Tag Archives: Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh Bank – Flea Market Treasure

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Happy Saturday, Everyone!  This week Nick brings us another envy-inducing piece from his amazing Disneyana collection.  I love this particular item because it reminds me of the first time I ever rode the Magic Kingdom’s Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  I also love it because it’s perfect and super adorable.  I want one!  Enjoy….

Winnie the Pooh Bank – Flea Market Treasure

We got this great little ceramic Winnie the Pooh bank at the flea market in 2013.

We were drawn to it, like a bear to honey. (Get it? Bear to…moving on.)

Walt Disney Productions is marked on the bottom, which means it was produced before February of 1986.

The gentleman selling it was asking $5. While we really liked it, we felt $5 was high, because it’s missing its stopper and had some chips. I offered $3. As expected, he countered with $4. I was just turning Barbie to ask if she had any single dollar bills, when, to my surprise, the man said, “Okay, 3!” Maybe he assumed we were discussing the price, and were about to walk away? I don’t know, but what I do know is we got a great little bank without breaking the bank.

You can find Nick discussing any and all things Disney in these places:

You can listen to Nick (and Dave and me) talking Disney on The Disney Exchange Podcast.

Who Would Love Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Ride?

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IMG_0907Last time we were at Walt Disney World, Raymond and I took a break from the parks and went back to the Contemporary – he had a massage scheduled at the Olympiad Fitness Center (a birthday gift from ME!) and I, as usual, was starving.  So we had a few minutes before Raymond’s appointment to grab a bite at The Wave (excellent!) – then he went his way and I was, for the first time in my life, on my own at Disney World.

I walked straight to the Magic Kingdom.  The day (end of May) had been a bit rainy and, while the rain had stopped, it was kind of cool out.  I remember I was wearing my favorite Donald Duck sweatshirt (and received lots of random compliments on it from strangers) as I made my way toward the as yet mostly unfinished Fantasyland expansion.  The park was unusually un-crowded.

I was curious – nosy even (shocker that!) and wanted to see the new Circus area since I’d heard a IMG_0874LOT about the animal footprints and peanut shell marks in the concrete.  I wanted to check out what little I could see over the construction walls…I wanted to ride Goofy’s Barnstormer.

A strange thing happened on the way to the Circus – I, all alone at the Magic Kingdom, picked up (unknowingly) what would be one of the last paper fastpasses I would ever obtain.  For The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  Don’t ask me what prompted that – I was on a mission to see the Storybook Circus.  There was just something about the look of Winnie the Pooh – I had never ever ridden it.  I was on my own and feeling like I could do anything I wanted…I wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh.  Go figure.

IMG_0902Walking on, fastpass in hand, I had time to see the ground in the Storybook Circus area with the footprints and peanut-marks in the cement.  I had time to ride Barnstormer – seriously?  TIME?  The ride lasts literally less than a minute! – Great first coaster for little ones, by the way.  You only need to be 35″ tall to ride.  Mission accomplished – time for Pooh!

At the time, I had no idea that the original queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was supposed to be much cooler than the final version.  I thought it looked pretty neat!  Rabbit’s garden, honey everywhere, interactive parts, highly detailed, well-themed.  I was pretty impressed.

No waiting – I played that fastpass – and suddenly, I found myself waiting to board my pot-o-IMG_0908honey!  I think that’s when it hit me that I was alone in Magic Kingdom, but didn’t feel weird or uncomfortable.  Heck!  I felt adventurous.  For many years, I’d been MAD at Pooh for booting Mr. Toad to the curb and was ready to let bygones be bygones and give it a try!

Annnnnd.  It was cute!  Sweet (ha! pun intended) and the characters were adorable.  For 3 whole minutes, I rode along solo in my little honey pot and remembered how much I used to love those Winnie the Pooh stories.  Piglet was always my favorite character – the IMG_1259blustery day story particularly.  Here it was!  All lovingly recreated by those clever Disney Imagineers – All the gang, even Heffalumps and Woozles were there.  It hit me when I saw the small tribute to Mr. Toad himself, that I shouldn’t have been mad at Pooh to begin with.  I’m normally the least-adverse-to-change person I know – why I’d been holding a grudge for years and years against the very existence of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh without even giving it a chance – I have no idea!

