Everyone turns into a Foodie at Walt Disney World! There are so many culinary options, how could you not? I thought we’d take a moment and get our taste buds salivating with a look at a couple of menus and some old themed napkins.
First, it’s off to the Old West and the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue… and BBQ:
I’ll have a Heineken, please
Usually Disney is a bit cautious when serving alcohol. But when you visit the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, they are determined to put more Whoop in your Dee-Doo! I ordered a beer and received a pitcher of Draft Bud Light… just for me! And they refilled it! At least I think they did. I don’t remember much about that night.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Cast before entering the Theatre
Before we attended the show, I caught a candid moment with the Cast as they waited to enter the theatre for an earlier performance.
We stayed at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Camp Ground and I loved visiting the Trail’s End Restaurant for breakfast! It was a buffet-style affair which has probably been stopped during the present pandemic. But the best part was the thermos of coffee they bring to your table. I had a refill (yes, I drink a lot of coffee) and when I didn’t finish all of the second one, they gave me a to-go cup! Did I mention I love the Trail’s End Restaurant? Also, they have a take-out counter that serves a warmed cinnamon roll. I may have had one every single morning of my stay.
So from shoveling it in to wiping it off, we arrive at the napkin portion of the post:
Themed Napkins
Do you remember when every restaurant had different, themed, napkins? We loved these and kept many as souvenirs. Is this why Disney changed to more generic napkins? If so, it goes against an idea Walt Disney had about promotions. Marty Sklar told a story about how the bean counters wanted to charge more than a dollar for the Souvenir Guide Books back in the early days of Disneyland. Walt said no, because it was a cheap way to get advertising onto every coffee table in America! That man had some good business sense.
Still fun little keepsakes but not as magical as the old-school restaurant napkins.
So are you all fed up? I mean visually, not with the post or the site! If not, check out these other Foodie Friday posts as I visited The Orange Tree Pub in England for a Yorkshire Pudding Bowl extravaganza you won’t believe, and the Splitsville Luxury Lanes in Disney Springs for an awesome burger.
And just what is a ‘Bagatelle’, you ask? Well, I have the answer: It’s a game in which small balls are hit and then allowed to roll down a sloping board on which there are holes, each numbered with the score achieved if a ball goes into it, with pins acting as obstructions. We would probably more commonly call them pinball games but apparently, we would be wrong.
I have a nice if not small collection of these types of games. All Disney-themed, of course. But this is definitely the smallest:
Happy to be in The Game
Mickey’s ears can be removed. I don’t know if this was intentional so that a child could wear them while playing, or if it was just due to the manufacturing process.
This game was made by the Louis Marx Company, which was an American toy manufacturer in business from 1919 to 1980. However, this particular game was made in Great Britain.
Is that anything like a Baguette?
I always end up learning things when I do the research for the posts on this blog. Who knew that a Bagatelle wasn’t edible?
Not as easy as it sounds!
You get five tries to rack up the points and when you’re done, you better return the balls to the proper place or Pluto will bite you!
Rules of Play
The game originally came with a base clip that held it in an upright position. The instructions say to play the game while it is in a full upright position. I did this but found it a little hard as the balls would jam in the dock. I think having it is a slightly leaned position, as the definition of a bagatelle game states, would make for easier and smoother game play.
For a bigger example based on the Disneyland Resort, check out my earlier post entitled Disneyland Pinball Game by Wolverine Toy. By perhaps I should have called it ‘Disneyland Bagatelle Game by Wolverine Toy’. I have regrets.
The Year of a Million Dreams was a Disney promotion that was supposed to last for one year but ended up spanning over parts of three years. The so-called ‘year long’ celebration began on October 1, 2006 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California. My wife and I attended the event in the Florida Parks in 2008 and got quite a bit of cool swag!
Disney Cast Members were awarding millions of dreams to randomly chosen guests as part of the new Disney Dreams Giveaway promotion. Many of these dreams were priceless experiences, such as private rides on selected attractions, such as:
How cool is that? My wife and I got to ride in our own boat through the Gran Fiesta Tour attraction. We had to wait in line like everyone else though. Another awesome feature of this ‘dream’ was that the back of the voucher was signed by various characters. We were given this by a Cast Member while shopping in a booth just outside the Mexico Pavilion.
Over 418,789 Pin and Lanyard sets were slated for giveaway, but the actual number would have ended up much higher as the promotion was extended. Ours is pictured below:
We also got two Fast Pass Lanyards. We didn’t use any of the detachable tabs for rides as the wait times were surprisingly low. So we kept them as souvenirs instead.
