Mickey and Minnie Wedding Couple Figurine

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Mickey and Minnie might just be the longest holdouts for marriage the world has ever seen! They have been dating for decades. They represent true love but never fully express it in matrimony. So that makes this Mickey and Minnie wedding couple figurine nothing but a bit of wish fulfillment:

Wish fulfillment is the satisfaction of a desire through an involuntary thought process. Wish fulfillment can occur in dreams or in daydreams, in the symptoms of neurosis, or in the hallucinations of psychosis. This satisfaction is often indirect and requires interpretation to recognize.

So are we just dreaming this union?

If Disney ever decided to marry these two two star-crossed lovers, it would be the wedding of the century! Will it happen? Not likely. The status quo must be maintained, and so even Donald and Daisy are looking at many more years of double dates, breakups and make ups.

I have no year of manufacture for this piece, but being as it was made in Japan, it is likely from the 1970s or early 1980s. After that time, most Disney merchandise has been manufactured in China or other countries offering lower production costs.

The Wedding March would be a good way to end this post. But did you know that the original name of the song played as the Bride comes down the aisle is not ‘Wedding March’, but its official name is ‘Bridal Chorus’ or ‘Here Comes The Bride’? This song is a part of an opera called Lohengrin written by Richard Wagner in 1850. Do you remember the lyrics?

Faithfully led, go there,
where the blessing of love may be kept for you!
Victorious courage, mine gain
unite yourselves in fidelity to the Blessed Couple
Fighters of youth, move forward!

Not quite how you remember it? Well, that is the original original version. But you may be more familiar with this version:

Here comes the bride
All dressed in white
Sweetly serene in the soft glowing light
Lovely to see
Marching to thee
Sweet love united for eternity.

Of course, like me, you probably had no idea what the words were after the famous ‘all dressed in white’ line! And I don’t think it’s very common to have the lyrics sung during a wedding ceremony with the song traditionally only being played instrumentally. I can’t wait to hear ‘Here comes the mouse’!

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Disney Movie Club Promotional Stickers

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Do you remember when you used to get an advertising packet in the mail from the Disney Movie Club? They were always trying to get you to buy into their monthly movie (ahem) scam for pennies on the dollar and a bunch of free titles up front. By the time I started receiving these packets, I already owned just about every movie Disney had released! Including many you couldn’t get through the club.

But I did get a whack of free stickers:

This set of stickers is dated 2017 and so features some fairly current characters including some from Frozen and Moana. And who wouldn’t want that sweet Good Dinosaur sticker?!? Again: Ahem.

I never did buy into the program and I don’t think it is around anymore, what with streaming over Disney+ being the preferred way to watch Disney movies in this modern age of technology. I don’t miss the Movie Club, but I do miss the stickers!

Posted in Advertising, Artwork, Characters, Ephemera, Movies, Promotions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bradford Editions Peasant Snow White Bell

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Dis-LEE

The Bradford Exchange has been in business for a long, loooong, time. Maybe you remember them from the dark days of plate collecting? But even though that craze ended, the Exchange marched on in creating decorative merchandise for the masses.

The Bradford Exchange has a foundation of decades of experience and trust in the international collectibles market. Founded in 1973 by J. Roderick MacArthur in Chicago Illinois, The Bradford Exchange was at first known as a computerized trading center for limited-edition collector’s plates (yup, those things you see at every yard sale for a buck now), an innovation that completely revolutionized the collectibles market of that era. The company has been recognized as the premier source for a vast array of unique limited-edition collectibles and fine gifts that offer an exceptionally high level of artistry, innovation and enduring value.

This is a great example of when the Bradford Exchange got it right! The Bradford Editions Peasant Snow White Bell is truly stunning:

There are so many features to this item! The birds, the peasant version of her attire, and the wonderful image of the ‘Happily Ever After’ moment from the movie. With Snow White in her iconic blue and gold gown, I might add!

As you turn the figurine around, you notice what is perhaps unnecessary detail, but you will see patches on the dress. It’s always good when a sculpture gives attention to the back of a piece!

But not just a figurine, this piece is actually a bell! You can see the clapper in the picture above. I can’t imagine using this to summon someone as I’d be afraid to break it.

I enjoy finding unique ways of displaying my collection. When I saw this round shelving unit in a local chain store, I knew it would suit my homes esthetic. That esthetic being eclectic! I like mixing different characters in groupings to spark visual interest. So Snow shares the platform with two dwarfs, a nesting doll, a tin toy, and a miniature Mickey mantel clock (Mickey Mouse, not Mickey Mantle).

