Category Archives: Disney Collectibles

Disney Collectibles – No Dwarf Left Behind

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1950's Vinyl Doc from Snow WhiteDon’t ask me how we ended up with such a wide array and volume of items in our (mostly Joseph’s) Disneyana collection.  I adore the lunch boxes, comic books, and record albums.  The books, watches, and mugs – yes, I totally get why we have all of those.  I understand the attraction of every single lovingly curated item…except one.

Several years ago, it seems, a well-worn, somewhat faded and tired lone figure made its way into the collection.  Still bearing his antique store price tag, this bespectacled gentleman seems to have joined our menagerie for a solid $4.  He seems a bit lost, a tad lonely, and a lot dirty but was once a part of something really special.  As it turns out, our little vinyl Doc figurine was actually manufactured in the late 1950’s and, predictably, was part of a complete set of 8 characters.  (See the original set here.)  I feel certain Doc took up residence in our home after Joseph spotted him in one of his favorite stores and, a lone Dwarf, without his friends, could not be left behind.Doc from Snow White 1950's Vinyl Figurine

Touting the features of purchasing this set of toys, the original box read, “Walt Disney’s Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs. Entire Doll and Dwarfs Made of Miracle Vinyl. Washable Rooted Hair. Finest Details of Face, Hands, and Body Ever Achieved. Completely Unbreakable from Head to Toe.”

I pass by Doc on the curio shelf where he resides many times a day – usually without notice.  This weekend, though, I had Snow White on the brain and Doc caught my eye.  I decided he could use a little attention and at the same time, I could satisfy my curiosity about the little guy.

Eighty years ago in 1934, Walt Disney began his serious pursuit of bringing Snow White and the Snow White's Doc Figurine 1950'sSeven Dwarfs to animated life.  He was meticulous in his plans – scrutinizing every detail until he could achieve perfection.  For the first feature length animated film in movie history, Walt Disney was serious about making his dream a success – critics referred to the endeavor as “Disney’s Folly”.  They would be surprised by Mr. Disney’s achievement.  The movie premiered to wildly receptive audiences and is today regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.

Back to our little guy.  In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Doc’s animated character, voiced by veteran actor Ray Atwell (1878-1962), was scripted to be the leader of the Dwarfs – self-important, yet somewhat bumbling.  He turned out to be an adorable, much loved persona who, thanks to a little research, now holds a special status among his curio cabinet companions in our home.

Do you collect any Disney toys or collectibles?  What’s your favorite item?  1950's Doc Doll

Walt Disney’s Jiminy Cricket

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Dell Comic Jiminy Cricket CoverAs a Disney side-kick, you can’t find one much better than Jiminy Cricket.  Sure, he’s a bug, but thanks to the Blue Fairy, he magically becomes an important part of Pinocchio’s life – acting as his conscience, attempting to keep his charge safe from trouble.  If you didn’t love Jiminy in Pinocchio, you have got to at least admit that he’s an incredible narrator for the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular (Magic Kingdom), right?  You think so, don’t you?  GOOD!  Me too!

There are a couple of precious Jiminy Cricket Disneyana items at our house (in the Joseph Green collection).  One is a modern figurine, picked up not that long ago on a Disney vacation.  The other is much older and, I think, pretty unique and interesting.  A 1957 Dell Comic (Four Color #795) featuring the man (insect?) himself, Jiminy Cricket.  He stars in several separate comics alongside some very famous co-stars like Goofy, Captain Hook, Donald Duck and his playful nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.  All the fun and excitement covered by the Dell Comic pledge.Jiminy Cricket Figurine

Dell Comics – “A pledge to parents:  The Dell Trademark is, and always has been, a positive guarantee that the comic magazine bearing it contains only clean and wholesome entertainment.  The Dell code eliminates entirely, rather than regulates, objectionable material.  That’s why when your child buys a Dell Comic you can be sure it contains only good fun.  ‘Dell Comics are Good Comics’ is our only credo and constant goal.” 

You’ve got to hand it to the 1950’s – there was no better decade for wholesomeness!

When Jiminy Cricket first appeared in 1940, he was drawn by Ward Kimball (one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”) and voiced by Cliff Edwards.  When he sang “When You Wish Upon a Star”, Jiminy entered the collective hearts of America and has Dell #795 Jiminy Cricket Back Coverremained there ever since.

Movies, television, comics, video games, books, and in Disney parks – the character of Jiminy Cricket as a symbol of doing what’s right has endured for more than half a century and I, for one, believe his image will continue to live on for quite a long time to come.

How about you?  Are you a Jiminy Cricket fan?   

 

 

More Disney Pin Ponderings

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Minnie Mouse Chalkboard PinYou don’t have to be a Disney pin trader or even a pin collector to appreciate what great souvenirs the right pins can be.  Commemorating a special milestone, a beloved ride or attraction, a favorite character – is easy and relatively economical with Disney pins!