There was no way we were trading these pins! As you can see in the pictures below, I added two pins from the same event, and year we attended it, from the Disneyland Resort:
Donald and Goofy pose the same on the pins from Walt Disney World and Disneyland, but wear different clothing, with the WDW attire being more formal. And the banner and castle on the WDW pin are missing from the DL version.
Tinkerbell is rocking her own pin complete with Mickey Ears and Pixie Dust!
Over 250,000 Mickey Ears were also slated for giveaway, and we got two of them:
Embroidered YoMD Mickey Ears
While in EPCOT, we were called over to a Friendship Taxi dock by Cast Members who told us if we boarded, we would get a special surprise. We got the Mickey Ears above with a voucher to have our names embroidered later. If you’d like to see me wearing mine at the Park, check out this post entitled Disney Trip Splurges That Won’t Break Your Wallet.
Did you visit the Parks on either coast during The Year of a Million Dreams? What did you get? For a complete list of what was slated to be given away, click this link.
Disney Cruise Line has scheduled new cruises starting in June 2021. According to the Disney Cruise Line website, one of the first tentative available sailings is a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas. Will it happen? We’ll have to wait and see! As of the writing of this post, COVID-19 is still playing havoc with the cruising industry.
We went on our first and only cruise in 2015 aboard the Disney Wonder. We enjoyed exploring the ship. But a standout feature was watching movies on the ships funnel:
Me Funnel. You Jane.
I believe we also saw Mary Poppins during an evening showing. That was amazing! Have you cruised with Disney? If so, what was your favorite part? Please let us know in the comments section below!
FUN FACTS: A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They are also commonly referred to as stacks. Most cruise ships only need one but have two or more. Why? For looks, of course! In the case of Disney, the second one houses a club for teenagers. If you’d like more information about the fascinating history of funnels (and who doesn’t?) you can check out the article Some Cruise Ship Funnels Have Wings by Emma Cruises. Don’t worry, there are lots of pictures!
There’s nothing like a ride down Main Street USA! Especially if it’s with your best gal in a vintage automobile. And if the ride ends with a candy treat… all the better!
This great collectible tin was filled with yummy taffy and features many fun scenes from some iconic attractions in Walt Disney World. Let’s have a look:
The tin itself measures 8″ long by 6″ deep by 5″ high. I’m thinking that makes a lot of room for taffy!
Top or Lid Scene
The top of the tin features Mickey and Minnie on a dapper drive with Lady along for the ride. I don’t think the buildings and castle in the background are accurately placed, but it looks good! Now let’s have a look at the attraction-based panels of the tin:
Daisy, Donald, and Goofy visit the Haunted Mansion while Mickey takes a rocket flight over Space Mountain.
Goofy, Donald, and Daisy move on to enjoy a more folksy afternoon in Frontierland as they chat it up with the Liberty Belle in the background. And on the last panel, it looks like Br’er Rabbit has fooled Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear into plunging into the briar patch!
Unfortunately, the tin is empty, and was when I found it. But the sticker on the bottom is how I learned what I was missing! At least I now know the ingredients and so can make my own taffy. Which is not going to happen!
These tins make great receptacles for keepsakes after the treats are gone and can bring back fond memories of a past Disney vacation.
For a truly wonderful and potentially dangerous candy in a unique Muppets tin, check out our previous post entitled Jim Henson’s Muppets Sour Puckers Tin. After reading the contents of the post, Beaker was heard to say: “Mee Mee (bleah) Mee!” We’re taking that as a positive endorsement.
Up is a 2009 computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The film centers on an elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) and an earnest boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai) and the journey of friendship they have together. To kick off the movie, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and sets off to fulfill his dream to see the wilds of South America while completing a promise made to his late wife, Ellie. Ah, Ellie! Cue the tissues here.
The Grape Soda Bottle Top pin badge represents a touching moment in the movie where Ellie gives Carl a special badge which really begins their life-long journey together. You can just see that this was going to be the romance of the ages when little Ellie said to little Carl: “You don’t talk much… I like you!” But as we know, not every plan goes, well, as planned! Ellie passes away and Carl must deal with the regrets in his life. Cue more tissues here.
But along comes Russell, the ever-eager Wilderness Explorer, and everything goes Up from there!
This keepsake was available through the old Disney Movie Rewards site. I don’t remember how many points I had to redeem to obtain it, but it was worth it! There just doesn’t seem to be the same quality of rewards since the site changed. Do you agree?
The packaging is cool and we keep the badge in the box instead of wearing it. But maybe we will pin it on some day when we have a special occasion.
The badge itself is quite heavy and so would actually pull on your shirt if you did wear it.
This badge is of a pin-back type, so the safety pin at the top is just for show to better represent the actual badge from the movie.
I have posts about two other rewards I redeemed from the Disney Movie Rewards site. One was for a set of Mini Posters, and the other was for some Goofy pintables. Check’em out!
Bullseye is a friendly and carefree toy horse that first galloped into our hearts as a supporting character in the Pixar movie Toy Story 2. He was so happy to see Woody again and has been very loyal to his friend ever since! He will go wherever Woody goes and will do what Woody tells him.
With a loyal streak like that, who better to hide your valuable jewellery!
Does he look guilty to you?
His expression is like that of a dog who is about to be bopped on the nose with a rolled up newspaper for doing a whoopsie on the carpet. But being as Bullseye is a horse, let’s hope that’s not the case. But I digress.
This little keepsake / jewellery / treasure box is a cute way to store a trinket or two. But not much more, there just wouldn’t be room!
He is covered with a cheap felt material and is extremely light. But the level of detail in the design makes him a nice piece to have on a dressing table.
Look what’s inside!
He comes complete with two pieces of jewellery: A star-shaped ring with ‘diamond’ center, and a Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl necklace.
There is a slot in the compartment to hold one ring and space for a few chains or pendants. Once Bullseye’s saddle is closed, you would never know he had a secret inside!
My wife suggested we give this away to our little niece. I suggested we give away our niece. At this point, we still have both.
For more of our nice Disney Bling, check out the link, and for more of our nasty Disney Bling, check out the second link. Either way, you’ll be glad you did!
“Will you be my reader? My editor has sent me on a special mission. I must type this post. I will type this post good! My readers will like me if I type this post good. I am a good blogger! Squirrel!”
You may recognize that playful banter as being reminiscent of the kind of scattered speech from everyone’s favorite dog, Dug. He has a special collar that gives him the ability to talk. Personality wise, he’s a playful, optimistic, friendly, and lovable dog who’s always kind. He likes everybody he comes across (“I have just met you, and I love you!) He tries so hard at following rules but can be somewhat of an airhead at times, making even the most well-intentioned missions go awry. Dug also gets easily distracted by some things, mainly squirrels. All in all, he is a very social dog that many humans would do well to emulate.
Are you easily… Squirrel! Distracted?
This pin is an official Disney Pin Trading release. It has the special feature of being a ‘spinner’, meaning that you can spin the back disc to reveal different sayings.
He doesn’t mention it on this pin, but did you know that Dug is an excellent tracker? You can see one of his tracks, or paw prints, in the image at top right, above.
It takes two black Hidden Mickeys to keep this pin attached to your person. And look at all of those other Hidden Mickeys embossed on the back!
This is my wife’s favorite pin. To learn more about the terminology of Pin Trading (and this is very interesting, trust me!) check out Disney Pin Trading Lingo from the Disney Pins Blog. Or if you’re in the mood to watch a video, check out this charming one from Oh My Disney that begs the question: What if Dug were real?
FUN FACTS: Well, speculation, really. Dug is the only dog owned by Charles Muntz that is not named after a Greek letter. Being as there isn’t a dog named Delta mentioned in the film, maybe Dug’s ‘given’ name is Delta?
FUN FACTS: Would you like to hear Dug’s favorite joke? Here it is: “A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, ‘I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.’ Ha! It is funny because the squirrel gets dead.” Humor is such a personal thing.
The Doorknob is a character specifically created for Disney’s 1951 film Alice in Wonderland. He lives at the end of the Rabbit Hole and is the main entrance to Wonderland.
Now you too can get his help to gain entrance into whatever Wonderland awaits behind any door that may be in your home! I obtained my helpful fellow from a site called Funnylisting and paid $35.99 US plus $6.55 US shipping.
He’s a very cheery fellow and tries to help Alice along her way, as you can see in the still image below from the film:
I’ve had this character replica for at least a month and only now have figured out a way to install it. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy! But it is doable with some modifications to the Lock Set. Also, you won’t be able to use both doorknob character plates, as the inside one won’t fit over the Lock Set handle. More on that as we go through the installation process.
Below is what you will need:
Assembly Kit
Only the two character plates with mouth inserts and two sets of round stick pads (you’ll see them later) are included from the Seller. I had to buy the Lock Set from my local hardware store.
As you can see from the pictures above, the character plates come in two parts, the ‘face’ and the ‘mouth’.
So are you ready to go down the rabbit hole? Before we start, I just have to say that this set of character plates came with no instructions for installation. It doesn’t appear to be compatible with any Lock Set sold in stores. I have had over 40 years of construction experience and even I had to take some time to figure out how to make this work! But I will endeavor to make the instructions found in this post as simple to follow as possible. That being said: Good luck!