This ride is great for all ages, but particularly the very young.  As a beginner dark ride, it’s perfect.  If you grew up with Pooh IMG_1261and friends, you’ll enjoy the different scenes.  The little kiddos will like the queue, the ride vehicles, and the colorful characters along the journey.  Who would love Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Ride?  I would!  You will!  And so will your children.

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Disney Collectibles – Lunchboxes

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As a family, we hoard collect things.  As Disney People, we tend to collect Disney things in particular.

As far as Disney collecting goes, Raymond favors pins and watches, Megan, clothes and purses, I like Disney kitchen and home goods and Joseph – well, Joe’s a collector of a different sort.

Disney Collectibles – Lunchboxes

Joseph can best be described as an “old soul”.  He sprang from the womb as a wise and worldly little guy with a particular passion for antiques.  This took a bit of adjustment on our part – as a mother, who really expects their four year old to kiss them on the forehead and say, “You’re a lovely girl”?  Or ASK to go antique shopping in the first grade?  Joe was an American Picker long before we’d ever heard of Mike or Frank or Antique Archaeology.  Once our little antique collector could read, Raymond taught Joseph how to search for items on ebay and, with a little adult supervision, bid on treasures he was interested in owning.  Most of the time, that meant Disney collectibles.

Among his first ebay purchases, Joseph chose (over several months) four Disney lunchboxes.  To a guy born in 1995, cool stuff from the ’70’s was really old!  I believe the price heIMG_2219 paid for each was in the $8 to $10 range and the lunchboxes were all missing their thermoses.  I had quite a time explaining how brokenhearted a grade-schooler in the ’60’s and ’70’s was when their thermos shattered, ruining the hot soup or cold milk accompanying their sandwich that day – seized by a teacher when the telltale rattle was heard from inside the thermos’s broken interior – and coldly, unceremoniously, chucked in the trash.  The sadness was nearly indescribable.  Yes, why indeed, did they allow children to carry liquids to school in such a fragile container – covered in beloved cartoon characters?  I didn’t have a satisfactory answer for that.

IMG_2226The oldest in Joe’s collection is the Jungle Book lunchbox.  Dating from 1968, it features Baloo and King Louie with Mowgli and Shanti (originally called only “The Girl” until Jungle Book 2) and some monkeys on the top.  Baloo, Mowgli, Shanti, and Bagheera on the bottom.  It’s a little dented and scratched, but the colors are still bright.  Really, it looks pretty good for 45 years old!

Next in age, is the Pinocchio lunchbox from 1971.  This one’s the most worn, but still has good colors and detail.  The top features Pinocchio and Jiminy CricketIMG_2218 heading off to school.  The bottom features a very angry Monstro, the whale that swallows Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo in the movie.  Trivia tidbit for you – Monstro was voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft (“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch…”).  On the bottom’s lower left corner, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo are shown fleeing Monstro on a raft.  Cleo, especially, is hard to make out due to wear and rust.IMG_2222

The final two lunchboxes both date from 1976 andIMG_2221 are in the best condition.

The Winnie the Pooh lunchbox features Pooh enjoying some honey and hanging with his buddies from the Hundred Acre Woods (Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet, and Roo) on the top and Kanga joins the gang on the bottom as poor, sad Eeyore hauls a cart of IMG_2223honey jars.

Last but certainly not least, Joseph (wise beyond his years) scored a Walt Disney World lunchbox in great condition.  Mickey and the gang, riding the Disney World Railroad, are featured on the top along with iconic Disney World theme park images (Cinderella Castle, Monorail, Main Street Trolley).  The bottom is the best!  Country Bear Jamboree in all its original glory!  I don’t know about Joe, but this one’s my favorite.  Do you suppose he’d mind if I started using it to take my lunch to work?

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