If you want more Snow White goodness, check out her stint as a Squinkie. Don’t worry, all of the seven dwarfs and the evil Queen are also there. The Prince who some day came, too!

Posted in Animation, Ceramics, Characters, Collectibles, Figurines, Princesses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Loungefly Eeyore Character Purse/Backpack

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Dis-LEE

Loungefly is a company that produces unique little purses and backpacks in the shapes of all of our favorite IPs, or cartoon characters. This post shows my wife’s latest acquisition, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. My wedding anniversary gift to her for 2022.

I have to admit, I bought this as much for myself as for her! This way I get to ‘have it’ without the embarrassment of carrying it around.

Making sad look cute for decades, Eeyore nails his iconic melancholy persona in this leather interpretation.

What I appreciate about a Loungefly purse/backpack is the level of detailing. The inside is always themed to the character.

The outside usually has some little feature to make it extra special. With Eeyore, his ear and tail swing around into any position 360 degrees of the set point. It’s hard to see in the picture above, but he also has little feet on each side of the bag.

And what would a bag featuring everyone’s favorite blue depressive be without his famous catchphrase: “Thanks for noticin’ me.”

Prices for these bags are fairly reasonable considering the quality and size. They can go for between $75.00 and $125.00 CAN depending on which store you buy from. We paid $90.00 CAN online.

The trend in ladies bags these days seems to favor a backpack style. So this bag can be carried using the small strap on top or by slinging it over the shoulders.

This is the second (of many, I fear) Loungefly purses that my wife owns. To see the other version, that being Dug from Pixar’s movie UP, just click the link. The post also includes some nice Swarovski and Pixar-themed jewelry as well.

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Funko Minis Pixar Shorts Vinyl Blue Bird Figure

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Dis-LEE

For the Birds opens as one by one, a flock of small birds perch on a telephone wire. Sitting close together has problems enough, but then along comes a large dopey bird that tries to join them. The birds of a feather can’t help but make fun of him—and their clique mentality proves embarrassing in the end.

I didn’t know that these little blue birds had names! One is called Bully. He is the ring leader and goads the rest of the flock into picking on the big new comer to the wire. Then we have Chipper, Snob, and Neurotic.

I think who we have in our Funko Minis box is Snob. The one who first starts to make faces to mimic the big bird (not THE Big Bird).

I can’t believe how hilarious this vinyl figure is! Sometimes I come across a piece of merchandise that I just have to have no matter the cost or my present acquisition budget. When I saw this I had to hold in my laughter so as not to appear like a complete tool in the store!

Even the packaging is amazing:

The boxes are hard gloss cardboard with a clear window to display the character. They have nice graphics on each side with a full listing of the available characters on the back. This series is from the Pixar Shorts with two figures being from the Sparks Shorts that are presently showing on Disney+.

But now to the star of our post:

I mean, look at that face!

The level of finish on these vinyl figures is not good. There are many rough edges and bad colour finishing in more than one place. But the overall charm of the characters makes up for that. However, they are a bit below the usual quality of a Funko figure.

To see two more vinyl figures from this series, check out Day & Night from the Pixar Short of the same name.

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Figurines, Pixar, Shorts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disleelandia’s 1,000th POST Extravaganza

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Dis-LEE

“It all started with a toy.”

I think everyone has fond memories of a toy from their childhood. For me, I had a plush Snoopy that I slept with every night. The feeling of comfort and safety that old dog gave me still comes back to me from time to time! And I still have a wonderful Walt Disney World collector coin that my family purchased on our first trip to the Magic Kingdom all the way back in 1973!

In later years, my toy ownership turned to adult collecting, and that collecting eventually came to focus almost exclusively on Disney merchandise. But each person has a different story, a special connection to a toy or collectible from the past, or in the present.

This post compiles a collection of remembrances from some individuals who share my passion for collecting, Disney, and just plain nostalgia! I put a question to them:

HOW HAS A TOY OR COLLECTIBLE IMPACTED YOU?

First to respond was an old friend of mine who used to contribute to this very blog. His name is Nick, and this is what he had to say:

“I bought (a) Figment (ornament) in the early 90s on my first visit to Walt Disney World. (30 years later) the… ribbon came loose, it fell, and shattered. I was upset to put it mildly. (My wife) picked up the pieces and meticulously glued them back together. She painted over the cracks, and it looks better than ever.” He concludes: “It’s more about (my wife) than the ornament, but really, (she is) my favorite Disney collectible.”

It just goes to show that it’s often the connections these items help us to make with those we love that really proves to be their greatest contribution to our lives!

