We are planning a trip in September. While at our local CAA office, looking into insurance and such, we saw and purchased some new luggage. But something was missing. Something that would easily identify said luggage as OURS when tumbling around a carousel with hundreds of other bags.
And with a stray glance at a merchandise rack, we found:
Front of Packaging
I’m sure it’s okay that our luggage is not of the American Tourister brand. At least I hope they don’t have people at the airport making sure everything is all matchy-matchy! Hey, the brand we bought was on sale, so who could blame us?
We already have Hidden Mickey Luggage Tags. But if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know I can’t resist adding a piece of Disney merch to my collection!
These tags are made out of a durable heavy plastic. The information card is well protected and easy to read.
Back of Packaging
These tags were only $6.99 CAN each after my Member Discount.
AAA/CAA have some amazing products for sale to cover all of your traveling needs. We have a membership and have always been pleased with their service. And we’ve always found that the people who work there seem to love Disney!
I watched Season One of this series and was underwhelmed. I felt the emphasis for the majority of the Shorts was not placed enough on the story, creating confusing or directionless efforts. The overall impact of the writer’s/director’s vision was unclear or lost altogether.
Your experience might have varied, but I wasn’t looking forward to Season Two. Then it came out… and I’m impressed!
So below, you’ll find a synopsis for each of the five Shorts released with my take on their success. I’ve claimed a spoiler-free review, but obviously some details may slip in, so you are warned! But I don’t think what I present here will ruin a first look at the Shorts.
SEASON TWO EPISODES
CROSSWALK by Ryan Green
“A law-abiding citizen must find his inner strength to cross the street at a light that won’t change.”
This was a very simple concept with a great gag line carried throughout the Short, which just keeps getting better and better as the story moves along! If you’ve ever been stuck at a crosswalk on an empty street, you’ll relate to the dilemma of the protagonist. And be sure to stick around for the surprise ending! RATING: 5 out of 5
GOING HOME by Jacob Frey
“With every visit to his hometown, a young adult starts to face the inevitable: change.”
Tied for my favorite of the bunch (with Crosswalk) this was a touching Short about how life passes by. It’s as close to the greatness that was Pixar as we’re likely to come given the present state of animated films. Why do I say that? Because it will let you bounce along until it hits you in the feels… hard! But you’ll love it. And in true Pixar fashion, there is no dialogue and yet the message is clearly transmitted. RATING: 5 out of 5
No. 2 TO KETTERING by Liza Rhea
“On a dreary morning, a girl learns how the power of laughter can lift her sullen fellow bus riders.”
This Short takes us to England for a ride on an old red Double-decker bus around Kettering (a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located 83 miles or 134 km north of London). I’ll just say that this Short didn’t match my experiences of riding said transportation, and so it fell a little flat for me. I also don’t think the director fully realized her point. She could have focused more on her protagonist for the ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’ presented. But it does have a feel-good ending! RATING: 3 out of 5
DINOSAUR BARBARIAN by Kim Hazel
“Battling evil is all in a day’s work for Dinosaur Barbarian, but what about taking out the trash?“
Do you love the old Saturday morning cartoons of the 1980s? Of course you do! This 2D-style animated romp starts off as an homage but quickly shifts into a modern interpretation of a hero from that era of programming. The director had a theme song created that provides all of the narration for the Short, and she dares you to get it out of your head afterwards! RATING: 4 out of 5
SONGS TO SING IN THE DARK by Riannon Delanoy
“Two creatures living in the depths of a dark cave engage in a battle of acoustic one-upmanship.”
This one made me go: “Wait. What?!?” Definitely the most abstract of the bunch but nicely rendered with some awesome images. That said, you may be left wondering just what you were supposed to come away with. I think I got it… but a few other interpretations may be more appropriate. Is that a bad thing? No. Unless you like the resolution of your stories more obvious. RATING: 3 out of 5
CONCLUSION
This program is designed to give young or new artists a platform to explore story ideas and techniques they may otherwise not have the chance to play with. It’s a good idea, and just may give us some great creators for the future. Given only 4 minutes on average, it’s amazing how much the directors packed into each of these Shorts! I highly recommend that you watch all five of these Shorts. They are more than worth a look!
Many walk around the Disney Parks sporting all sorts of Mickey Ears. Or perhaps baseball caps with images of favorite characters on them. Or one of the extra-weird offerings that can be found in just about every gift shop on property.
But the truly stylish person is going to want something a bit more up-scale. So let’s go back in time to when men always wore hats and when the hat they chose said a lot about the man wearing it.
