This particular treat appropriately features cheese:
The packaging is fun on at least three sides! The fourth side features the nutritional facts, and who laughs at those?
Mickey debuted in 1928 but was ‘on a break’ in 1962, as Friends Rachel and Ross would say, when the famous Goldfish cracker was introduced to the world.
For the kids there is a fun connect the dots challenge. Hurry, or Mickey won’t be able to hear you munching on the Goldfish!
You get two treats in every bag: The original Goldfish cracker and Hidden Mickey crackers with plant-sourced color.
Not enough for your bite-sized appetite? Then try the mega-box:
Now that will keep you in dry-mouthed bliss, and gasping for water, for days and days and days! Maybe even months, depending on the expiration date.
Ever since The Disney Store left North America as a stand-alone retail space, we’ve all been in withdrawal! With only online purchasing possible besides an expensive trip to a Disney Theme Park, we hoped for a brick-and-mortar alternative that would be a little closer to our homes for our Disney merchandise fix.
Enter the Target retail chain. But only in the United States! Within select locations you can find what ends up being a basic extension to Target’s existing toy sections. Or are these small areas actually a Pop-Up store within the Target footprint?
Let’s have a look:
Is it just a Pop-Up?
It wouldn’t qualify as a Pop-Up in that these retail spaces are intended to stay as permanent fixtures. As we look at two locations, one in Brighton and the other in Flint, MI., it is evident that these stores-within-a-store are there to stay:
Brighton, MIFlint, MI
How do these mini oases of Disney merchandise compare to the original locations? The focus seems to be on toys for kids and not so much emphasis on adult collector pieces. There were some unique items but still only for children, leaving adults largely out in the aisles. And those wonderful Disney Cast Members are gone! But in all fairness, the Target employees I encountered were both friendly and helpful.
The display stands were generic with only round signs stating the IP being featured written in the Disney font.
One lone throwback to the fun that was found in The Disney Stores of old was the interactive Castle found in the middle of the space. It sat idle until you approached when it would come to life. There was advertising as well as simple games that you could play. Disney-themed sound effects could be heard.
To remind you that you were elsewhere within the Target store were ‘Hangers’ positioned above the space. Various Disney IPs were featured:
And of course, if these wonderful cut-outs didn’t transport you to another time and place in the history of Disney merchandising, then maybe this giant ‘Hanger’ would:
I was happy to visit two Disney Store locations in one day (about 40 minutes apart) but won’t be rushing to return. I did find some interesting items that I will be featuring on the Blog soon, but the old magic of The Disney Store experience just isn’t there. As an adult collector of Disney nostalgia, there just isn’t enough items to appeal to my inner child with the adult sensibilities!
However, if you have small children and don’t want the hassle of online shopping with the obligatory shipping fees, these not-Pop-Up locations should appeal to you. It should be noted that not all Target locations have The Disney Store in them, so be sure to check Target’s official website for locations that do.
The House of Windsor is the reigning royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Queen Elizabeth II has just passed away leaving King Charles III in her place upon the throne.
I found this old pump in the gardens behind a museum in Winborne, and at first thought it might represent the Windsor family crest:
You can make out a ‘W’ and a regal lion and the year of 180? something. The Monarch on the throne from 1801-1809 was George III (George William Frederick). His family did have a lion in their crest but not a ‘W’. And he was not in the Windsor family.
Upon closer inspection, I can just make out an ‘E’ on the right side of the lion, which means the ‘W’ likely represents ‘West’ and the ‘E’ would be for ‘East’. So, although it is likely to be a Royal crest, or a lion to represent the Monarchy at least, the family in question would be Frederick.
Jaguar’s business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing bodies for passenger cars. I believe the best styles of the classic Jaguar cars drove off the assembly lines between 1950 and the 1980s.
Perhaps the most iconic thing about a Jaguar is the hood ornament:
This particular version comes from a 1959-60 XK-150, pictured below:
There are two basic designs for the Jaguar hood ornament. This earlier version has a shorter base with the tail extending beyond that base. This is so it can straddle the center hood trim, thusly:
The later version had a longer base with the tail ending at the back of the base and it bolted directly through the hood, or bonnet, if we’re being all British about it.
On a recent trip to England, I found this mounted example in an antique shop. With research I was able to determine that it is authentic and not a replica. My reasoning is based on the weight. Next, it is absolutely identical to the original sculpt. The clincher for me was the base and the notch for straddling the center hood trim of the Jaguar XK-150. This would be an unnecessary detail for any Sculptor to include for a mere display piece.
That said, I don’t believe this particular example actually made it onto a car. These would have been cast out of brass and then sent to be chromed. The teeth of the Jaguar should not touch, but these ones do:
The chrome is built up so as to make the teeth touch. So likely this would have returned to the factory for installation and been rejected for this flaw. Someone must have taken it home where it eventually found its way into the hands of a Craftsman who mounted it as an art piece. Also, there should be a serial number stamped on the belly of the cat, which would likely have been added after the chrome was applied, but this is missing. If rejected, this number would not be applied.
The final reason I feel it is authentic is the two mounting screws. These are exactly where they should be for an actual hood ornament of this period and style. Again, this would have been an unnecessary detail for a replica.
Years ago, I owned a 1987 Jaguar that I loved dearly! But it came time to retire her. A day hasn’t passed when I haven’t missed that car. You can see the best part of her here. Just scroll to the end of the post to see the Jaguar hood ornament in its natural habitat.
Coke or Pepsi. That is what really puts the world at odds today! For me it’s Coca-Cola hands down but your preference may vary.
Regardless of which black liquid you guzzle, you should still enjoy this Coca-Cola Movie Night for Two gift box:
For just $20.00 CAN I was able to obtain two popcorn containers, two bags of mini pretzels, two boxes of Junior Mints, and two packages of microwave popcorn. And a cool box with a nice ribbon for a handle.
In all honesty, I bought this gift set just to get the two popcorn buckets. But more on that later. In the meantime, I will be enjoying some salty and chocolatey snacks!
The popcorn buckets are pretty cheaply made of thin plastic and so aren’t microwave or dishwasher safe. But I don’t intend to actually use them. But more on that later.
Have you ever wondered why they bother to include “nutritional” facts for candy? It’s candy. It’s bad for you. I don’t need to read just how bad!
Okay, it’s later:
I have a vintage Disney Movie Stand upon which I have set up a Coca-Cola hot air popcorn popper right next to my Walt Disney World Popcorn box light. So, I figured what this display needed to complete it was a pair of themed popcorn buckets! And now I have them.
I sure have a lot of salt and pepper shakers for someone who doesn’t really get excited about food. There’s nothing I can’t over season!
My latest set are these Disneyland teapot salt and pepper shakers:
Salt – LadyPepper – Policeman
The characters on the sides of the shakers would be considered Streetmosphere at a Disney Theme Park like Disneyland. Cast Members who walk around pretending to be period citizens of Main Street U.S.A. or whatever Park they inhabit.
The salt has five holes while the pepper only has four. Pepper is a stronger spice so one would want to shake less of it onto a meal at any one sitting.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is highly stylized on each shaker. I labeled these images as if the Castle was on the back. But it is just as likely that this would be the front, although they actually alternate sides if you reference the placement of the handle.
The thing to watch for when buying salt and pepper shakers, and piggy banks, is if they still have the original stoppers. Although these are pre-90s (some sources say as early as 1959, but I feel they are later than that) they have plastic stoppers. Older models would have had cork.
For the widest variety of shapes and sizes of Disney Salt & Pepper Shakers in my collection, just click the link and spice up your life!
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two levels or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom and a few other countries, but are best known as the Red London Bus, or the AEC Routemaster. Open top buses are used mainly for tourism.
During our recent trip to England, we rode on many of these buses throughout the London area. It was fun and frightening all at once as the drivers weaved their way down lanes that were way too narrow for such a large vehicle! But we made it to our destination each and every time.
To commemorate our journeys, we bought this Alice Tait “All Aboard!” London Bus pin badge:
Why is everything in London red? Nobody knows for sure and there are too many theories to list here. But it is a colour of the city as reflected in old letter boxes and call boxes. It’s also my favorite colour so that may have something to do with it to.
Alice Tait loves to draw. So says her website. She is a popular British artist with many high-profile clients. Ms. Tait has been drawing for a living since 2002. Her style is illustrative and whimsical.
Pin on Pooh
My wife and I have ever so many pins and things to display that it can be a challenge to find a place to put a new acquisition! This one seemed to be a perfect fit for Pooh’s ear.
Who hasn’t heard of the PEZ company and its iconic candy? Pez was invented in Austria and later exported worldwide. Although the company primarily considers itself to be a candy company, they are forever identified with the comical dispensers we all know and love!
Let’s have a look at a couple of Disney Mickey Mouse PEZ candy dispensers:
These are part of a set of eight Disney characters. I have Mickey from the Disney Junior television series Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Steamboat Willie. Strangely enough, the back of the packaging shows a regular Mickey as part of the set, but the actual toy included is the Racers Mickey. Not totally uncommon to have such a switch.
Although the body of the toy lists China as the manufacturing country the candy is actually made in the United States.
Do you buy just the candy? Is it that good? Well, it is called “Soul Candy” in the Japanese Manga series Bleach, so, that’s an indicator!
I always thought the candy was dispensed by means of a spring mechanism or something clever. I was wrong and right:
What’s cleverer than just having a piece of protruding plastic push the candy out? Simple but effective!
Some older PEZ dispensers can fetch some impressive prices on the collecting market, but with all collectibles losing value as generations interests change, they aren’t as desirable as they once were. As with every other collectible always remember to buy what you love, not what you think will be valuable later!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sweet tooth to satisfy. And you can check out more Disney-themed PEZ dispensers here!
Disney loves to promote every anniversary they can, for our fun, and their profit! But we don’t mind as we flock by the millions to Disney Theme Parks around the world to celebrate each and every one.
We also love to collect the tie-in merchandise, like this Mickey’s 50th Anniversary LP record:
This is an odd release by any definable standard. It lacks both quantity and focus.
On Side 1 we get an original song entitled ‘I Grew Up on Mickey Mouse’ which is the only reason I bought this for my collection. You can listen to it below. Side 1 concludes quickly with a medley of music from the original Mickey Mouse Club and the second try, The New Mickey Mouse Club, which ran from 1977 to 1979.
This is interesting only in that it shows how different the music was with 20 years between the two Clubs.
Ovation Records produced this orphan of a record in 1978 (Mickey’s ‘birthday’ in 1928 + 50 years). Ovation Records was an American independent record label based in Glenview, Illinois. The label was founded in 1969 by Dick Schory.
Now for the musical highlight of our post:
I Grew Up on Mickey Mouse
I didn’t grow up on Mickey Mouse as the mania had subsided by the time I was on the scene and aware of such things. But I did come to love the Mouse later in life and so I collect things like this. Why, even I don’t know!
Side 2 just doesn’t make any sense for this release. It consists of what they bill as a ‘medley’ of music from the 1971 hybrid movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks, starring the late Angela Lonsbury. It was hoped that it would be the next Mary Poppins, but it failed at the Box Office and is largely forgotten today. Why did Disney include an entire side of music from an unpopular movie that came out in theatres seven years before the anniversary being celebrated with the LP?
The complete package called The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the original Rescuers movie, and Pete’s Dragon all came out in 1977. Surely one of or all of these could have been used for a bit of cross promotion!
In any case, and for whatever unfathomable reason, we have what we have.
We recently attended a showing of Disney’s the Lion King musical at the Lyceum Theatre in Westminster, England. The auditorium was beautiful in saturated reds! But what stood out for me were the light fixtures:
I’ve upgraded my phone to an iPhone 13 Pro and am quite happy with the camera. The auditorium was quite dark, but even so, I was able to capture some very good shots!
This art deco inspired light fixture was many yards above my head, but even in the darkened conditions, the zoom feature was able to bring it into focus.
Disleelandia 