We’ve stayed on property at Walt Disney World several times but the first time was the most memorable. We spent 15 days and 14 nights on one of the most extensive and fun vacations ever!
As always with a Disney vacation, it’s the Cast Members that can really make or break the experience. Case in point is this wonderful Hidden Mickey towel art that our room attendant left for us:
Can you see me?
Did she deserve a tip? Yes. Yes she did.
FUN FACTS: The most common Hidden Mickey is a formation of three circles that may be perceived as the silhouette of the head and ears of Mickey Mouse. Hidden Mickeys can take on many sizes and forms. And they can pop up anywhere! But between you and me, I don’t think they are correctly named. I mean… were we meant not to notice the giant There’s Mickey on our bed?
The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band that consisted of members of the Walt Disney company. Animator Ward Kimball started it all and acted as the Band Leader. They released 12 original albums along with addition Greatest Hits and Live efforts over their career starting in 1949 and ending in 1970. Their first LP was released in 1951.
The Firehouse Five Plus Two at Disneyland is a wonderful example of a live performance. It highlights the bands exuberant style and ample use of anvils and firetruck sirens, like this one:
Firetruck Siren
The cover of this album is both hilarious and historic, as it is a snapshot in time for both the men and the Disneyland Park:
Who had more fun? This is certainly a band who put goofing around in first place, playing music in a close second, and showmanship front and center!
The album contains eight numbers. What follows are the brief introductions between numbers. It should go a long way to proving that the band didn’t take themselves too seriously:
Interstitiels
This particular album was released by Contemporary Records, and not Disneyland Records, as one might expect.
Walt Disney approved of the band as long as they promised to stay on his staff doing their ‘day jobs’. He even featured them in Disneyland parades, on the original Mickey Mouse Club, and in other promotions.
I have most of the twelve original albums. I acquired them from a tiny used record shop in California during my first visit to Disneyland. One or two I had to get from eBay.
Discography:
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story – Part One (1951)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story – Part Two (1951)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story – Part Three (1952)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story – Part Four (1952)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Plays for Lovers (1956)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two, Volume Five: Goes South! (1956)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Goes To Sea (1957)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Dixieland Favorites (1960)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Crashes a Party (1960)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Around the World (1961)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two At Disneyland (1962)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Goes To a Fire (1964)
The last two albums aren’t considered part of the official 12 releases for the band. But they do exist for the completionists among us. The first is a reunion album to celebrate the band’s 20th Anniversary, and the last album is a live recording that didn’t go too well, according to reviewers:
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Twenty Years Later (1970)
The Firehouse Five Plus Two Live at Earthquake McGoon’s (1970)
Disney has partnered with just about every company, artist, and gimmick known to the Marketing Universe. And we all love it!
This Precious Moments ‘Keeping It Wheel’ figurine is an excellent example of when the synergy between Disney and another brand just works:
What makes this so much fun is that the little boy is driving Lightning McQueen even though humans don’t exist in the CARS Universe. I’d like to think that maybe this is meant to be a peddle car. I had a little red peddle sports car as a child so this piece brings back fond memories for me!
As always with Precious Moments merchandise, the level of detail is quite nice, but a little rough in the realization. The casting process leaves a bit of a textured surface.
Prior to 1981 these figurines didn’t have a production mark. But starting in 1981 Precious Moments assigned a new mark for each year on all new releases. The one stamped on the bottom of this piece is from 2012 and is a box with a bow. It’s interesting that the trademark year for this Disney ShowcaseCollection figurine is 2011, a year earlier.
Obviously the title of this piece, Keeping It Wheel, is a play on words from the popular phrase ‘Keeping It Real’.
This Aladdin Disney school bus lunch box is probably one of the most iconic that was ever released. My specimen is very badly damaged and missing the thermos, but I still love it! Its eye-catching appearance made it the most popular lunch box ever, selling over 9 million units.
So although it looks like Goofy drove this bus off a cliff, let’s have a look at who and what survived:
This product is trademarked with Walt Disney Productions which ran from 1929 to 1986. We can guess the earliest possible year of release by seeing what is the newest character depicted on the sides. Alice is on the passenger side in the back row. Her movie was released in 1951. So we know that this item would have been sold between 1951 and 1986.
