It's time for more Disney Gallery holiday catalog scans, courtesy of Sue B.! 1999, Prince's favorite year.
I like Mickey Mouse, and I like him as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. But I don't need a porcelain doll with Mickey in that costume! Your mileage may vary. The tree topper is OK, but I like a more traditional star or angel.
It would be something to visit a friend's home and see this "SPELLBOUND" tapestry displayed un-ironically. "This is my Picasso etching, a watercolor by Paul Klee, and my Disney tapestry!". Collectible watches, that was a thing. Probably still is a thing!
Those of you who have met me know that I tend to wear denim jackets. My hair is liberally greased and combed, and I often have a toothpick dangling out of the corner of my mouth. Yes, I am very cool, maybe even cooler than The Fonz. The "charger" (I call it a plate) would make everything taste better, especially balogna sammiches. Those silver medallions are from the Liberty Mint, I'm sure they are legal tender.
One of the things I think about when I look at this catalog is the sheer volume of Disney collectibles that were (are) being produced at all times. SO MUCH STUFF! I could see one of these porcelain villains sitting on somebody's desk at an office - a subtle warning to all who mess with that person.
I admit that the Cruella sweater would look good under my denim jacket (on those colder days, you know). And who doesn't love to bedazzle their outfits with pavé crystals, including Disney character pins? WE ALL DO IT!
In this year of 2023, it would be sort of fun to toast the upcoming New Year with these Mickey Millennium champagne flutes. Should auld acquaintance be forgot...
Remember how so many people were scared of Y2K? Folks were stocking up on MREs, guns, ammo, Pez dispensers (and candy), everything one might need to survive the impending disaster. But the rest of us proudly wore Mickey 2000 leather jackets (and glow-in-the-dark t-shirts)!
I'm sorry, but you can only choose one of these items. Which will it be?? I figure you can't go wrong with 5 troy ounces of genuine silver (with gold select highlights), so that's my pick.
For a while I got caught up in the pin sets that the Disney Store sold, I remember having quite a few. My favorite was the Peter Pan pin set, mounted on a map of Neverland. But I sold them all long ago, along with most of my other modern Disney pins.
It took long enough, but we finally have some Pooh merchandise! By Steiff, no less. Pooh is made of mohair, whatever that is. Is it made of Moe Howard's hair? Like Walt Disney himself, I find myself drawn to miniature things, AND to trains, so that pewter alphabet train is just the thing. I'd need a bunch of extra cars to spell out M-A-J-O-R P-E-P-P-E-R-A-G-E.
THANK YOU, Sue, for scanning and sharing this classic Disney Gallery catalog! We have two more installments coming up.
Major-
ReplyDeleteSo much nonsense. But, to each his own.
Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the 'SPELLBOUND' tapestry bore little likeness to Ingrid Bergman-!
Thank you Sue.
I think I would be hesitant to look inside the Russian lacquer box. Snow White's heart might be in there! Or rather, a stag's heart; isn't that what the Huntsman used as a substitution? Either way.... not pleasant.
ReplyDeleteI DO wear a (faded) denim jacket when the weather is chilly. But I forego the greased-back hair and dangling toothpick. I'm just not as cool as Major P. Also, there are no Disney villains on the back.
On the charger/plate, who is the redhead?
I dunno, I would think that Pez dispensers would definitely go kaput when the calendar clock turns 2000; all those moving parts! Has anybody seen a Pez dispenser since then? I think they all vanished into an alternate universe when Y2K happened.
How nice, the etched glass sculpture is in the shape of a gravestone. Just what every kid needs next to their bed as they try to go to sleep.
Thanks to Sue and Major, too.
Also, Andrew has published a new post featuring old amusement parks.
I'm surprised to see a photo of the TWA Moonliner Rocket, next to that leather scrapbook!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of millennium/2000 items, I have a snow globe (which is the only snow globe that I own) with a "Mickey Through The Years" theme, and a "2000" on top of the glass. It was made exclusively for Robinson-May stores, and it was a Christmas gift from my dad. Wow, how can that be 24 years ago! Seems like it was only yesterday.
JB, the redhead is Madame Medusa, from The Rescuers.
Thank you Major and Sue, for more from the Disney Gallery holiday catalog!
In 2000 I was two decades past my Disney Career...and today...if I was starting my Disney career again in 1979, these items are about to be "1955 Original Disneyland Items"...(to give my POV some context) in 1979 I was hard pressed to find any Disneyland original souvenirs...when I add up the time from 79 to now....I get a little nauseous...and I still don't think I have room for any of these items: perhaps the Pooh Steiff: he's actually pretty cute. When EPCOT first opened there was a Steiff store with many super well done stuffed animals. I bought the little curled up resting baby deer...and where is it now? Who knows. I can see that if any of these items were purchased, it would be "and where is it now?"... I didn't know that "Mickey Millennium" was a "thing"...was he going to shut down too? The Royal Doulton statues are pretty cool...just don't know where it would fit into my curio cabinet filled with all those Precious Moments figurines...? I'd put those as a cake topper for a wedding cake perhaps. Who doesn't love Cruella: I COULD probably rock that sweater...but see that it only goes to a size 24..... so many missed opportunities...in the early 80's I would have gone goo-goo over these things...they do have some artistic merit, but more stuff is more stuff. I'm looking for less stuff please :) Instead of stuff, I'll take cash. Cash always works. Thanks Lou and Sue and Major for initiating my morning!