We do like to pin trade – as entertainment versus serious hobby.  We love searching out pin boards and books at out of the way locations.  We also like meeting and visiting with Cast Members as we peruse their pin collections.  Mostly, more than anything, each of us loves to find a pin or two that we…gosh, “connect with” is such a weird choice of words here…find meaningful, I guess, would be more what I mean.Disney Pin - Mickey Mouse Animation

I can’t speak for the rest of The Fam, but I can browse rows and rows of pins in stores and spin those pin display racks for a long time and still walk away empty handed.  Then, once or twice during each Walt Disney World visit, I’ll see a pin that just grabs my interest!  Maybe it’s a particularly cute version of a classic character that I’ve never seen before.  Maybe it’s a double pin set (Doug and Mr. Fredrickson, for example) that is too cute to resist.  Maybe, pins with a certain year on them – seriously, I normally don’t care, but this year was an important year in MY life, so having a pin with the year on it meant more to me.  You get the idea.  I love it when I find a pin I’m sure Raymond, Megan, or Joseph would LOVE and I can buy it on the sly and surprise them with Disney's Hollywood Studios 25th Anniversary Pinit later – sometimes, on rare occasions, I can curb my enthusiasm enough to hold on to a pin until Christmas and slip it into someone’s stocking.

If you’ve never visited the Disney Pins Blog, it’s a really fun place to hang out – even for us casual pin traders/collectors.  I particularly love looking at the upcoming releases of Disney Cast Member pins – I formulate plans for how I may score one or two (or five) on an upcoming trip.

Pins come in singles, doubles, collections, mystery sets, and more.  Currently, though, according to the Disney Pins Blog, the color-coded pricing of general pin stock is as follows:

  • GREEN = $7.95
  • RED = $8.95
  • BLUE = $9.95
  • YELLOW = $11.95
  • PINK = $13.95

Think about it – if you’re looking for an easy to carry souvenir, a keepsake, a memento – for a maximum of $13.95, you can take home something durable – a lasting, timeless piece of your Walt Disney World vacation to remind you, in the years ahead, of a very happy and special time.

For my tips on getting started with pin trading, read this.  For an explanation of Chaser Pins, check here.  Want to make pin collecting into an adventure?  Read this.

Do YOU love Disney pins?  What’s your favorite pin?  What pin do you want to get next?

 

Make Disney Pin Trading an Adventure

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Orange Bird Pin CollectionWe’ve been collecting and trading Disney pins for about 10 years.  On that one visit to Walt Disney World where we first took notice of all the adults and children wearing pin-filled lanyards and saw all the fun and clever pins for sale – well, we jumped right onboard!  Once we figured out how to make pin trading and collecting into a game – like a scavenger hunt, we became even bigger fans!

Yes, I know what you’re thinking – it’s another Disney trick to get you to part with your money – and you have a point.  If you let it, the cost of buying pins can easily amount to a significant chunk of change.  I’ve been to some pin trading events (at WDW resorts and on Cast Member Lanyard - Orange Bird Pin!Disney Cruise Line) and there are people who have spent thousands of dollars and many, many hours accumulating impressive pin collections (I imagine some of them have similar amounts of Beanie Baby or Pokémon items, as well).  All things in moderation is my motto!

Rather than break the bank, our family likes to make Disney pin trading into more of an adventure than a passion.  We each pick out several pins from our existing collection that we’re willing to part with before we leave for Walt Disney World (so we have some to trade away).  We think about any series of pins we have that may be missing one or two pins to complete the set and decide what we’ll be hunting for.  For example – when we were at WDW a coupFlying Orange Bird Pinle of weeks ago, I was looking for the last Orange Bird pin I needed – the “flying” Orange Bird.  Everyone knew what to look for and, like a scavenger hunt, we all looked for that one pin until it was found (by Raymond on a Cast Member’s lanyard in Animal Kingdom). Raymond and Joseph were looking for Jessica Rabbit pins – old or new, to buy or trade – and they managed to find a couple to add to our collection.  Megan just wanted a Frozen pin – any one would do.  This proved the most difficult challenge of all!  After chasing down several leads – most of which were fruitless, we finally found some Olaf pins early one day in Magic Kingdom (I’m sure they sold out later).

Hunting for a particular pin adds another level of fun to a Disney vacation!  Whether at a Disney Olaf PinDisney park or on a Disney cruise, we all get into the spirit of the hunt and, by doing that, we’re able to keep our pin purchases from eating up our entire souvenir budget.

Do you collect or trade Disney pins?  What are your favorite pins to find?

Just getting started with pin trading?  See this post for tips.