Next, we have the crew of a very fun Podcast named On the Road with Mickey. One of the founders, Mike, is an old friend of mine. We go way back and have collaborated to create many a post over the years. It was a no-brainer to ask him, his daughter and co-host Sophie, and co-host Brenda, how they would answer our topic question.

MIKE: “I don’t have a specific toy or collectible that has impacted me very much, but I do have some things that I consider collectibles. The first is my pin collection, which opened us up to being able to meet new people as we traded with them. That helped in the formation of our Disney community.”

SOPHIE: “Who’s going to tell Grogu that he is a toy? Honestly, out of all of the things that I’ve bought at Disney, I don’t think nearly any of them have had the impact that Grogu has. He is a member of the Podcast, and it has opened connections back to the Disney community.”

Interestingly, both father and daughter have connected their favorite toy or collectible to the Disney community. Whether it’s a favorite character we share, or a passion for a product line or some piece of attraction memorabilia, these simple little pieces of cloth or plastic can certainly reach farther than our wallets!

BRENDA: “Well, I have a lot of stuff, a lot of collections. But the one collectible that I have that impacts me the most is my Partner Statue with Walt and Mickey. It is ALWAYS on my desk, and having Walt on my desk helps a lot with my content creation.”

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can be like lightning, striking quickly and naturally, or elusive, needing prompting and assistance. Could there be a better Muse than the original Imagineer, Walt Disney?

I’d like to thank my friends for helping me to make my 1000th Post a special one! Collecting is, for me, a way to stay connected to my inner child and yes, connected to the Disney community. Hearing stories of a person’s favorite toy or collectible is a great ice breaker!

STATISTICS

How did Disleelandia perform for the year of 2021? Here are some statistics:

Technically at the end of 2021 (but actually on January 1st, 2022) we posted our 1,000th Post

Actually in 2021, we uploaded 297 Posts with over 113,000 Words! That’s a lot of typing!

December 2021 was our best month ever for both Visitors and Views (Thank you!)

We welcomed visitors from 108 Countries with the Top 5 being:

United States of America / Chile / Canada / United Kingdom / Australia

If you’d like to read our Top 5 Posts of All Time, just click the links below:

Marvel Shieldz Circle K Free Giveaways

Book Review: Walt Disney’s Mother Goose

Sinclair Oil Corporation Inspired Dinoco

Disney’s Sing-Along Songs – Disneyland Fun

Book Review: The Walt Disney Song Book

I never know what subject matter will resonate with my readers. A post I put a lot of work into and think is fascinating is received with a collective ‘Meh’ while something I put together quickly and without much thought becomes my most viewed post! This is what has literally happened. This sites top post of all time is about Marvel Shieldz, little paper Pog-like things I got for free at a gas station. Go figure!

CONCLUSION

If you have been visiting Disleelandia for a time, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you! I enjoy sharing my love of collecting with others. If this is your first visit, I hope you will come and visit us again! More treasures from my personal collection are coming in 2022. I also plan to ramp up my presence on YouTube with more regular content there.

So stick around! This is truly my Laughing Place, and maybe, it can be yours as well. Just don’t tell Br’er Bear, he’ll want to come along too!

Posted in Anniversaries, Artwork, Blogs, Collectibles, History, Merchandise, Theme Parks, Toys, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Walt Disney’s Pinocchio Picture Disc Record

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Dis-LEE

Pinocchio was produced in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions and was based on the 1883 Italian children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It was the 2nd animated feature film to be released by Walt and his team.

Initially, Pinocchio was not a box-office success. That’s not to say that it didn’t make money, but it nowhere matched the success of it’s big sister, Snow White. But then, that would have been asking for a lot, really!

But in the end, Disney fans and posterity have come to love the little puppet that wanted to be a real boy, and so we have a wealth of merchandise to choose from in our modern day. One such offering is this Pinocchio Picture Disc Record:

These Disney picture discs can sell for well over one hundred dollars if in mint condition, but normally I see average examples selling for closer to $50.00 US. This example that I have has many issues with the cover sleeve. The record itself is in near-mint. But when buying collectibles, everyone will tell you that the packaging is just as important as the product, so my example takes a hit in value and is worth no more than $20.00 US.

Usually these picture discs contain no more musical content than the original black vinyl pressings. Their only selling feature are the images on both sides of the record. I find that Side 1 of any Disney pressing contains a standard screen capture from a key scene of the movie in question, with Side 2 usually offering multiple scenes arranged in a collage.

This pressing was released in 1980. As you can see from the contents, the record contains the main songs from the movie. This is not a narrated soundtrack giving any of the story.

Lampwick was a character from Pinocchio that couldn’t quite be called one of the puppets truest friends, but certainly one that shared quite an adventure with him! Check out this wonderful figurine of Lampwick that I saw while watching The Antiques Roadshow.

