pan and other, lesser watched classics such as The Great Mouse Detective. These two stick with me particularly, because it was these that caused the greatest deal of irony in my life. I'm a smoker. I don't like cigarettes or the cheap stuff, and my lungs aren't strong enough to handle something that I have to actually inhale. My sole experiment with cigarettes in high school ended in a terrible coughing fit, and it was almost impossible to breathe for several minutes.

But when it comes to pipes and cigars, just enjoying the tobacco taste of them, I won't settle for "cheap", I want it expensive, full of taste, and worth every dime, and truth be told, this is all thanks to Peter Pan and The Great Mouse Detective. Peter Pan affected me in a number of ways, Captain Hook was simply the preeminent villain as far as I was concerned, none could top him, and to add to his greatness he personally crafted a device so that he could smoke not just one, but two cigars. I was astounded.

I later saw more uses of cigars throughout film making, but it all harked back to Captain Hook and his little double cigar device that he wielded while overlooking a map of Neverland, desperately searching out Peter Pan's secret layer.

The same goes for The Great Mouse Detective, where Basil of Bakersfield would always withdraw a pipe whenever he needed to think or just take a moment to himself. As was the case with the entire character, the pipe was clearly based off of Sherlock Holmes' and it struck another interest in me. In 101 Dalmatians, in contrast to Cruella DeVille, I was intrigued by the main characters' pipe that he would occasionally withdraw and smoke in the comfort of his own home. Like with so many other characters, such as the corn cob pipe smoking Frosty the Snowman or even the cigar smoking Pinocchio, the idea of these elegant looking pipes intrigued me. When I was as young as 10 years old, I had resolved that at some point in my life I was going to try smoking a cigar and a pipe.

Interestingly, the images in the movie Pinocchio, which are aimed at discouragement, did not turn me away from smoking as one may expect. I saw the activities he was partaking in - such as playing pool, drinking beer, and smoking cigars - to be something in the realm of adults. The lesson I drew from it was not that they were immoral or sinful activities, but that they weren't for children, and so it stood to reason that these were things I could perfectly enjoy when I became an adult. After all, as far as I was concerned, smoking that cigar was put on the same moral level as the game of billiards he was playing, and I knew there was nothing wrong with playing billiards, so logic dictated that smoking cigars couldn't be all that bad either.

The day came when I turned 18 and I was eager. I wanted to try a cigar. Bolstered by images of Pinocchio and Captain Hook, I stepped triumphantly into the Shell Gas Station and asked for a cigar. Being so fresh and new to the whole "adult" experience, this whole idea that I could legally ask for tobacco somewhat shocked me. I looked around nervously, my breath escaped me, and it came as no surprise that the clerk asked to see my I.D. It was amusing because I knew I was doing nothing wrong, but the habits of a life time were hard to give up.

The clerk asked what kind of cigar I wanted when they were convinced of my age and I froze. Kind? Damnations, I just want a cigar, I thought. I asked to see the selection and I was shown to a small display of three types: Swisher Sweets, House of Windsor (which I would learn the depravity of only later) and something that was strawberry flavored. I went with the far latter.

I gave up what little money it cost and retreated out to my car, holding it in my hand and looking on it curiously. A threshold in my life had just been crossed, as I had seen it. I had crossed some sort of bridge that I couldn't quite label. As I put the cigar in my mouth, the images of my childhood heroes buzzed through my head. Not directly, I did not immediately conjure images of them, but the same fleeting emotions I felt when I was 3 or 4 and would watch those animated films.

The "strawberry" flavored cigar was not everything I'd hoped for - and it was only later that I realized that any cigar that only costs 75 cents should probably be down right avoided. You either spent money on a quality piece of tobacco or you just didn't smoke, because the consequences were physically terrifying, I learned.

It wasn't until later that I finally got my hands on a pipe. Nothing had ever really stopped me before, but a situation had never arisen that had given me the chance to get one. When it came though, I was excited. Suddenly the images of Basil of Bakersfield came back with much more clarity than those of Captain Hook, so too came the images of 101 Dalmatians and the relaxed musician that puffed at his pipe as he listened to his musical accomplishments.

To this day, I still enjoy smoking cigars and I maintain a pipe - and in truth, it's all thanks to those images I saw in Disney movies. And to be honest - I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.