America on Parade Metal Tray

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Dis-LEE

The United States of America celebrated it’s 200th Birthday, or Bicentennial, on July 4th, 1976. Disneyland and Walt Disney World started celebrating early starting on June 6th, 1975 and continued to do so through September 6th, 1976. The anchor for the festivities was a spectacular parade that served as a daytime and nighttime extravaganza.

There were plenty of souvenirs created to commemorate the event, such as this metal tray:

If you click on over to our previous post entitled America on Parade Lunch Box you’ll see this very image repeated.

Not much to see back here

Other than some residual glue left behind by the original price tag, there isn’t much to see on the back of the tray.

Disney liked to use strange characters during the 1970’s. EPCOT had walk-around characters with oversized heads that freaked people out, but America on Parade said: ‘Hold my beer!’ Each of the parade performers sported costumes appropriate to the float around which they danced, as well as enormous heads fixed on a custom-built apparatus for support, with the performer looking through the neck. Have a look:

Is it the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse?

The floats were amazing and technical marvels, but these guys? Wow, take a moment to blink, fellas! No wonder some found them a bit unnerving.

FUN FACTS: This parade was a temporary replacement for Disneyland’s and the Magic Kingdom’s The Main Street Electrical Parade. Also, the Sherman Brothers (who had left the Disney Studios by the time of the Bicentennial) were asked to write a specialty song. They provided a tune called “The Glorious Fourth” which was performed during the parade.

Posted in Anniversaries, Attractions, Collectibles, Disneyland, Merchandise, Parades, Theme Parks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Emperor’s New Groove Coffee Mug with Swivel Feature

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Dis-LEE

In the year 2000, Disney released The Emperor’s New Groove, a little movie nobody knew how to take. I loved it! The general idea is that Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder. Hijinks ensue.

“Yay! I’m a Llama again! Wait…” That is perhaps my most favorite quote from this movie. Although there are so many more!

While visiting a local Disney Store recently, we had to make our purchase up to $50.00 in order to obtain a coupon for $25.00 off our next purchase of $50.00 or more. We were less than $2.00 short! We’d been all over the store and looked at everything… or so we thought.

Over in a corner, on a discount rack, pushed almost out of sight, was this:

Let’s start with the Bad Guys

So it became my gift to me. I’m so happy! As you can see, it has some cool concept artwork rendered in full colour, not in the linework of most mugs sporting that motif.

But what really sold it for me was the unique swivel feature: The bottle of poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen specifically to kill Kuzco. Kuzco’s poison. You can spin the bottle and see a Llama on one side and a skull on the other:

But not to be left out or outdone, Yzma just had to put her two cents in and leave her mark on the mug:

Nothing like a Great Quote

And speaking of great quotes: “Squeak Squeakity Squeak Squeaken.” No, I don’t know what it means either.

This mug was released in 2020 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the original release of the film.

If you’re wondering, the mug cost me a little over $10.00 after a discount. So I ended up being almost $8.00 over what I needed for the coupon. So they got me to spend more to save later! Wait…

For more fun with the Emperor, just pull the lever… err, click the link, to see some cool Lithographs, also from the Disney Store.

Posted in Animation, Anniversaries, Ceramics, Characters, Collectibles, Disney Store, Food, Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEW: Walt Disney – His Life in Pictures

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Dis-LEE

Publisher: Disney Press

Year: 2009

Pages: 66

Type: Hardcover

ISBN: 978-1-4231-2105-3

“We wanted to keep him to ourselves.” – Diane Disney Miller

Wouldn’t you? Thankfully for the world at large Walt Disney’s children didn’t get their wish! The man, husband, and father was shared and we all enjoyed a great genius that made our lives a little bit better.

The overleaf tells us: “Through pictures, this intriguing book traces Walt’s life from his boyhood in Missouri through his beginnings in Hollywood, the building of his film studio empire, and the creation of his world-famous theme parks. Much of Walt’s story is told in his own words through excerpts from interviews and films made during his lifetime.”