ReplyDeleteWait - stocking up on MREs, guns, ammo, and Pez was just supposed to be for Y2K? Oh, dear…
ReplyDeleteJB points out the two creepiest items on offer - the lacquer box (the perfect gift for your sweetheart) and the pre-dated headstone.
If I could only choose one item, it would be the Moonliner photo. You didn’t specify that the item had to be offered for sale in the catalog.
All the 2000 stuff here makes me think - unwillingly, I might add, and with a great deal of revulsion - of all of those tacky Y2K additions to the Florida Parks (the Wand on Spaceship Earth and the Sorcerer’s Hat in front of The Great Movie Ride, for example) that took you out of the theme and reminded you you were in a theme park. The fact that the general public didn’t start showing up with torches and pitchforks reinforced to Disney executives that they could do just about anything they wanted and the public would buy it (and, in all honesty, they were right). It took years to get that stuff torn down. I’m sure to some people that EPCOT and Hollywood Studios don’t look right - don’t look “Disney enough” (whatever that means) - without them.
I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but there is something about the as-originally-designed-carefully-crafted-and-curated environments that speaks to me (and probably to you, too, or you wouldn’t be here reading the comments). That’s what makes them special and keeps my interest all these years later, despite what operations and merchandising influence have done to dilute the designers’ intent. And that’s why I get so frustrated when they do things like rip out trees and planters, stuff animated characters into every nook and cranny, and announce a thematically-nonsensical Haunted Mansion exit queue gift shop.
Rant over. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled comments section.
Nanook, ”So much nonsense. But, to each his own.” I think Disney hoped we’d want to own one of each.
Thanks, Major & Sue & Unknown Catalog Layout Artists!
That jacket reminds me that I took the fam to WDW in 2000. The Epcot sphere had a giant Mickey Sorcerer hand and glittering "2000" over it. We bought shirts with that jacket logo, but I don't know what ever happened to them.
ReplyDeleteI like the Pooh Bear. We bought our granddaughter a regular Pooh when she was a baby. When it got lost, he magically found his way back home...and in better condition! Seems he had been at the spa... Thanks Sue! And Major!
Funny, not a single cocktail swizzle stick or beer mat in the lot.
ReplyDeleteThe flutes look like brass knuckles.
Major, you’re right, the silver ingot is probably the only item that held value.
I wonder how many mohs were shaved bald to make that WTP doll?
We saw the Original Winnie-The-Pooh toy bear in the New York Public Library collection. He was pretty bedraggled.
I had some friends who collected Lladro figurines, which I always pronounced as “Llardo”, which might be why we aren’t friends any more.
Thanks Major, I’m going back to alphabetizing my MREs.
JG
@ Chuck-
ReplyDelete"I think Disney hoped we’d want to own one of each".
At the very least-!
"... but there is something about the as-originally-designed-carefully-crafted-and-curated environments that speaks to me (and probably to you, too, or you wouldn’t be here reading the comments). That’s what makes them special and keeps my interest all these years later, despite what operations and merchandising influence have done to dilute the designers’ intent".
I certainly share that sentiment but, among the litany of complaints often heard these days from guests [or former guests] are - 'not wanting to pay big money for 40 year-old attractions...' Yeah... "give the people what they want".
On the other hand, P.T. Barnum knew his audience better: "There's a sucker born every minute" - and the folks in Merchandising and Operations are all too happy to satisfy that weakness - no matter how short-lived.
As is usually the case, the hoi polloi (and the Disney crazies) need to be "told what's correct", as they're unlikely to figure it out for themselves. At one time, no one did it better than Disney. Will Disney ever return to that mantle of expertise-? ...before it's too late.
Nanook, I know what you mean! A lot of this stuff is kind of tacky, although the old Disney Stores sometimes really did have items that I thought were nice. Usually too expensive for me, though.
ReplyDeleteJB, it would be cool if they put a super-realistic stag’s heart inside the lacquer box. It could light up and play “With a Smile and a Song”! Denim jackets are for hoodlums! You should wear a nice velvet pullover like the rest of us. The character with the red hair is Madam Medusa from “The Rescuers”. Pez dispensers are pretty hardy, I bought a gorilla dispenser for my older brother (who partly inspired the name of this blog) maybe two years ago. Ha ha, I did not even think of a tombstone when I saw that glass thing, but it really is just that shape.
TokyoMagic!, hey, you’re right! What’s that doing there? Shouldn’t they have a photo of Gummi Glen instead? Nice that you have that snow globe from your dad, I don’t think my dad ever bought me anything Disney related! Which is OK, ha ha.
