--- title: When American Children Donned Castro Beards for Playtime description: On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began. Six years later, it inspired a fashion trend among America's youth. canonical: https://time.com/3964915/castro-beards/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-24T16:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:38.879Z og:title: When American Children Donned Castro Beards for Playtime og:description: On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began. Six years later, it inspired a fashion trend among America's youth. og:url: https://time.com/3964915/castro-beards/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1839106212db944c/69885ba48e0601305b461767/150720-castro-beards-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2018 og:image:height: 1135 og:image:alt: Catro-bearded babes in the woods og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: When American Children Donned Castro Beards for Playtime twitter:description: On July 26, 1953, the Cuban Revolution began. Six years later, it inspired a fashion trend among America's youth. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1839106212db944c/69885ba48e0601305b461767/150720-castro-beards-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # When American Children Donned Castro Beards for Playtime > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jul 24, 2015 4:00 PM UTC  Caption from LIFE. Their chins wreathed with beards, a cadre of youthful guerrillas squat in woods at Rockaway, N.J. Numerals on their caps signify the date July 26, 1953 when Castro's revolt began. Caption from LIFE. Their chins wreathed with beards, a cadre of youthful guerrillas squat in woods at Rockaway, N.J. Numerals on their caps signify the date July 26, 1953 when Castro's revolt began. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Jul 24, 2015 4:00 PM UTC If you were to observe a group of children playing war today, you might see them launching make-believe drones and deactivating imaginary IEDs. If you watched the same activity in 1968, you might have seen them parachuting out of cardboard-box helicopters or tossing plastic grenades. But in 1959, kids playing war were pint-sized guerrillas wearing flat-brimmed army hats and Castro beards made of dog fur. In the spring of 1959, Fidel Castro was settling into his new role as Prime Minister of Cuba. Castro and his 26th of July Movement—the revolutionary army named for the 1953 attack that began the Cuban Revolution—had overthrown U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista and were now looking to implement a socialist agenda for Cuba. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a toy manufacturer was capitalizing on the news with a brand new product, as LIFE explained: --- > “” --- Looking back on those days with the benefit of hindsight, the photographs of carefree youngsters take on a more sinister tint. To those who regard Castro as a totalitarian strongman with no concern for human rights, these images are disturbing: laughing children, ignorant of what was [really going on](http://time.com/3637822/cuba-history/) in the world, costumed as a man who was busily tightening his control on a terrified nation. And the children may seem no less naive to those who view Castro as a hero dedicated to the fight against inequality and imperialism. When LIFE published a selection of these photos in 1959, it was undoubtedly intended as a lighthearted story about children mimicking the serious business of adults in a complicated world. Castro was a mere two months into a half-century regime for which there were still high hopes, and the controversial policies he would implement in the ensuing decades were still unwritten history. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Caption from LIFE. Their chins wreathed with beards, a cadre of youthful guerrillas squat in woods at Rockaway, N.J. Numerals on their caps signify the date July 26, 1953 when Castro's revolt began. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Cornered guerrilla Steve Schiffman looks nervously over his whiskers from behind a tree. Beard is of treated dog fur. Manufacturer Jack Noahson is insured for $100,000 against allergy suits. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  American children wearing Fidel Castro beards and hats play in the woods in 1959. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Sudden ambush overwhelms guerrillas as bearded enemies cut them down. Boy at left, grimacing as he hits the dust is Alan Morse, 11. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A boy dressed in Cuban guerrilla uniform mugs for the camera. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Children wearing Castro beards and hats crawl through the woods, guerrilla-style. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Guerrilla play includes hiding behind rocks, aiming weapons. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Baseball in beards engages rebels. Beard got in batter's mouth, interfering with his hitting. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Boys stay in costume for ice cream. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A group of boys playing Cuban Revolution make-believe pile into the back of a car. 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