Walt’s iconic signature in embossed on the hardcover of the book itself but is hidden under the dustjacket. I always look under the dustjacket of a book to see what lies underneath!

The book is divided into decades. This makes it easier to follow Walt through his most pivotal moments. I also appreciate this approach as I feel it gives each reader the chance to focus on the decade when they became familiar with Walt. It is the 1960’s era, with the Wonderful World of Color, that strikes a cord of nostalgia for me.

I won’t show too many pages, although I’m tempted, but instead just feature two spreads that will serve to show the format of the book:

The 1940’s
The 1950’s

The Walt Disney Archives provided the bulk of the images used in the book. Many might be familiar to you, but remember, now you can see them in context as they are laid out chronologically.

The 1960’s

I remember first being aware of Walt Disney only years after his passing. I loved to watch The Wonderful World of Color to see his grandfatherly-like introduction to each show. The portrait above is how I knew Walt and I was unaware that the man I was seeing was no longer with us. It wouldn’t be until the late 1970’s that I clued in and I admit it was a blow to my young mind and heart!

If you had a similar experience, this book will fill in the missing years of Walt’s life and career in an easy to read way that is enjoyable and informative. You can currently buy this book on Amazon for just over $16.00 CAN.

If magazines are more your style, please read my review of LIFE – Special Magazine on Walt Disney.

Posted in Books, Characters, History, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pixar’s UP Pencil Holder with 6 Pencils

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Dis-LEE

A quick trip to the Disney Store added several new items to my collection. My wife and I really enjoyed the Pixar movie UP but have found that it doesn’t always get as well represented in the merchandise department as other Pixar properties. So seeing a large UP display was an unexpected treat!

I love items that are unusual and this Pencil Holder fits the bill perfectly:

Front Side

There are six pencils in the set with each having a cluster of three balloons atop them. Blue, purple, yellow, orange, green, and pink varieties are used.

Front and Back of Packaging

The box is pretty much uninspired so it rests in a landfill now. This piece needs to be out of its packaging and on display!

Right Side and Back Side

Left Side and Top

The main building is 7″ tall with the overall height raising to just over 10″ tall with the pencils inserted. You’ll notice that the house itself (above, right) has three balloons permanently attached to the chimney.

Bottom

Dug Pencil / UP House Pencil / Grape Soda Pencil

Although there are six pencils there are only three stem designs. And in case you were wondering, the balloons are indeed erasers.

For only $16.99 US or $23.99 CAN retail, you just can’t go wrong with this collectible!

Please check out my other cool UP house merchandise! It’s a Cookie Jar. But if it’s writing utensils you’re into, I do have a Winnie the Pooh pen holder, but that will have to wait for another time.

Posted in Animation, Characters, Collectibles, Disney Store, Merchandise, Movies, Office, Pixar | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Large Peanuts SNOOPY Throw Pillow

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Dis-LEE

Although my collection is quite varied, it does contain mostly Disney merchandise. But if there is one non-Disney character that can sneak in and find a place in The Happiest Collection on the Internet, it’s Snoopy!

Hallmark wins again with an excellent piece of licensed merchandise. I have often purchased treasures from this store from ornaments to figurines to… pillows:

His New Bed

Soon we are having a new couch/sofa delivered and it’s grey in colour. So this pillow will add a splash of vibrancy!

You can see another pillow, featuring the Peanuts franchise, that I bought at Hallmark by clicking the following link: Snoopy A to Z Throw Pillow.

Is there any better mascot for a good nap than Snoopy? I think not! When I was younger it was all go go go, but now that I am older, I look forward to having a ‘Z’ over my head!

Charles M. Schulz created the Peanuts cartoon strip in 1950. He contributed to the ongoing content until the year 2000.

You can visit the Official Website by clicking the link.

Last Peanuts Sunday Strip

FUN FACTS: While the interior of Snoopy’s doghouse is described in the strip as having such things as a library and a pool table and being adorned with paintings, it was never shown.

Posted in Animation, Characters, Furniture, Home Decor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sleeping Beauty View-Master Reels with Story Booklet

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Dis-LEE

Hopefully you’ve had a good night’s sleep so that you can stay awake for this post. Because our subject is someone who’s known to have trouble staying awake. And if she yawns, we’ll all nod off!

Walt Disney’s 16th animated film, Sleeping Beauty, was released in 1959 to less than stimulating box office returns. But that didn’t stop Aurora from becoming the favorite princess of many little princes and princesses (and Cosplayers) right up to our modern day!

Also in 1959, the Gaf Corporation released a View-Master Stereo Pictures set with a companion 16-page story booklet. And that is what we will cover now:

Package Cover

This is perhaps the best piece of artwork from the set. Due to printing limitations, many of the pages of the story booklet are printed in one colour: Blue. Which is the same colour as Aurora’s dress (unless Merryweather turns it pink). Every other page is printed in full colour.

Not-so Hidden Out-of-Proportion Mickey

The set contains three stereo reels with seven scenes depicted on each. The back of the package (below, left) contains a brief story description to whet your appetite:

The cover of the story booklet (above, right) is also in full colour but not rendered as sharply as the packaging cover. Still a nice nod to a pivotal scene from the movie.

Below you can read the entire story and see how it fits with the picture reels:

Okay, I just had to break in here and say: That’s one scary woman (above, left)! And they think Snow White had scary adventures!

If you’d like to see and enjoy another great set of reels from Gaf, just click the link to check out my post featuring Disney on Parade.

FUN FACTS: Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather appear in Disney Channel/Disney Junior’s series Sofia the First as the teaching faculty of Royal Prep, the school for the various kingdom’s princes and princesses.

Posted in Animation, Artwork, Characters, Collectibles, Movies, Princesses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jiminy Cricket Wax or Chalk Figurine

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Dis-LEE

I can’t in good conscience claim to know much about this figurine. But when I get in trouble like this and don’t know what information is right from wrong, I give a little click on the Internet and it usually puts me on the straight and narrow path!


Give a Little Whistle if you understand!

I was able to find a very similar figurine from the 1940’s but it did look earlier than this piece. Let’s have a look:

Snazzy Snazzy

Jiminy Cricket is a fictional character created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi for his 1883 children’s book The Adventures of Pinocchio, which Disney adapted in 1940 as an animated film called Pinocchio.

This figurine is definitely rough. The original sculpt wasn’t the best to begin with and time hasn’t been kind.

Hand-Painted Glory

There are no manufacturer’s markings or copyright stamps. So it is pretty much impossible to date our little friend. Unless you turn out to be his type. As for the material it is made out of, it is either hard wax or some sort of chalk, as it is easily scratched. Jiminy is 3 1/4″ tall.

I love finding odd little things like this. They usually cost very little and make an interesting conversation piece when fellow collectors come for a visit!

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

Mickey Mouse Disney Character Tankard Series

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Dis-LEE

When you think of drinking out of a stein or tankard you might think of Germany. Octoberfest is a fun time where beer flows freely and interesting drinking goblets abound! But the tankard I’m featuring in this post is from Brazil.

Many years ago I saw an ad from a gentleman who was selling off his large Disney collection. He had many unique items, but it was this tankard that captured my heart! As you scroll on, I believe you will see why I just had to have this in my collection:

A cute little pose from a cute little mouse!

Even from the side Mickey looks cute… and relaxed.

A nice touch is found on the ‘button’ that you push to open Mickey’s mouth. It contains an image of the Disney ‘D’.

9″ Tall

Say ‘Ahh’!

Notice you can see his tongue! That is so adorable. Although it means you would have to French kiss Mickey to get a drink.

Ceramarte is listed as the manufacturer. They don’t appear to have a website so are likely out of business at this point (?) but you can still Google the name and see countless examples of their fine workmanship!

Further research puts the date of issue for Mickey at 1993 as the second in the series. The other Disney characters immortalized in ceramic were Donald Duck (1992, first in series) and Goofy (1994, third in series). You can see them below:

Unfortunately I don’t own the complete set… yet! Once again: The Hunt is on! You can buy mint condition examples of these tankards for about $50 US on Internet selling sites.

Posted in Ceramics, Characters, Collectibles, Food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disney Store Mickey LEADER OF THE CLUB Sculpture

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Dis-LEE

“Who’s the Leader of the club that’s made for you and me?” Okay, only one guess, because it’s just too easy!

Mickey Mouse has had so many roles over the course of his career that it’s hard to pick the most pivotal one. Is it his first role in Steamboat Willie? Or perhaps his comical turn in Fantasia? But for the generation of the 1950’s, it has to be… The Mickey Mouse Club!

I found this great Big Fig(urine) at the Disney Store. It was one of the liquidation centers for Theme Park merchandise and this sculpture was the last one they had. Now is everyone neat and pretty? Then let’s have a look:

Close-Up

Mickey looks a bit worried in his close-up but gets happier as he marches along!

The beaters are detachable. That way, if Mickey drums a little too long, you can take them away from him.

Mickey is a little over 13″ to the top of his feather, including the base. A great feature of this Big Fig / Sculpture is the base. It has images of the costumes Mickey wore for each of the five days of the week that he hosted the Mickey Mouse Club. Each image appears twice so that they completely ring the entire base.

Fun With Music Day

Each day of the week had a theme. You can see the theme for Monday above. Below the next images I’ll list the other four days of the week and their themes.

Tuesday: Guest Star Day

Wednesday: Anything Can Happen Day

Thursday: Circus Day

On Circus Day Mickey also wears the Band Leader costume. But he carries a trombone instead of the drum. The drum comes from the opening sequence where Donald Duck tries to horn in (hee hee) on Mickey’s celebration.

Friday: Talent Round Up Day

If you’d like to see more about what happens on these days, you can check out Wade Bradford’s Blog where he lists all of the days and includes some images and videos to spotlight the fun. But if you’re going to click over there now… don’t forget to come back real soon!

The Disney Store released this sculpture as a Limited Edition run of 1,955. Again, only one guess as to why that number of works was chosen!

I believe it was offered in 1999. One just sold online for $128.32 CAN. I can’t remember what I paid but it wasn’t anywhere near that much! You gotta love when merchandise is discounted for liquidation purposes!

To see another piece of Band Leader Mickey merchandise, check out this post featuring Disney Dollars!

Posted in Big Figs, Characters, Collectibles, Disney Store, Figurines, Limited Edition, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lightbulb-shaped Table Lamp and Floor Lamp

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Dis-LEE

I’m always looking for something different to decorate my humble abode with. It may be a piece of furniture. It may be a collectible. It may even be a bright red Rocket Ship Lamp. Or it may also be a vibrant yellow Airplane Lamp.

But today, it was a vivid blue Lightbulb Lamp set that made the cut and joined the décor:

Red, Yellow, and Blue

My home is nothing if not colourful. You can learn more about the Zappo DC3 Yellow Airplane Lamp by clicking the link. It’s to the right of the television in the picture above.

I can’t find any information about the manufacturer of this table and floor lamp set. I just know that they are cool…

Table Lamp

If it’s mood lighting you’re looking for, look no further! But if it’s a strong light to read by, then by all means, keep looking.

Floor Lamp

I had an idea that these would look awesome in my home. See what I did there?

The only clue I have about these lamps is from the sticker on the bottom of the stands. They were made in China in October of 2002. When I first saw them on Kijiji (a local selling site) I assumed they were from the 1950’s or 1960’s.

Wayfair has a similar floor lamp on sale now. But it is a clear bulb more reminiscent of the Thomas Edison light bulb, so vintage in style. My blue/purple set is designed in a more Mid-century modern style, or retro, if you will.

Posted in Fashion, Furniture, Home Decor | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments