Category Archives: Disney Collectibles

Metal Ratatouille Movie Sign

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Happy Saturday, Disney Friends!  Today I want to share with you yet another particularly special item from Nick’s Disney collection.  This one drew my eye for two reasons – We also have a Ratatouille collectible at our house and, since we just dined in Remy on the Disney Dream, this awesome item reminded me of what a fantastic time we had!  Enjoy!!!

Metal Ratatouille Movie Sign

By Nick

Raise your hand if you channel surf.
There are channel guides that we can consult to find something we may be interested in, but where is the fun in that? So we surf. And there are certain movies that, if we should happen to encounter them, we’ll stop and watch, regardless of how many times we’ve seen them. Jaws. The Matrix. The Avengers. Star Wars. (Any Star Wars, even the prequels!) Any Disney/Pixar Movie. Those last few probably aren’t a surprise as this is, after all, a Disney Blog.

Recently while surfing I came across Ratatouille, one of my very favorite Pixar movies, and had to stop and watch.
It got me wanting a collectible from the film. I only have one item from this terrific motion picture, a Hallmark ornament of Remy looking at the book, Anyone Can Cook!

I came across a few things that caught my eye on eBay, but then, as the movie ended, and I saw the Ratatouille sign over Paris, I had the idea to go to Etsy, and did a search.

Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find this for $30 plus $12 shipping! It’s metal and measures 14 x 14 1/4 inches.

As you can see, it is very close to the sign in the movie:

Before making the purchase, I consulted with Barbie, as this was to hang in our kitchen, and she immediately gave her approval.

We briefly considered hanging it exactly as it is in Ratatouille, but we decided it wouldn’t have nearly the same aesthetic effect hanging in the kitchen as it would with Paris in the background, so went with just hanging it on the kitchen wall visible as you enter the room.

I’m very happy with this purchase, a wonderful reminder of a wonderful film.

To see more of Nick’s excellent Disney collection and read about his Disney adventures, please visit the Disney Musings Blog and follow Nick on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

 

Press Kit – Walt Disney World 20th Anniversary

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Nick has the most amazing and unusual items in his Disneyana collection!  What a wonderful trip back in time he takes us on with this look back at WDW in 1991!  Check out the ticket prices!!!  If you were around then, what do you remember most about that year? (Oh, and did anyone besides me LOVE Dinosaurs the TV show?  “I’m the baby!”)

Press Kit – Walt Disney World 20th Anniversary

By: Nick

I don’t know where I got this Walt Disney World 20th Anniversary Press Kit. I also don’t remember what I paid for it.  What I do know is, it’s a fascinating look at a very exciting time in Walt Disney World history.

Let’s turn the handle and see what pops up.

Roger Rabbit! A character now sadly absent at Walt Disney World.


Inside is a packet of information, and a small calendar covering park hours for the 3 gates at that time, The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and Disney-MGM Studio from October 1991 to January 1992.



The information included would make anyone interested in Disney park history, drool.

  • An overview of some of the new surprises awaiting guests, such as “Spectromagic” and “Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3-D”.
  • 20 reasons to visit Walt Disney World, such as “Surprise in the Skies” a daytime extravaganza above and around Epcot’s World Showcase, and “Sorcery in the Sky”, a fireworks display at Disney-MGM Studios.
  • 2 pages of Milestones, Attendance Marks, and Attraction Opening dates.
  • Park statistics and employment info. 33,000 employees at that time!
  • Pricing. A one day ticket? $33. 4 day pass? $111. Annual Pass? $190!
  • Personalities available for interviews, such as Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Roy E. Disney.
  • A list of the celebrities that would be in the “Parade of Stars” in the 20 Year Homecoming Celebration at Disney-MGM Studios. Stars such as, Sally Struthers, Art Linkletter, and Eva Gabor!
  • Golf Course info
  • Information about a new concept in family vacationing called the Disney Vacation Club.



And if that wasn’t enough, there is a plethora of 8×10 glossy photographs, with information on the back.

The 20th Anniversary “Surprise” Celebration Parade.



Dinosaurs, I confess, I never ever watched.



Before it was Old Key West, it was the Disney Vacation Club Resort.



Muppets!



I miss Spectromagic!



I had the great fortune to see most of the attractions described and shown here, and I must say, a lot of it is missed. The “Surprise” parade in the Magic Kingdom was amazing, and “Surprise in the Skies” at Epcot was also spectacular. And while I know “Fantasmic” is incredibly popular, I am not a fan of the crowds, and preferred “Sorcery in the Sky” at the Studios.

Also included is a Vacation Guide.



The back cover of the folder.

I hope you enjoyed this trip with me down memory lane.

To see more of Nick’s excellent Disney collection and read about his Disney adventures, please visit the Disney Musings Blog and follow Nick on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

 

Heimlich from A Bug’s Life

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Happy Saturday, Disney Friends!  This week we’re taking a look at yet another amazing item from Nick’s collection.  I’ve always been a fan of A Bug’s Life and Heimlich in particular.  Enjoy!

Heimlich from A Bug’s Life

By Nick


Stuffed Heimlich. Is that a redundant statement?
(See, Heimlich eats a lot, until he’s, you know, stuffed!) Tap-tap, is this thing on?

Today, I share a couple of Heimlich’s from the Pixar film, “A Bug’s Life’, from my wife’s collection. The 1st one is a fairly large stuffed figure.

Obviously it’s from the Disney Store, but I have no other info, as my wife cut the tags off.

This next stuffed Heimlich is much smaller, and has a plastic face.

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Like the bigger figure, the tags have been removed, and there is no indication as to where it came from.

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What, you may ask, is a squishy Heimlich?

This is a squishy Heimlich:

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Heimlich is from Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” released in 1998. While it isn’t my favorite Pixar movie by far, it has a special place in my heart as it was the first movie my wife and I saw in a theater together.
Having this special place made me collect Bug’s Life everything. Heimlich, however, is from my wife’s collection.

What drew my wife to Heimlich the caterpillar? His accent, for one. And his love of food for the other. In fact here he is going in for the kill now!

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He is rubber, and filled with some sort of, well, squishy, material. Sadly, 14 years on, the squishy material has hardened into a ball inside of Heimlich’s belly, and he is not nearly as much fun to squeeze anymore.

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Made by 4 Kidz Inc. for Disney/Pixar.

Here is another squishy Heimlich. This is a keychain. I think. A REALLY big keychain. I have no idea who would need such a large key chain, but, as I don’t know what else the hook would be used for, I’m calling it a keychain.

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Alas, he suffers from the same fate as the larger figure, as he has lost his squishiness.

Also made by 4 Kidz.

To read more about Nick’s amazing Disneyana collection and all his Disney adventures, visit the Disney Musings Blog and follow him on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest.  You can also listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about….well, I bet you can guess.

Headed to Walt Disney World in 2016 for the Princess Half Marathon? The Disney Exchange Podcast will be having a meet-up on Sunday, February 21st! Details will be available on The Disney Exchange’s Facebook Page and also on Twitter. We’d love to see you there!!!

Disney Collectibles – Wall-E Bank

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Finally the weekend has arrived!  I don’t know how your week went, but I hope it didn’t feel as looooong as mine did!  I’m planning to squeeze as much fun as possible into the next two days before Monday morning hits again.  I love my job, but it comes with a certain amount of stress, and during the year-end report season, no small amount of drudgery.  I suppose having one of those weeks is what prompted me to select this particular article for Saturday’s With Nick.  Are you a Wall-E fan?  Then you’re going to love this very special item from Nick’s collection….

Disney Collectibles – Wall-E Bank

By Nick

A few years ago, an unlikely hit, and one of my all time favorite movies was released by Pixar. That movie is Wall-E.
I have a few Wall-E items, and today I’d like to share this Disney Store exclusive bank.

This is a large bank, measuring 8″ high and 7″ wide.

Change slot on the back.

The stopper is in the bottom.

Wall-E is, at it’s heart, a movie about a blue collar worker, who carries a red lunchbox, and after a long day’s work just wants to come home to the woman he loves, enjoy his collections, and listen to a good show tune. Wall-E is essentially about me.

To read more about Nick’s amazing Disneyana collection and all his Disney adventures, visit the Disney Musings Blog and follow him on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest.  You can also listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about….well, I bet you can guess.

Headed to Walt Disney World in 2016 for the Princess Half Marathon? The Disney Exchange Podcast will be having a meet-up on Sunday, February 21st! Details will be available on The Disney Exchange’s Facebook Page and also on Twitter. We’d love to see you there!!!