It Just May Defy Classification
First, we need to know just what kind of hat this is. Is it a Fedora? No, for that vintage hat is always made of high quality felt. However, the style of our hat does share some features with the Fedora, like the brim and braided edging. Is it a Trilby? This hat is sometimes called the Crumpled Fedora, as it is a more casual version of the Fedora. So our hat can’t be a Trilby.
How about a Homburg? A Homburg was worn in a formal business setting. We can’t imagine our hat atop the head of a powerful CEO, now can we? So, no again. Next, it could it be a Pork Pie Hat. It’s close, as the top of our hat is the right shape, but it has too wide of a brim.
We can eliminate the possibilities of it being a Bowler/Derby hat (think Laurel and Hardy), or Top Hat (think Fred Astaire). The shape and material of our hat just don’t match those iconic hats!
One-Size-Fits-AllAdults
The Western Hat is very close. But our hat just isn’t big enough, and obviously, no cowboy ever wore a straw version of a Stetson!
The two hat styles that remain might be the closest. So last we have the Boater and the Panama. Unfortunately, our hat isn’t exactly either of these… either. But if a Boater and a Panama got together and had a baby, it would probably look like our hat!
The Boater is always straw in composition, so there’s that. The shape is wrong, but Boaters are worn by Barber Shop Quartets like The Dapper Dans of Disney Park fame. Our hat comes from Walt Disney World. A stretch, but I’m milking it. Finally we have the famous Panama Hat. This can be made of a straw-like material and shares much in shape and style with our hat, but with some notable differences. For example, our hat has no indentations in the sides.
Just Chillin’
Technically, we have the material of a Boater, with the brim of a Fedora, but with the overall style of a Panama Hat. Trust Disney to favor an homage to several men’s fashion staples of the past instead of just picking one and slapping their name on it! But it’s cool. And that’s enough.
For a look at some more common Disney hats, check out my previous post featuring an assortment of Disney-themed head toppers.
I bet you didn’t know that! Yes folks, the man who reads books upside down and only for the pictures is actually more refined than any of us knew. And now let’s get to the proof.
In the lyrics to The Mob Song from Beauty and the Beast, Gaston sings:
Raise your torch, mount your horse Screw your courage to the sticking place
To this the people making up the mob reply:
We’re counting on Gaston to lead the way
And so on. But it’s only the line ‘Screw your courage to the sticking place’ that we are concerned with. This a direct quote from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, where a conversation between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth goes like this:
Macbeth: “If we should fail?”
Lady Macbeth: “We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail.’
They are talking about their plan to kill King Duncan of Scotland. Macbeth is afraid of the consequences if they fail and are caught, so Lady Macbeth is clearly trying to get him to show some courage, and guts, and get the job done!
But what exactly does it mean to ‘screw’ one’s courage to a ‘sticking place’?
THEORY ONE: It may refer to the act of twisting a tuning peg until it becomes set in its hole.
THEORY TWO: It may refer to the mark to which a soldier screwed up the cord of a crossbow.
Either way, it basically means to bolster up your courage to a level necessary to achieve the presumably unpleasant task at hand.
So the man who uses antlers in all of his decorating may also have a book or two from the old Bard on his bookshelf. Probably right next to his copy of ‘1001 Ways to Kill Anything – Illustrated Edition’.
“Commemorate the Disney Store Opening Ceremony and unlock your imagination with a replica key pin.”
By now we all know that the Disney Store is on it’s last legs. Soon, all of the locations in the United States and Canada will close, leaving only small displays in Target stores and the online shopping experiences.
Every Disney Store started each day with a ceremony that involved a larger version of this key.
You can check out my previous post here to see more information about the Opening Ceremony along with two other collectibles related to the key.
2″ in Length
I bought this pin at the Disney Store located in the Scarbourgh Town Centre in Ontario. The card said the price was $13.99 CAN but when I left the store, I was waiting for my wife, and decided to look at the receipt. It said I paid $17.99 CAN. So I went back inside and pointed out the discrepancy. The Cast Member told me that it was a mistake, and that the price had just been raised but they would refund me the difference. Which they did.
To conclude the story, I said: “So, you’re closing the stores and raising the prices?” All I got was a smirk. Disney has advertised that deep discounts are going to be rolled out soon to help liquidate the remaining stock. But are they going to raise prices first? It might be something to monitor if you have been waiting for an item to be reduced.
Who’s the leader of the Club that’s made for you and TV? Why, it’s Mickey Mouse, of course! It’s only fitting that the character who took children’s television by storm should get his very own television set, styled after his famous ‘Hidden Mickey’ motif.
And equally fitting is that Donald Duck should try to get in on the promotion:
Donald Horns In
In all fairness, Minnie also appears on the packaging. All three seem thrilled to introduce this 13″ television along with the matching DVD Player (not shown, or owned by me). If you’ve ever wondered how a television screen is measured, and how they arrived at ’13’ as the size here, please read these simple steps:
Place the tape measure in the lower left hand corner of the TV screen
Be sure to start measuring where the actual screen begins, not from the plastic frame
Extend your tape measure to the upper right hand corner of the TV screen, diagonally
Record the length between these two corners (lower left to upper right)
This is the screen’s size.
Various Sides of the Box
The features of this television include:
Custom On-Screen Interface with Disney Characters
Front and Rear AV Jacks
Front Earphone Jack
Sleep Timer Function
181 Digital Channel Tuning
Remote Control
M – I – C – T – V
When you attach the speaker ears and yellow feet the television really starts to look like a certain someone. I especially like how the volume and on/off buttons are shaped like the classic Hidden Mickey.
The unit looks slimmer from the side and the back. You can see where the plug can be stored in the body when not in use and the clear plastic strap intended to hold the television onto the DVD player (sold separately).
Installation of Ear Speakers
The speaker ears are easy to install. You simply align the detached speaker in to a slot, swivel the speaker down so the peg inserts into the hole, and then affix them with the screws provided (see pictures above).
The GOAT ?!? (See Muppets from Space)
I’m certain the batteries that came with the unit are long dead! The person I bought this from said he got it on sale when it first came out and never opened it. This television was released by Disney Electronics but was distributed by MemCorp in October of 2003. That’s a long time to sit in a box! But Mickey didn’t have to wait alone. When I opened the box, I found a pretty substantial mouse nest with padding and lots of little ‘presents’, if you know what I mean!
This particular unit was purchased for $139.97 CAN on sale back in 2003 but by me from a Kijiji Seller for just $50.00 CAN recently. On eBay, you will have to pay between $200.00 – $400.00 US for just the television, and well over $400.00 US if you also want the DVD Player.
You could also get a VCR / DVD Combo as well as just a DVD player. Check out both options for movie machines below:
The television was designed to sit on top. You can see the indentations in the tops of the machines where the legs of the tv would fit. The Mickey Feet would have to be taken off of the television. The strap, mentioned earlier, would then be affixed to provide stability.
My first visit to The Vacation Kingdom was in 1972 with a follow-up in 1973. I don’t remember much, as I was quite young, but a few things stood out. Surprisingly, Mickey Mouse was not one of them! Eeyore and being smothered by Winnie the Pooh in a sticky bear hug made the strongest impressions. Well, a ride on the Haunted Mansion didn’t do me any favors!
But the first visit to Walt Disney World with my wife took place in 2007. And that 15-day vacation will never be forgotten! To commemorate the occasion, I purchased this little Mickey keychain to dangle from my camera bag:
5″ of Cuteness
As you can see, he is well loved. I haven’t made it a habit to buy dated merchandise as it becomes irrelevant once time marches on. We did make an exception by buying a pin for each subsequent year. But as for buying t-shirts or spirit jerseys with a year blazoned across the front just doesn’t do it for me.
Mickey doesn’t have much of a butt, does he? I never noticed that before. This keychain has a pretty substantial clasp. This is probably why I haven’t lost him after so many years.
True Story: I had this little guy hanging from my camera bag for numerous visits to the Parks. Every single time a small child would cry out “It’s Mickey!” and point and try to grab him. We had a lot of nice conversations with the families and it’s made for some awesome memories!
Both Sides of Tag
Why is a piece of merchandise with ‘Walt Disney World’ clearly printed on it also labeled on the tag with ‘Disneyland’? I get the dual-Park branding, but at some point, it just doesn’t make sense!
Nice Legs !
Why I bought this Mickey keychain was because of the legs and arms. They are made of a tightly woven cord, or rope. I hadn’t seen many versions of Mickey made like this. I felt that it made him just that much more cute! What do you think?
Publisher: Brenda White / The J. S. McCarthy Company
Year: 1994
Pages: 250
Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-9642931-1-0
“Quality and not quantity will prevail.” – Brenda White
Are you the kind of person who reads a book for the pictures? Well then, this book is for you! Largely an art book, this 250-page tome is filled with beautiful images of artwork produced by the team of Jesse Rhodes, Potter, and Brenda White, Artist.
This particular book was printed as a First Addition in 1994 but carries a personal message and autographs from an event in 1997.
After some acknowledgments and a short introduction, the book is divided into four main sections: Chargers, Pull Toys, Vases, and Tiles. Then we have an informative two-page spread showing the various Signatures and Marks you will find on any art piece that has been produced, and finally, a full list of all products produced up to the date of the book.