Before you can start, you will need to disassemble your Lock Set. You do this by pressing a release pin at the base of the neck of the outside knob. You’ll need a small skewer or screwdriver to do this. Just look for a small hole at the base of the neck. There will be only one.
Once you have pulled the knob off of the shaft, you can install the Lock Set as usual, using the two screws provided. If you’ve purchased a new Lock Set, it will have come with instructions on how to do this. When you are finished, it should look like the images below labeled Step One and Step Two:
Step One (Inside of door)
Step Two (Outside of door)
Step Two above shows the outside of the door with the Lock Set installed without the knob. You can see on the left near the base of the shaft the pin that you need to push in to release the knob.
Step Three
Step Three involves preparing the character ‘face’ plate for installation. Affix four stick pads, one in each corner, and peel off the paper protector to expose the adhesive surfaces (see bottom right stick pad in the image above).
Step Four
Affix the character ‘face’ plate to the door, being careful to leave enough space above the Lock Set shaft. This will enable you to install the character ‘mouth’ piece later. Get it positioned right the first time because these stick pads are strong! Go ahead: Ask me how I know.
Step Five
Reattach the outside knob by pushing it back onto the shaft until the pin clicks back into position. Be sure to line up the security button first (center of knob in picture above). You won’t have to worry about the security button if you have or purchased what is called a ‘passage set’. The security button only comes with what is called a ‘lock set’, such as is found on a bedroom or bathroom door.
Step Six
Now you are ready to prepare the character ‘mouth’ piece. Use four stick pads (not five, as shown in the picture above. My whoopsie there!) and attach them to each other in a tower of sorts. Then make sure the last paper protector is removed, ready for sticking to the door.
Step Seven
Carefully place the character ‘mouth’ piece into the opening left for it in the character ‘face’ plate. Press firmly to affix it to the door. It will be loose, but won’t fall off, and is the only way I could see to install this part. And just like that – It’s done!
Step Eight
Test you Lock Set to ensure that the lock works, the knobs turn, and the tongue lines up with the strike plate in the door frame, just like your Lock Set always has. You can also see that due to the poor design of the product, it sits away from the door. So it looks good head on but not so much from the side. Also, you need to be careful when opening the door, because you can jostle the character ‘mouth’ piece. Over time, this may knock it loose or even off of the door completely.
The images above show how the finished Doorknob character looks on the door. It is awesome and fun, and makes a nice introduction to my Disney-themed office!
As mentioned earlier, you can’t use both character plates due to the design of the Lock Sets commonly sold in North America. I tried to contact Funnylisting to ask about Lock Sets (thinking they may sell one that works with the product) but there was no way to contact them. They don’t seem to have a website per se, with me buying this product from a FaceBook ad.
The website AdScams speculated whether or not Funnylisting is a fake or disreputable business but didn’t reach a conclusive decision. I did receive the product advertised but it did take almost two months to arrive.
My Review: The materials are very cheap. I placed the character plates on my kitchen table for just an hour and they stuck to the plastic covering, leaving a yellow stain after I pried them loose! Again, the lack of instructions will be problematic for anyone with no experience in home renovations or maintenance. It also does not seem to be compatible with lock sets sold in North America. In conclusion, it’s a cute idea with poor implementation. Buyer beware!
Who’s ready to dig right in? We don’t have a shovel for you, but what we do have is a spoon. However, it’s made out of pewter, so you won’t want to shovel any food into your mouth with it. So where am I going with this? I must be hungry.
I have a small collection of collectible spoons from Disney. They make great little keepsakes if you’re looking to take something home without leaving your wallet at the store! Although I would have liked to buy this at one of the theme parks, I had to settle for FaceBook Marketplace:
Disney’s Fab Four
Minnie rests on Mickey’s shoulders as he sits precariously atop Goofy’s shoulders as he… barely manages to stay atop Donald. A ‘human’ pyramid! Likely this arrangement of bodies wouldn’t have lasted long if it weren’t cast in pewter.
I love finding things like this when they are still in the original packaging. If they have the store price tag intact, even better! But this one doesn’t. The spoon is held onto a card filled with Hidden Mickeys. The plastic case opens with a simple latch.
Twist Tie holding Spoon in place
Two twists and the quartet of friends is free! I called this spoon ‘Friends’ because of the characters depicted on it. But really, it would have been marketed simply as a Walt Disney World Pewter Collectible Spoon. I thought it needed more!
The copyright is ‘Disney’ so dating this piece of merchandise is hard. I believe the lady I purchased it from said she had it for over 20 years, so perhaps it was sold sometime in the 1990’s?
Just can’t get enough spoons? Then check out a spoon that actually is a shovel! Yup, I managed to bring my opening ramble back around to the end: The Collectible Mickey Mouse Shovel Spoon.
Disleelandia 