Bu, I know what you mean; I found some old ticket stubs from concerts that I went to in the 80s, and realized that those shows were 40 years ago at this point. Unbelievable. One my issues with much of this catalog stuff is that I have decided that I would rather buy one nice vintage item than a new item. There are very rare exceptions, but I do get a kick out of an old gate handout from the late 1950s, and do NOT get a kick out of my Shag Haunted Mansion note cards (even though I do like Shag’s art). Size 24? I don’t even know what that is. Give me, L, XL, or XXL, I can understand those. “More stuff is more stuff”… I always think of the line from “Fight Club” - The things you own wind up owning you.
Chuck, sometimes when I’m feeling lazy it’s nice to have an MRE for dinner. Beef Stroganoff. It’s as if I’m dining at a four star Michelin restaurant! “This Gatorade is excellent”. You are so right about those awful additions to the parks, that dumb wand… I know some people liked it, but in my opinion it is like putting glitter on the Mona Lisa (well, maybe that’s a bad comparison). And the Sorcerer’s Hat, just WHY? Yes, people thought that Hollywood Studios wasn’t “Disney enough”, but there had to be a better way. I have to admit that even now I feel as if the rabid Disney fan will love anything presented to them, no matter how tacky, However, the original DCA shows that at some point even those folks will realize that they are being handed a bag of… well, something bad. There is a part of me that hopes that the Haunted Mansion gift shop thing will be nicer than the concept art makes it look, but… I’m sure it will be lame and unnecessary.
Stu29573, hm, could those shirts be in a box somewhere? Or did your wife sneak them over to the Goodwill? Amazing that Pooh was found and was in such good condition! It’s like when my goldfish died, but then magically came back to life.
JG, I truly wonder if any of the items from this catalog are on display in ANY home in 2023? Or have they all gone to thrift shops and/or attics, gathering dust? I actually didn’t know there was an “original Winnie-The-Pooh bear”, or if there was one, that it still survived. I’m also amazed that it isn’t in a museum in London, maybe the Victoria and Albert. I know someone who has a few nice Lladro figures, a Peter Pan, and maybe an Alice? I liked their subtle colors.
Nanook, there might be some people who don’t want to pay to ride 40 year-old attractions, but clearly there are PLENTY of others who do. I definitely had some major schadenfreude when the original and cheap DCA opened with all of its off-the-shelf rides and minimal theming, only to go over like a lead balloon. And it was almost as nice to see that they eventually put some money and creativity into that park, making it a fun destination. Not the equal of Disneyland, but still worth a visit.
Much of that Millennium stuff was pretty terrible. I remember the cheering when Disney announced the wand would finally be removed from Spaceship Earth.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the tree topper doesn't look like the Sorcerer hat added at Hollywood Studios. I remember the removal of it was painfully slow and Disney's photographers refused to let the torn, half-disassembled hulk appear in any of their photos of guests.
I got married in 2000 and we had some Hundred Acre Wood accessories on our registry for a guest bathroom (soapdishes and the like). It caused some consternation for the people looking for them, since Disney was selling Classic Pooh and Modern Pooh lines at the time.
JG - I saw that display at the New York Public Library, too. I'm not sure how they wound up with it, but it was in a smaller branch, not the famous one with the lions out front.
@Dean, according to the explainer with the Pooh toys exhibit, Milne gave the toys to his NY publisher, and eventually the publisher donated the collection to the Library.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't the real Christopher Robin want his precious toys? As a young boy he was tormented by bullies at boarding school over the fame of the books and grew up estranged from his family as a result. This wasn't mentioned in the exhibit. Its a sad story.
https://www.rd.com/article/real-story-behind-christopher-robin-and-winnie-the-pooh/
We saw the exhibit just this past October in the the famous library in Bryant Park with the lions, must have been moved at some point.
New York is like that genie's Cave of Wonders, amazing stuff wherever you turn.
JG
Dean Finder, In a way I can appreciate wanting to acknowledge the transition from the 90s to the 2000s, but the ideas were so big and clunky. A smaller, more tasteful tribute would have been preferable. Think how much that big Spaceship Earth wand must have cost! They should have given that money to ME. Just my opinion of course. Do you still have any Disney-related decor in your home? Or were the Pooh items just part of “the times”?
ReplyDeleteJG, ah, that makes sense! Still, I’d think that folks in England would be mighty upset that something SO quintessentially British is in New York. I wonder if anybody has tried to get it returned home? I’ve heard that Christopher Robin’s life was not a happy one, and that is indeed a very sad story. I love NYC, though I am often overwhelmed a bit when I am there.
Those champagne flutes would be a pain to wash.
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDelete"...it would be cool if they put a super-realistic stag’s heart inside the lacquer box. It could light up and play “With a Smile and a Song”!
Funny, I was thinking more along the lines of something truly tacky such as Neil Diamond's ode to E.T., 'Heartlight'.
Melissa, just toss 'em into the fireplace after a single use. That's what they do in the movies.
ReplyDeleteIf you're in the mood for more vintage Christmas shopping, check out Stu's new post HERE!
ReplyDeleteMajor - my wife was a fan of the Milne books and the Shepard illustrations, so she wanted them for the house. We weren't particular fans of Disney at the time.
ReplyDelete"...it would be cool if they put a super-realistic stag’s heart inside the lacquer box. It could light up and play “With a Smile and a Song”!
ReplyDeleteOr "So Deer to my Heart."