First, let’s have a look at
A Charger is a term used by a Decorator to describe a very large plate, often 18″ in diameter. So quite a bit larger than a standard collectors plate from the Bradford Exchange, for example.
Next, we have a series of
Most, if not all Pull Toys, have traditionally been rendered in wood. But following the artist’s preferred medium, these are produced in ceramic.
Third, we have a nice selection of
The artist uses a various selection of shapes and styles on which to render the characters. So far you can see that the characters themselves are simply drawn and coloured, staying true to their cartoon nature.
Lastly, we have
The examples of tiles are found singly, arranged in mosaics, or onto boxes. The mosaics are reminiscent of Mary Blair who did many tile installations for Walt Disney in the 50s and 60s.
This book is a great reference for anyone who wishes to collect the work of Brenda White. How the artist signed each piece is specified in detail, making it possible to identify an authentic piece from a fake. You can see this in the image below:
There are also three pages listing each piece in the book, what page they are on, what Edition they were part of, and the year they were produced.
Starting on a whim that led to a contract with Disney, and later other studios with IPs to interpret, and finishing with gallery viewings and sales in the Disney Store, the career of Ms. White is varied and interesting. I would recommend this book to any Disney Fan who loves to see images of both their favorite characters as well as obscure ones.
Pieces can be found on selling sites for anywhere between $30.00 US and $50.00 US and higher. You can still purchase this book on Amazon for just under $50.00 US. I paid $10.00 CAN at a local Antique Mall.
I’ve had these Memory Sticks for years. I can’t remember where I got them but they are a fun way to carry around some information, pictures, or whatever. They have an 8GB capacity each.
Let’s have a look, and see if you don’t notice something strange:
XOXO or 0101
Did you spot it? Why is Mickey rendered in his old black and white style while Minnie, presumably meant to be a match for Mickey, is rendered in full colour and with a peach flesh colour to her skin?
Mickey Front and Back
These are approximately 1.5″ by 2.5″ in size. Both are made of a soft rubbery material that is soft to the touch. Each has the name of the character on the removable base.
Minnie Back and Front
Minnie gets more colour and design than Mickey. Notice the nice addition of a red ‘butterfly’ or bow over the ‘i’ in her name.
Ready to Upload or Back-Up
Some memory sticks have a swivel feature to reveal the connector while others have the connector extend with a push lever. These memory sticks simply have you remove a protective sleeve to expose the connector.
I recently had my computer Hard Drive crash causing me to lose almost everything, documents and photographs, from 2013 to the present. Fortunately, I had backed up my files and images from 2012 and earlier but still… I’m a idiot! Why didn’t I set up iCloud? I procrastinated. Why didn’t I use memory sticks like these to back up all of my stuff? I just didn’t think of it. Now I’ve had to pay over $300.00 CAN to have a company try to retrieve my data from the old Hard Drive. It may not work. At least I get most of my money back if the retrieval fails. I’ve already spent hundreds installing a new SSD. Sigh.
I like to do things that make normal people go: “Wait, what now?” When I walked into the convenience counter of a gas station and handed the clerk an entire package of Tic Tacs, well, he was taken aback. Perfect! My day was made.
But in my defense… they’re Coca-Cola flavored candies! Buying one 29g pack just didn’t make sense in the grand snacking scheme of things.
Oh YES I did !
The store display has twelve 26g packages in it. One or two of these displays are usually opened in the bigger racking stand with the rest still wrapped in cellophane. You’re meant to take a couple of small packs and leave. So I grabbed an unopened box and headed to the checkout.
Coca-Cola in a pill?
Although there is a bar code on the back of the box it wouldn’t scan. The store never expected anyone to buy so many at once and so hadn’t programmed the cash register to accept it.
Store Packaging – End
This is advertised as a Limited Edition. I hope that doesn’t mean that these will soon be going away!
Store Packaging – Side
The bottom of the box gives me the biggest chuckle of all: Nutritional Facts! For a Tic Tac? Who cares?
Nutrition? It’s Candy!
The ingredients do state that actual Coca-Coal Drink is used to make these little gems. But first, they are loaded with sugar but sadly contain no caffeine.
Taste Review: When you try a product that is meant to mimic the flavor of another product, one is usually skeptical. The copy rarely tastes exactly like, or even close to, the original. But in this case… these are Coke in a pill! They are so awesome there will need to be a wing in every Addiction Centre for Coca-Cola Tic Tac patients. If you love ‘Coke the drink’ you will love-love ‘Coke the mint’!
If you’re a Pepsi drinker… it may be time to consider switching allegiances!
Disleelandia 