I admit that I’m just as addicted to the CARS franchise as anyone else. Well, at least I’m addicted to the little metal models that Mattel has been putting out in alarming quantities since 2006. Cars 2 and Cars 3 didn’t do much for me, but I still have many vehicle characters from each of those two sequels!
I need, but don’t want, an intervention.
But I do have a complaint: Disney/Pixar has been milking the franchise. Even if a character has 3 seconds of screen time in the background of a crowd shot, he/she will likely get his/her own die cast figure! No matter how obscure the name, like Ron Hover here, it will take flight on a store shelf near you.
That said, it just seemed right to add ol’ Ron to my Cars display as he was a media helicopter on site to record the big race. I have a racetrack display, so….
Yes, that’s his big cameo in the first Cars film, shown above. Can you see him? Barely, right? Yet we can shell out $6.95 US and have one of our very own.
Ron Hover is helicopter who works for Competition Racing Sports Network as a television news helicopter. He has a more extensive back story for some reason, but I won’t bore you with it here. Suffice to say that he is a is Whirlybird Liftalot model.
The model does have a nice level of detail with many cameras positioned around his fuselage. Now, I did manage to snap an ariel shot of Hover in action as he flew over my Cars display:
Pre-race Fly-Over
If you’d like to see more of my Cars display, you can check out my previous post that features a wonderful Cars 3 Racetrack Play Table that I recently picked up. Enjoy, race fan!
I love visiting the Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. There is always something interesting to photograph!
Recently we attended the Old Car Festival and were delighted with all of the vintage vehicles on display. Most were restored to impeccable kit, but others were left in a more natural state:
With its contrast between the rust and the weathering of the old wood, I thought this truck was just amazing! I also liked the curves in the cab against the liner nature of the cargo box.
Regrets? I wish the modern battery wasn’t so prominent.
Sometimes you just get lucky and find collaborating merchandise. Years ago, I came across a set of trading cards that featured Disney characters in ethnic costumes visiting various countries from around the world. It was a part of Mickey’s World Tour of 1001 Hellos!
Sometime later I stumbled across a cotton banner that represented six of the countries from the trading card set. It featured this logo in the center:
It clearly lists the date of issue as 1992, which coincides with the release date for the trading cards. For whatever reason, the banner only features six of the many countries covered on the cards. Disney chose to repeat the six countries twice for a total of twelve images surrounding the logo. Why didn’t they use twelve different countries? I guess we’ll never know!
But let’s have a closer look at the six countries that were featured:
PolishArabic
The greeting in Arabic would likely represent the country of Egypt as it has the largest Arabic speaking population in the world.
The two countries above represented with badges, but the four countries below represented with medals:
ItalianGermanMexicanFrench
Just to be different, the Mexican greeting seems to be featured on a lanyard, much like an Olympic medal would be.
Around the edge of the banner, we have Mickey’s name in the six languages of the countries represented, but again, repeated on all four sides:
The banner is made of 50% polyester and 50% cotton and is made in the U.S.A. as you can see in the image below:
As you will see below, the trademark is ‘The Walt Disney Company’ and the manufacturer is listed as J.A. Woronowicz of South River, NJ.
22″ x 22″ Square
A descendant of the founders of the J. A. Woronowicz company had this to say about its brief history: “The company was founded in the 1950’s. It lasted until the mid-late 1990’s. The founding brothers decided to dissolve the company, sell their client list, and destroy the machines. My father started a rival manufacturing business called American Fashion Concept. That lasted for about 3 or 4 years. All manufacturing began to be outsourced to China. American factories could no longer compete.” Sounds like a typical ending for many unfortunate American industries! It looks like this banner would have been one of the last things the company produced.
You can find many other examples of these wonderful cloth collectibles on the Internet. Many have a Disney theme.
Sometimes even I’m amazed at what I have in my collection! I do not remember buying this vintage Mickey Mouse children’s costume. There is no mask to go with it and neither is there a box. But if I lose 150 pounds and shrink by about 3 feet in height, I should be able to make use of this:
The material is likely nylon. In 1931, the United States had issues accessing silk due to political and trading tensions with Japan. There was a great interest in finding a substitute, an artificial fiber. Wallace Hume Carothers made the breakthrough in 1934, thanks to a combination of a systematic approach to research and his deep understanding of polymer chemistry. He worked at DuPont at the time.
Nylon itself has an unparalleled range of advantageous properties, including high strength, flexibility, and scratch resistance. And I’m sure it was much cheaper to produce than silk!
Note the sparkles
So back in 1962, when this costume was manufactured, it seemed like the perfect material to wrap children in before sending them out into the cold October evenings to beg for candy. However, Nylon and other polymers have also created environmental concerns and disposal problems, leading to widespread efforts at recycling. But not in the 60s!
Due to the thin material, many kids were forced to wear their coats over the costumes. So, it would look like Mickey Mouse was out for a walk in a winter Parka, much to the chagrin of the mini-Mickey!
I’m not too worried that I don’t have the mask to go with the costume as these were usually very creepy. And although that would fit nicely into the holiday they were created to celebrate; I can do without that kind of nightmare fuel in my life!
It is said that storks have been associated with delivering babies for centuries, starting with Greek mythology. According to myth, the goddess Hera turned her rival into a stork, after which the stork-woman attempted to steal her son in revenge.
Photo Credit: Live Science
From there the story evolved to one of a more benign nature, where dutiful birds pick up babies from a pond or cave, and then deliver them to expecting parents.
Thanks to the 1941 Disney film called Dumbo, we then have a more dapper and professional looking bird, replete with buttoned vest and cap:
Mr. Stork was Sterling Holloway’s first Disney role. He appeared in Dumbo in a blue uniform but reappeared in Lambert the Sheepish Lion in a red uniform.
This is not an official piece of Disney merchandise. It appears to be a DIY art project completed by a ceramic’s student, likely as a gift for a family member. If you look carefully at the image, above right, you can just about make out the words ‘Mom I love u’. I think.
I found another version of this mold on eBay. It is significantly bigger than the one I’m featuring and has slightly different colouring and pattern. For example, note the little pink flowers on the baby blanket. But the mold is identical. Pottery teachers can buy licensed molds from companies like Disney. These are then used over and over again for multiple students for many years. Therefore, it would be impossible to determine just how many of these things are out there!
The seller of this version claimed that her stork was made by a ceramic artist in the 1990s. Apparently her grandmother ordered it custom because she liked the movie Dumbo so much. It appears to have been personalized as it is signed on the bottom with the words ‘Granny Heather’.
My stork is about 4.5″ high while the one from eBay is about 14″ tall by comparison.
I picked this up at Goodwill for under $2.00 CAN. I knew it wasn’t really the Disney stork as it didn’t have a Disney trademark on it, but I thought it was at least inspired by Mr. Stork, so that was enough for me to add him to my collection!
Once again, I have found a piece of Disney merchandise loose in the wild. In this case, at a Goodwill store in Windsor, ON.
It’s not uncommon to find plush characters at charity shops, but I thought this one was a little bit more unique than most! It actually ties up to form a complete Mater from the Pixar franchise, Cars. But if you pull apart the Velcro strap, the plush widens out and becomes… a Pillow Pet:
The official website has this to say about Pillow Pets: “It’s not one of those regular pillows, it’s a Pillow Pet! Our mission at Pillow Pets is to bring endless smiles to children everywhere. Made of high quality, super soft plush, Pillow Pets are the most precious snuggle pals for you or your loved ones.”
Ready for Snuggling!
They have a wide variety of Disney Pillow Pets that include some obscure characters. Some of the offerings even light up, casting sparkles and stars on the ceiling. There is even a Lightning McQueen Pillow Pet to be a best friend to Mater should you decide to buy him. Mater is only $3.49 CAN, but McQueen will set you back $34.99 US.
Pillow Pets may be precious, but their resale value leaves a bit to be desired!
The first Disney Store opened on March 28th of 1987 in Glendale, California. It reached its peak of success in 1997 with 749 locations operating worldwide. Fast forward to 2021 and the Disney Store shuttered its last location sometime near the end of that year.
Toronto Yorkdale Shopping Centre Location: August 23, 2021
If you want your Disney merchandise fix now, you’ll have to order online or visit a Target Store near you! Or spend thousands of dollars and take a trip to one of Disney’s Theme Parks around the world.
Or do what I did, and buy your own Mini Disney Store and open for business:
Bringing Back the Magic!
I built my own ‘brick-and-mortar’ location, out of plastic, in just over an hour. Of course, I bought this handy kit from Walmart, which made the process so much easier:
This box has what I believe to be a typo. It says, as a tag line: “Build, Store & Disney your MINI DISNEY BRANDS Collection!” Should that not read “Build, Store & Display“?
Back to the construction of my store, when I said ‘easy’, I meant just short of tedious! As you will see in the pictures below, there were a lot of little pieces contained in multiple packs. Sometimes you had to go hunting for pieces as the instructions for assembling something wouldn’t always stick to parts from one pack.
Time to Build!
If you have assembled any Lego sets, you can handle this! But be careful, as some of the pieces are quite small and can be damaged if you assert too much force when pushing them together.
I’ll share my likes and dislikes at the end of this post, but for now, enjoy the finished product:
All Done!
This really is a very detailed ‘store’. You have the cash counter, the line area, a Princess Castle, and many shelves to stock your Disney Mini Brands onto. The fun factor here is off the charts! I added the shopping cart, basket, and some extra shelves, from a different set. But more on that soon.
That was basically my likes. My dislike is that they bait-and-switch you a bit. On the front of the box, you are shown a completely assembled display with every spot on the base filled. But that’s not what you get! No, you have to look on the back of the box to learn that you will have to buy more capsules to find the remaining shelves needed to complete your ‘store’.
Let’s look at that little detail from a financial standpoint. Each capsule costs $12.99 CAN at a local Walmart. They can be as high as $17.99 CAN at specialty shops. I have purchased 10 capsules up to this date at a total cost of $146.79 after taxes. In those capsules I only got one shelving unit! To complete the Mini Disney Store, you will need an additional 6 shelving units. So, doing the math, that would mean that if the distribution of shelving units in capsules remains constant, you would have to spend an additional $880.74 CAN to finish building the ‘store’! A ‘store’ that initially cost only $39.95 CAN.
I’m not doing that.
But you may notice that my store is mostly completed with 4 of the 6 optional shelves installed. How did I do this? Facebook Marketplace to the rescue! I found a lady who was selling a Mini Brands MINI MART display set for just $20.00 CAN. It came with 4 of the shelves I needed, albeit in a different colour from the ones in my set, but for a total savings of $860.74 CAN, I’ll live with that!
Disney is notorious for making loyal supporters fork over extra money once they buy into one of their product lines. Review what happened with the Disney Infinity gaming system for the most relevant example to this post. Just scroll down to the end of the article in the link. Now Zuru seems to be telling Disney to ‘Hold my beer!’ as they force honest consumers to fork over way too much extra money when they are already going to rake in the profits on multiple capsule sales to fill the shelves of these Mini Stores anyway! Not cool, says I.
But let’s end this post on a high note. I recently purchased a Disney Store Cast Member shirt which was worn in the 2000’s at several Arizona locations. Have a look:
You can’t own a Disney Store without the proper attire!
Laura, the lady I purchased this unisex shirt from worked at the Arizona Mills location in Tempe, AZ in 2005. Starting as an Assistant Manager, she worked her way up to Manager of the San Tan Mall location in Gilbert, AZ. She ended her time with the Disney Store in July of 2011 when the location at the Fiesta Mall in Mesa, AZ closed its doors. I’m happy to add it to my growing collection of official Disney Cast Member costuming!
Now for a last look at where I’ll be working:
Stocked and Open for Business!
Many patrons complained that the Disney Store was not as good as it once was when it finally came to its end. I myself found less and less to buy there but still ended up with some awesome merchandise from time to time. As you can see, the selection in my store is also rather limited. I’ll blame the supply chain like every other retailer!
I’m happy to have a little piece of the Disney Store legacy in my home!
If you have noticed Zaini at all it’s likely because of these licensed chocolate eggs featuring some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Each egg has a little plastic toy inside. But if you click the link to their official site, you’ll learn that they have been serious about chocolate since 1913!
By comparison, Toy Story 4 has only been around since 2019.
These eggs are sort of Kinder Surprise knockoffs, but they get the job done. Each has a respectable amount of tasty chocolate and the obligatory plastic toy.
Let’s crack this one open and see what we have:
The quality of the toys is about what you would expect for something that retails for under two bucks. They are perfect for little children, but not too little, for some of the toys could present a choking hazard!
Below is a picture showing just some of the characters you may get in this series:
Bunny (voiced by Jordan Peel) was the comic relieve character along with Ducky. They were literally joined together and so inseparable. But my plastic version is playing solo today.
I’ve purchased other Zaini eggs, including ones from the Big Hero 6 series. You can click the link to see what characters I got from that!
The Reaume family has run this establishment since 1954 and it has become an iconic landmark and family destination in Essex County. They serve ice cream, classic American foods, and other treats.
But perhaps the coolest contribution (see what I did there?) is this roadside sign:
After many years of seasonal activity, this sign could use a little TLC, but it still does the job of welcoming visitors along County Road 34!
And just what are we visiting?
I thought it would be more colourful
Okay, that image is an old stock photo from back in the day! This is how it looks today:
368 County Rd. 34 W, Essex, ON, N8M 2X5
I love the painted images of food along the roofline! It reminds me of the dancing food items at the old drive-in theaters.
The Dairy Freez can become quite busy but there is a large outdoor seating area along with an enclosed seating area in the rear. And there is ample parking to the side, next to the giant ice cream cone!
So, what do you fancy?
Reviews about the quality of the food and service are a bit of a mixed bag. The sites I checked when researching for this post had ratings ranging from Worst Place Ever to Best Place Ever. Best to make your own evaluation with your wallet and taste buds! To be realistic, every business has its bad days, but if it can stand the test of time, it can’t be all bad.
This vintage ice cream stand is open seasonally from late March to the last Sunday in October.
Now that should get ‘er done! In the early days of automotive design and fabrication, things were more industrial. How something looked took a back seat to making it work as inexpensively as possible. And so, we have the fully exposed it-could-rip-your-fingers-off chain drive transmission:
So back in the day this wouldn’t have been considered pretty or photo worthy. But a few weeks ago, while I was attending the Old Car Festival in Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum, it caught my eye!
I like how the red pops and that the chain draws you into the back of the picture. I angled the camera to give the image a little more interest.
Disleelandia 