Peter Pan is missing but feels like a natural fit for inclusion. His movie was released in 1953. Next came Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and lastly, 101 Dalmatians (1961). None of these are included either. But I did find that the box was sold in 1961. I guess Peter didn’t want to go to school, Sleeping Beauty probably slept in and missed the bus, and dogs don’t go to school.
Even the handle is missing from this sample and the bottom looks like the child who owned it used to play cars with it, as it looks like it was pushed and dragged across the floor.
Some Aladdin lunch boxes have safety information printed inside, but this one does not. It does still have the metal bracket to hold the thermos in the lid.
Hallmark released a Keepsake Ornament in homage to the original product, which you can see below:
Different characters were included in this replica to better reflect the tastes and experiences of a new generation of children. For example, a hippo replaces Jiminy Cricket in the door. Pete Jr. (Goof Troop) replaces Dumbo in the middle window, a turtle replaces Pinocchio in the next window, and Alice had to give up her seat to Gosalyn (Darkwing Duck’s adopted daughter).
The rear of bus seems to have swapped out Donald’s three nephews for more of Mickey’s young relatives. The front also swaps out some ducks for pigs and adds another character from The Goof Troop. The drivers side boots Dopey and Thumper off the bus altogether. Donald is still there handing up a book but Bambi is omitted.
This ornament was released in 2001 and includes all of the other details of the original.
We all have our favorite Muppet characters. For many it’s likely Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy or perhaps Fozzie Bear. Or maybe you like some of the stranger characters like Dr. Teeth or Beaker. Actually, no matter who you choose, it’ll probably be strange, so…
But I think I have for you a character so strange, so unknown, that you will be aghast! I give you… Beaker’s Sister:
It’s hard to believe Henson didn’t use this character more.
I found a Beaker mask and orange wig at a flea market some years ago and just can’t resist any opportunity to create bizarre characters with it! Wouldn’t you?
Sometimes the simplest designs can be the best. This basic black and white mug with Mickey and Goofy peeking out from squares arranged in a grid pattern is fun and imaginative:
I also like the flourish on the handle featuring Mickey’s iconic gloves and Goofy’s equally iconic hat.
The bottom of the mug is branded as ‘Disney’ and tells us the usual about microwaves and dishwashers. It was made in China.
The mug was produced for Disney by R Squared as part of the Zrike Brands line. The website features a large selection of Disney kitchen ware but also offers other IPs as well.
For perhaps the weirdest Disney-themed mug in my collection, check out the Mr. Potato Head Barker mug from Midway Mania. But don’t try to pour any hot liquids into him. He may call you a Hockey Puck!
So much food to season, so little time! The British comedian Michael McIntyre does a routine wherein he chronicles the angst that exists among spices. The whole bit relies on the fact that salt and pepper are the main spices of choice, leaving all of the other spices in the cupboard to lament the unfair treatment.
Have you ever seen a collection of Paprika shakers? No. I didn’t think so. But everywhere, including on this site, you can find an infinite number of:
These Walt Disney World Castle salt and pepper shakers are typical of the souvenirs sold on Park properties since it opened in 1971. They would have been packaged thusly:
Disney released a set of Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Vault Collection replicas in 2021. While it’s nice that these old items are now available again, I wish they would stamp them as replicas instead of just mentioning it on the packaging. It could happen that unscrupulous Sellers could claim that they are vintage and deceive Buyers.
Another thing to watch for is mismatched sets. Always check the top of each shaker. One should have four holes while the other should have six. I have purchased a set of Orange Bird shakers and missed checking for this feature. You can click the link for a more detailed discussion on this matter.
I also will not purchase shakers unless they have the original stoppers in the bottom.
This image of Cinderella Castle is pretty stock and appears on just about every form of ceramic collectible you can image! The shape of the shaker is also reused with many other images printed on them, such as the Orange Bird shakers featured in the link above.
FUN FACTS: Disneyland features Sleeping Beauty Castle because Walt wanted to promote his upcoming Princess movie. Subsequent castles were named for Cinderella, perhaps one of Disney’s most popular Princesses.
The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. is hosting a new exhibition that is bigger than the name might imply.
Miniature Moments – A Journey Through Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments is packed full of only thousands of the small wonders this line of merchandise has produced over the years since 1973. Over 7,000 to be exact!
As I’ve said numerous times on this blog, I’m not a holiday guy. But I do collect select KeepsakeOrnaments. Why? Read the official spiel from Hallmark themselves:
“Their purpose and meaning… can reinforce personal identity, connect people with one another, and reflect trends in our larger world.” And they look good sitting on a shelf too!
Here is but a very small smattering of Disney ornaments, with one exception:
I’ve always marveled at the level of craftmanship and detail put into these trinkets. Below I am including just some of the categories covered in this show:
Favorite: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Favorite: Star Wars AT-AT
Favorite: Twilight Zone Television
I enjoyed reading the signs that went with each section to learn more about the development and timing for each line.
Favorite: Starship Enterprise
Some 50 years after the creation of the Hallmark company, it went into producing the KeepsakeOrnaments. It started with primarily glass balls but evolved into an emphasis on figural ornaments later on.
This is planned to be a permanent exhibit at The Henry Ford Museum, so no need to rush to see it! However, I do highly recommend it. The crowds were constant when we were there and the responses were wholly positive!
Beaker is a puppet character who first appeared on The Muppet Show in 1978. He is a shy, long-suffering assistant for Muppet Labs. He has a face only a lab technician with no eyes and coke bottle glasses could love. Yes, “Doctor Bunsen Honeydew has definitely found himself an unusual specimen spawned from some demented petri dish in this weirdo!” – Sam the Eagle
And I have two strange apparitions of this gawky beanpole to share with you today:
The first plush stands a whopping 36″ tall. He has a red ribbon / loop on the back of his head which I use to attach him to the wall. In this way, he looks like he is standing. The manufacturer is Nanco.
Nanco is not exactly ‘in business’ but a search will take you to the Rhode Island Novelty website where you can purchase plush produced by Nanco. They do have many different IPs but don’t appear to currently be offering anything from Disney, including the Muppets.
The other plush stands only 20″ tall and has a few differences from his big twin brother. Most notably is the shade of the lab coats and the colour of the pants. I’ve included a picture of them together, below center, for scale:
Our little Beaker is made by Sababa Toys Inc., a company that is still alive and well and producing toys for children, educational toys, and play toys, according to this website portal. You can click on each heading to be redirected to other websites for purchasing.
I captured the image above during our photo shoot for this post. Big Beaker was just chillaxin’ while craft services prepared him a beverage. It must be said that although he looks amicable, Beaker definitely lets everyone know that it’s all about “Mee-mee-mee mee”!
What’s better than two Beakers? How about a third one! Check out this link for a life-sized Beaker too creepy (but funny) for the Internet!
I collect vintage sound effect albums. Discovering how the sounds heard in old radio programs or animated cartoons were created is just too much fun to miss! Usually I find official soundtracks from actual sound effects studios, but this time, I found something a little different.
Behold the weirdness that is the Melody House ‘Adventures in Sound’ LP Record:
I could try to explain to you what this is, but maybe it would be better if it came from the folks who created it. So here is the opening monologue by Jerry Caspell:
Introduction – Side One
In a nutshell, throughout the record, Mr. Caspell introduces a type of sound. It could be loud, scary, or related to a location or occupation. Then he plays the sound, and afterwards, names the sound.
Here is a brief clip from Side Two to illustrate:
Store and Office Sounds
It would be a greater challenge for youngsters today to figure out what the sounds are being as almost all of the office equipment featured in this segment are obsolete. Things like rotary phones, ticking clocks, and a wagon, haven’t been a part of everyday life for decades!
I hope you enjoyed that! But now it’s time to wrap up the record, so I’ll turn things back over to Mr. Caspell for some concluding thoughts:
Conclusion – Side Two
I can only imagine how much fun it must have been for young children to close their eyes and try to guess the sounds they were hearing!
The writer, Sharron Lucky, may be a woman of 82 years old today living somewhere in the United States, or not. And Jerry Caspell may be a man still creating music who can be found at jerrycaspell.com where you can hear what he is doing currently. I’ve reached out via email to him, but as yet have not gotten a response. It’s not easy tracking such people down after so long a time!
This album was released in 1970 making it over 52 years old!
Disleelandia 