Posted in Animation, Artwork, Characters, Collectibles, Movies, Music, Records, Soundtracks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disney’s Orange Bird Reproduction Pin-back Button

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Dis-LEE

It may only be the size of a quarter, but this Orange Bird reproduction pin-back button is big on cuteness and hugs!

Excuse me?

It’s fun to see the Orange Bird wearing a pair of Mickey Ears! And he has his little leaf wings wrapped around himself. And the ‘Orange Thought’ for the day is: “Squeeze Me!”

Already a bit rusty, this small pin-back button is as cheap as they come. But in the end, it’s still a very nice keepsake!

For more of this character, see the post entitled Orange Bird Vinyl Bank by clicking the link.

Posted in Attractions, Characters, Merchandise, Promotions, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Walt Disney’s Orange Bird Pin on Card

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Dis-LEE

The little Orange Bird is a Disney character first created in 1969 with a debut in 1970 as the mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission. He was created to promote The Sunshine State’s commercial interests in exchange for them sponsoring the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction and Sunshine Tree Terrace at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World.

In recent years, this character has been brought back to the Parks and into our hearts with a plethora of merchandise, like this cute Orange Bird pin:

Think Orange Thoughts

The design is both simple and ingenious! The Orange Bird is just a big orange (yup, what you peel and eat) with leaves for feathers and wings and a basic body to finish him up.

Disney Pin Trading is still quite the thing. While other trends have come and gone, this one has stood the test of time and stayed around to this day. But over the years, the price of buying a pin for your lanyard has certainly changed! There are five colors in the pricing format: Green, Silver, Blue, Yellow, and Pink. Green is the least expensive with Pink being the most expensive. In 2021, this Orange Bird pin would cost you $9.99 US to purchase. But to see how the pricing has changed over the years, please check out this post from the Disney Pins Blog.

I have a nice collection of both vintage and new Orange Bird items. I’m obsessed with the little guy! Check out my exclusive Funko Pop! Orange Bird from the Parks.

Posted in Attractions, Characters, Merchandise, Pin trading, Pins, Promotions, Theme Parks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Walt Disney Presents The Story of Robin Hood LP Record

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Dis-LEE

When we think of Robin Hood, our minds automatically go to the Errol Flynn version from 1938. But this version, The Story of Robin Hood as presented by Walt Disney, is from 1952. This LP Record is from an even later date, that being 1964.

But no matter which version of the archer in Lincoln Green you prefer, they all have a quiver full of fun and adventure!

Let’s start by looking at the artwork on the cover sleeve. This is what made me purchase this LP for my personal vinyl collection. The artist is Paul Wenzel and he joined the Walt Disney company in 1958. In 1968, Wenzel painted Walt Disney’s portrait for the 6 cent U.S. commemorative stamp after Disney’s death in 1966. He was prolific for the company producing numerous Movie Posters, attraction artwork, and Christmas Cards over the years.

In 2000, Paul retired and now spends most of his time painting the subjects he loves, those being animals and American Indians.

This long-play (LP) record is a soundtrack of sorts. It contains a combination of narration, actual dialogue from the film, and music. The most notable songs are The Ballad of Robin Hood and Riddle De Diddle De Day. The latter song is repeated throughout the film as a device to connect plot points or simply to move the story along. The lyrics change with each warbling.

The Story of Robin Hood is the second of Disney’s complete live-action films, after Treasure Island (1950), that was made using British Box Office funds frozen during World War II.

Disney fan and oft-time Disney collaborator Leonard Maltin noted that the film was a “Zesty, colorful retelling of the familiar story, filmed in England by Walt Disney with an excellent cast. Not as personality oriented as other versions, but just as good in its own way.”

1994 saw the release of this film on glorious VHS. A limited Disney Movie Club DVD was released in July of 2006.

VHS has long passed it’s usefulness as a format, but in many cases, it is the only way you can see some of your favorite vintage movies. Not all stories find their way onto newer formats like DVD or Blu-ray. Most stores will still carry a limited selection of VHS players for this reason.

Let’s conclude with a short clip from the soundtrack. It’s found at the end of Side 2 of the LP, and I think it will make a great way to end this post:

FUN FACTS: Lincoln green is the colour of dyed woolen cloth originating in Lincoln, England, a major cloth town during the high Middle Ages. The dyers of Lincoln, known for colouring wool with woad to give it a strong blue shade, created the eponymous Lincoln green by overdyeing this blue wool with yellow weld.

Posted in Characters, Collectibles, Merchandise, Movies, Music, Records, Soundtracks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment