Photo of Mary Poppins' Horse at Disney's Hollywood Studios Florida

This is a photo of Mary Poppins' carousel horse that she rode in the 1964 Walt Disney movie, "Mary Poppins". This photo was taken in September at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. The horse is in a glass case in the lobby of Disney's replica of Grauman's Chinese Theater, and can be seen while standing in line for "The Great Movie Ride". While I don't own the horse in the picture, I took this picture and I thought that you might like it!

Walt Disney World- The Magic Kingdom- GAF Talking View Master Reels Set

This is a GAF Talking View Master reels set of "Walt Disney World- The Magic Kingdom". I received this as a present from Santa Claus back in Christmas of 1972, and it was a memorable gift. As you can see, I still have it! I used to love and listen to this reel, and always hope that someday I'd get to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! Most of the things presented on these 3 talking reels is still present at Walt Disney World today. The only thing that I can think of that is gone is the "Mickey Mouse Review", which went to Tokyo Disneyland a long time ago.

Book: Be Our Guest - Perfecting The Art of Customer Service by the Disney Institute

This is an excellent book called "Be Our Guest- Perfecting The Art of Customer Service" by the Disney Institute. This book discusses The Walt Disney Company's philosophy regarding customer service (or guest service, in Disney speak). It provides great insight into what makes great customer service. I've read this book a couple of times. I even lent it to my former Fed Ex manager, and she read it really fast!

Donald Duck T-Shirt with quote from Walt Disney

This is one of my favorite Disney T-shirts. I didn't buy it to wear it- I bought it to frame it because I like the quote, and the design with Donald Duck. The quote is by Walt Disney, and it says, "The way to get started is to quit TALKING and beging DOING". I think that's good advice! Notice that Donald Duck has a ribbon tied around his mouth, and he looks kind of upset!

LP Record Disney's "America on Parade"

This is the picture-disc long-playing record of Disney's "America on Parade", which was a parade at Disneyland and Walt Disney World from 1975-1976. I remember this parade very well- I saw it a few times, and I remember the commercial on TV. I was able to purchase some of the music from this parade on CD about 5 years ago at Walt Disney World from on of their "Walt Disney World Forever" kiosks. I was able to get this particular record album from my friend Debbie, whose husband worked at Disneyland for years and collected Disney record albums. She sold this to me fairly recently.

If you would like to own this perfect-condition Picture Disc LP of Disney's "America on Parade", I am willing to part with it for $200 plus shipping.

'Peter Pan' Captain Hook Watch by Fossil

This is a watch based on the Walt Disney classic movie, "Peter Pan". It features Captain Hook in a fighting stance. This watch was part of the Watch Collector's Club Series III. The Watch Collector's Club was a series by Fossil and was made exclusively for The Disney Store. This watch is part of a numbered Limited Edition of 7,500 Watches made. This one is number 3087. Captain Hook's arm with the sword is the minute hand. His hook is the hour hand.

Sleeping Beauty Aurora and Prince Phillip Watch by Fossil

This is a Sleeping Beauty Watch featuring Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip from the 1955 Walt Disney classic, "Sleeping Beauty". This is a Limited Edition numbered watch- number 4,744 out of 7,500 made, and is part of Fossil's Watch Collector's Club Series V. The watch was made in Japan by Fossil. This watch came in a very nice, laminated wooden music box with Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip on it, and if I ever sold this watch to anyone, I would keep the music box.

Maleficent Watch - Marc Davis Signature Series Limited Edition

This is a watch depicting Maleficent. It's part of the Marc Davis Signature Series. This watch came in a cool wooden box, which had Marc Davis's distinct autograph on the outside of the box (he died way before this watch was released- so it's only a copy of his signature). This is one of the most beautiful watches that I have. Maleficent was a great villain- one of the best, if not the best, in all of Disney. In fact, as she states and demonstrates in the Walt Disney classic, "Sleeping Beauty", she is "the Mistress of all evil". On this watch, Maleficent holds her now famous magical staff and her pet raven, Diablo. This watch is numbered #1,125 out of a Limited Edition of 5,000 watches made.

Roger Rabbit Watch by Fossil

This is a Roger Rabbit watch by Fossil. It's part of Fossil's Watch Collector's Club Series IV. This is a Limited Edition watch, and is number 1,828 of 7,500 made. Once I was wearing this watch at my job at Fed Ex, and a customer noticed my watch and asked me where I got it. "At the Disney Store, where I work", I said. "I'm working on the Roger Rabbit ride for Tokyo Disneyland at Walt Disney Imagineering right around the corner", he replied. "How'd you like to come over and see?", he asked. "Can I?", I wondered. "If you have a Disney ID, I can get you in", he replied. "I sure do", I said, and we set the date. I must say, that place was really amazing. From the street, you'd almost never know that Disney was there. Once inside, though, I recognized a lot of things that were clearly Disney Theme Park stuff. I saw them building and painting the props for the "Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin" for Tokyo Disneyland. I saw a cobra head that had been made for "The Indiana Jones Adventure" for Disneyland. I also saw the (then) new cars for Disneyland's "Space Mountain" being made. Wow- I got to see all that, just because I worked for The Disney Store, and the guy liked my watch!

Walt Disney Classic Collection Clarabelle Cow from "Symphony Hour"

This is a Walt Disney Classic Collection sculpture of Clarabelle Cow, here featured in Walt Disney's classic cartoon, "Symphony Hour". Here she's playing the violin. Clarabelle was in a few Mickey Mouse cartoons a long time ago. She was recently seen in Disney's, "The Three Musketeers", starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. She was kind of mean in this recent film.

Walt Disney's Peter Pan Watch

This is a watch based on the Disney Classic, "Peter Pan". It features Tinker Bell in the foreground, and Michael and John flying behind her. Peter Pan and Wendy are standing on the minute hand of "Big Ben", which is the face of the watch. This watch was purchased at Disneyland. It came inside a small lunchbox-like container. This watch is number 2506 out of a Limited Edition of 5000. It was made exclusively for Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts.

Beauty and the Beast Watch by Fossil

This is a beautiful watch based on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". This particular watch was made by Fossil, and is number 628 of a Limited Edition of 7,500 made. It's part of Fossil's Watch Collector's Club Series V, where all watches made in this series came inside a beautiful matching music box.

Purple Mickey Mouse Crystal Watch

This is a dark-purple-colored Mickey Mouse Watch. You can see Mickey's face etched inside the crystal. This exclusive watch was a prize to me and my fellow Cast Members at The Disney Store. We won it because we convinced enough people to apply for the now-defunct Disney Credit Card. This is one of my favorite watches.

Mary Blair Peter Pan Pillow

This is a pillow from Disneyshopping.com that I bought 2 years ago. It's based on conceptual artwork that Mary Blair created for Walt Disney's classic film, "Peter Pan". It's a really nice pillow- so good, in fact, that I bought one for my sister Julie, too. This pillow shows Peter Pan at the Mermaid Lagoon with mermaids.

Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh 25th Anniversary DVD

This is the DVD of the movie, "Walt Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh". This movie is actually a combination of 3 Winnie The Pooh movies: "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree", "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day", and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too". This DVD features lots of extras, and it's a deal!

Jose Carioca Sculpture from "Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros"

This is a sculpture of Jose Carioca from the Walt Disney classic films, "Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros". This particular piece was made by Disney artist Jody Daily. It is the prototype for the final pieces that were eventually sold by Disney. Jose is a Brazilian parrot, who smokes cigars and likes to sing and dance.

Casa Mexicana Pin from Disneyland

This is a "Casa Mexicana" Pin from Disneyland. It features Donald Duck as a Mexican musician. This pin is a Disneyland Annual Passholder Exclusive Special Edition of 10,000. Casa Mexicana was a restaurant in Frontierland at Disneyland which had previously been opened as "Casa de Fritos" back in 1955. On October 1, 1982, the restaurant was re-opened as Casa Mexicana. In 2001, the restaurant was completely re-themed as "Rancho del Zocalo". This restaurant has always served Mexican food.

Photo of Pluto taken at the Liberty Tree Tavern in September 2008

This is a photo of Pluto that I took at The Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in September 2008. I went to Walt Disney World for a total of 7 days (over a 10-day period). I decided to dine at The Liberty Tree Tavern because I had never eaten there before, and it seemed fun. It did not disappoint. I was greeted warmly and served a lot of food- I couldn't even eat it all, but it included dessert and a drink! Additionally, I was greeted by Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Chip and Dale. Wow! I recommend this place for dining with or without the kids! By the way, I used Disney's Dining Plan to pay for the meal - it counted as 1 table service meal (for those of you who know what that means).

Disney's Hercules Movie Sneak Preview Weekend Commemorative Ticket

This is a Sneak Preview Weekend Commemorative Ticket for Disney's animated movie, "Hercules". This came with a special Hercules commemorative pin. I bought this ticket from The Disney Store back in 1997. The date of the movie was June 21, 1997. To celebrate this movie, both Disneyland and the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World had a special Hercules parade, featuring the Muses and all the other characters from the movie, including Herc himself.

Book: Mouse Tracks - The Story of Walt Disney Records by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar

This is the book, "Mouse Tracks- The Story of Walt Disney Records" by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar. It's an interesting book with pictures about exactly what the title says. Featured in the book are such famous Disney recording stars as Mary Martin, Sterling Holloway, The MelloMen, Jimmie Dodd, Annette Funicello and Cliff Edwards. This book discusses many of the Disney recorded musical works over the years, including right up to the publishing date in 2006. It's a must-have for fans of Disney music!

Disney Pixar Toy Story Mania Sign at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida

This is the big outdoor advertisement for the new attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, "Toy Story Mania". This billboard was too cool to pass up photographing. The ride is based on characters from Disney/Pixar's hit movie franchise,
"Toy Story". This ride is also at Disney's California Adventure Theme Park at the Disneyland Resort.

Although I live in Los Angeles (very close to Disneyland), I actually rode the Toy Story Mania ride in Florida first. It is a very popular ride- all the Fastpasses will be gone around 10:30AM, so unless you are getting up real early to get one, you can plan on being in line for this one a minimum of 40 minutes, and probably at least one hour. It's worth the wait, though- this is a fun attraction- much more fun than the "Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin" from a few years ago. For one, the technology is way better. It's cool that you earn points by doing different things in each of the rooms that the cars bring you into. In one room, you are throwing baseballs to break plates. In another room, you are tossing darts to break balloons. This ride makes you want to go on it over and over again- it's more fun than real midway games, in my opinion, anyway. I'll bet your kids will agree with me!

Autographed "Designing Disney" Book by John Hench with Peggy Van Pelt

This is the book, "Designing Disney" by Walt Disney Imagineer John Hench, with Imagineer Peggy Van Pelt.


This features some very cool artwork, upon which the design of many Disney shows and attractions were based and built from. In the book, John talks about what Imagineering is, and what an Imagineer does. John worked at Disney as an animator in the beginning of his career at Disney. His artisitic ability and curiosity led him to become one of the premier Imagineers at WED Enterprises, which, years later, became known as Walt Disney Imagineering. John was also the master painter of Mickey Mouse for the Walt Disney Company, and since his death, he has not been replaced as such (although there will soon be a replacement for him).

Walt Disney Imagineering is the master concept, design, and building organization created by Walt Disney himself. It was originally created to design and build Disneyland. Since then, it has designed and built all of Disney's theme parks, resorts and hotels all over the world, including at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Paris Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Tokyo Disneyland Resort. In all, it has built 11 theme parks and the Disney Cruise Line. Wow.

I got this book a few years ago at an NFFC Convention Show and Sale in Garden Grove, California. I got to the Convention a little late, and I saw the table where John was supposed to be, signing his book. I asked the lady sitting there, co-author Peggy Van Pelt, where John was, and she said that he had to leave. He had left her a few signed copies of his book, but she told me that she had run out of those, but she sold me a book and signed it book in front of me. I was a little disappointed, because I knew about John and I wanted to meet him and get his autograph in the book.

About a month or so after that Convention, I read it in the news that John had passed away. I was sad about this, not only for the loss of a legendary Imagineer, but because I had never got the opportunity to meet him or to have my book signed.

After hearing the news of his passing, I decided to pick up my book for the first time and really look at it. I stared at the beginning, and thumbed through the pages. Lo and behold, after turning a few pages, there was John's autograph, right in the book! I couldn't believe it! I don't know if Peggy knew that it was autographed or not when she gave it to me, but I tell you this, I believe in miracles! This book is so good and enjoyable to read and look at- I can spend an hour looking at it and reading it, and never get tired!

Book- A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes - My Story- by Annette Funicello with Patricia Romanowski

This is the book, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes- My Story" by Annette Funicello with Patricia Romanowski. When I look back at the original "Mickey Mouse Club", I know this: I loved every single one of those Mouseketeers, and I know that Walt Disney did, too. However, there is one that stood out above them all: Annette Funicello. She was pretty, that was true- but she had this sweetness, innocence and inner beauty that was so special, it's not surprising that she was Walt's favorite- nor surprising that she got more fan mail than all the other Mouseketeers. This book chronicles her life, right up to the time when she was diagnosed with multiple schlerosis. I wish her the best- she's still my favorite, and I listen to her music all the time!

Adding To My Collection: Platinum Edition Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty DVD

I have recently purchased (from Amazon.com) "Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty" Platinum Edition on DVD. Although I already have "Sleeping Beauty" on DVD (the Special Edition from a few years ago), this new version has things on it that were not on the previous release. Also, the aspect ration is different: the image on the screen is larger, so you can see more movie. The one feature that I really want to get is the walkthrough of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, which was recreated just for this DVD release. Walt Disney Home Video worked with Walt Disney Imagineering to create this "virtual walkthrough", using Eyvind Earle's original artwork created for the attraction at Disneyland, along with a few new surprises.

Napkin from Disneyland's Club 33

This is a napkin from Disneyland's Club 33. Club 33 is an exclusive, private club for members and their guests. It was conceived by Walt Disney as a place where members could enterain their guests in the only place inside Disneyland Park that serves alcohol (California Adventure, by contrast, serves alcohol all over that park). Club 33 members pay an annual membership fee (I've heard that it's about $10,000 per year to be a member). Members also pay a fee for their guest to have dinner at Club 33 (which is by reservation), which includes admission to Disneyland. I have been to Club 33 twice- the first time was for a special "Breakfast with Imagineers" a few years ago, where I met a lot of very cool Imagineers who used to work with Walt Disney. Most people don't know that this place exists. It seems that everybody that goes there steals a napkin (maybe out of fear that they'll never get to go again?)

Enchanted Tiki Room 45th Anniversary Pin featuring Stitch

This is a pin celebrating the 45th Anniversary of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland Resort. This pin features Stitch doing the hula, in hula gear, and a parrot.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition 2008

This is "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition 2008", recently released on DVD and Blu-Ray. This holiday classic has all your favorite characters from the Tim Burton classic film, including Jack Skellington, Sally, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Oogie Boogie and, of course, Zero, the ghost dog reindeer! This version of the classic Halloween/Christmas movie also features a special ride-through of Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion Holiday" attraction.

The Imagineering Field Guide to EPCOT at Walt Disney World By The Imagineers

This is "The Imagineering Field Guide to EPCOT at Walt Disney World" by The Imagineers. This paperback book is published by Disney Editions, and is sold at the Disney theme parks at Walt Disney World. This particular book provides all kinds of information and photos of EPCOT, and tells the story of the theme park from the very beginning. It has all kinds of facts and figures about the park, and tells its story up to its 26th birthday (which was 4 days ago). At a cost of $9.95, this book is a real treasure and a steal for fans of EPCOT, Disney theme parks, and Imagineering in particular.

Adventure Thru Inner Space Virtual Ride Thru DVD

This is the "Adventure Thru Inner Space Virtual Ride Thru DVD", which depicts the former ride at Disneyland's Tomorrowland. This ride, which was called "Adventure Thru Inner Space", was sponsored by Monsanto. This DVD is a re-creation of the former attraction at Disneyland- and is animated in great detail. The DVD even walks you through the queue where guests walked. I remember this ride very well- I used to call it the "Snowflake Ride" because you get into a vehicle called an "atom mobile" and you watch as you shrink down to the size of a snowflake- and then you continue to get smaller and smaller. Eventually you get down to the size of atoms- and you can see water- H20- as you have never seen it before. Eventually you get even smaller than an atom- so much so, that you can see the nucleus of the oxygen atom. This was a fun ride, very stylized, and educational. It also seemed real- especially to kids, who have great imaginations! After running for years, this attraction, which, in my opinion, was never outdated but was also never maintained, was removed to make way for "Star Tours". This DVD is really amazing, and it's worth checking out. It was not made by Disney; however, I'm sure that Disney knows about this DVD, and I'm sure that it contributed to the idea that Disney has now embraced: to make virtual ride-thrus of their current and former attractions- as evidenced by the newly released DVD versions of "Sleeping Beauty" and "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas". To see more about the DVD featured here, please check out atommobiles.com.

1995 The Disney Store Commemorative Lithograph - The Lion King

This is The Disney Store's 1995 Commemorative Lithograph for the Disney classic film, "The Lion King". In this scene, adult Simba is discussing going back to Pride Rock with Rafiki. This lithograph was one of your "free" gifts when you pre-purchased the VHS video of "The Lion King" from The Disney Store. I actually bought a few copies of the video, so I actually have a few of these lithographs. If you want to buy one for $25 (includes shipping and handling to the US), just let me know.

Pictures from the EPCOT's 2008 International Food and Wine Festival

Here are a few photos from the EPCOT 2008 International Food and Wine Festival. The theme was "Cities in Wonderland", and the background music in Future World was the Alice in Wonderland music soundtrack from the movie.

EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival 2008 Pin

This is a limited release pin celebrating the 2008 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, which began this past Friday, September 26, 2008. I extended my stay at Walt Disney World by one day so that I could partake in this fun event. There are booths set up all over the World Showcase at EPCOT during the festival. You can sample food and wine from different countries from all over the world- even countries that don't have pavillions at EPCOT. The event is hosted by Vanity Fair this year.



This is a nice pin, featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at the festival. This is the only pin that I bought during my 9-day visit to Walt Disney World.

The Art of Walt Disney by Christopher Finch

This is the book, "The Art of Walt Disney" by Christopher Finch. The other part of the title reads: "From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms". This book has been published several times over the years, and has become signifcantly thicker, especially since Disney went through its rebirth in 1984 and has become an entertainment powerhouse. The copy of the book that I have here was published in 1995. The first edition of this book was published in 1973. This book shows the history of Walt Disney and his company. It includes black and white and color photographs of Disney animated and live action films, as well as the theme parks. When this book was published in 1995, the publisher claimed that this was "the only complete, illustrated history of the Walt Disney Company".

Walt Disney World Spectro Magic CD

This is the soundtrack from the fantastic parade at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, "Spectro Magic". This parade is unique to Walt Disney World, and features thousands of sparkling lights, some of your favorite Disney characters, and some interesting looking creatures. It also features wonderful Disney music, along with the Spectro Magic theme music throughout. This parade is hosted by Jiminy Cricket from Walt Disney's "Pinocchio".

Disneyland 50th Anniversary Pin Case featuring Tinkerbell

This is a Disneyland 50th Anniversary pin case, which was sold at the park during its 50th anniversary. It features the Disneyland Marquee and one of my favorite gals, Tinkerbell. On the other side of the case is a Disneyland Mouse Ears logo with a 50 in the center. Disney theme parks are always full of pin collectors, and they periodically have to purchase pin cases to store their pins (some of us have to replace them more often than others). This case kind of looks like a purse, since it doesn't have a shoulder strap like other pin cases that I've had, so it's kind of a girly case.

Disneyland Forever CD

This is one of my ten "Disneyland Forever" CD's. It was made at Disneyland a few years ago. For a time (more than a year, I believe), Disneyland had a machine that you could choose the audio soundtracks of select shows and attractions (past and present). When I discovered this machine, I decided right there on the spot to make 10 of them, and I paid almost $200 that day. I was very excited to get those soundtracks. Since then, I've had one stolen (someone broke into my car- it was full of music from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction at Disneyland). The fact that you could make your own CD, name your CD and that it had the date that your CD was created made the "Disneyland Forever" kiosk one of my favorite things at Disneyland. They eventually took away all those old tracks and replaced them with a kiosk that allowed you to buy full (but old) albums of your choosing- like an old Annette Funicello album, for example, but you cannot pick and choose which tracks you want, like you could with Disneyland Forever. Too bad.

The Art of Disney - Imagination U.S. Postage Stamps

This is "The Art of Disney - Imagination" U.S. Postage Stamps. There are 4 different stamps in this series. One stamp features Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie. Another stamp features Pongo and Rolly from the "One Hundred and One Dalmations" feature film. Another stamp features Mowgli and Balloo from "The Jungle Book". Finally, the last stamp has Princess Aurora with the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merriweather, from the Disney classic, "Sleeping Beauty". Each stamp has the value of 42 cents, which is the current letter rate for postage in the United States. I bought this sheet of stamps today at the post office. I didn't know that these stamps had come out; I was mailing a letter and just went up to the counter just to make chit chat with the clerk. I asked if there were any new stamps. When she pulled these out, I had to buy them!

Euro Disney United Colors of Benetton Shirt from France

This is my Euro Disney United Colors of Benetton Shirt that I bought at Euro Disneyland back in 1993. It's a really cool shirt, and I like it a lot, but I've only worn it like twice- that's why it looks brand new. It was an expensive shirt, even though back in '93 there was a good exchange rate between the French Franc and the U. S. Dollar. As you may know, Euro Disneyland's name was changed to Disneyland Paris a few years ago to reflect the French aspect of the park.

EPCOT's Illuminations CD

This is the CD for the show Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at EPCOT. If you have ever been to EPCOT and seen this show, you will know that it is one of the best shows produced by Disney anywhere. It's a show that will culminate your visit to EPCOT in the best way. Also featured on this CD is the music from the "Tapestry of Nations" parade that used to be at EPCOT. The music from the "Tapestry of Nations" is now played after the "Illuminations" show concludes at the World Showcase at EPCOT. While you walk around the World Showcase to exit EPCOT, you can hear this wonderful music. I always take my time exiting, so that I can enjoy the music and the ambience of EPCOT at its close.

Pillow Featuring Concept Art for Walt Disney's Cinderella

This is a photo of a pillow that I bought from Disneyshopping.com 2 years ago, as a gift to myself. I also bought one of these for my Mother as a Christmas gift. It features concept art by Mary Blair for Walt Disney's classic film, "Cinderella", and depicts the Fairy Godmother turning the pumpkin into a coach. Mary Blair was an amazing artist, and her work influenced the look of many classic Disney films, including "Saludos Amigos", "The Three Caballeros", "Peter Pan", "Alice in Wonderland", and many others. She also heavily influenced the design of the facade of Walt Disney's "It's A Small World" building at Disneyland, and much of the look inside that attraction as well. She was well-dressed, and seemed like a really cool lady.

The All New Mickey Mouse Club Original Cast TV Album (from 1977)

This is Disneyaland Records' "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" Original Cast TV Album. This Mickey Mouse Club, which probably is not known to any of today's 20-year-olds, made its debut in 1977 after Disney had syndicated the original "Mickey Mouse Club" from the 1950's for about 2 years. I was in 7th grade when this new show came on TV for the first time, and, I must admit, I was jealous that I hadn't been able to "try out" for this new Mickey Mouse Club, which, it seemed at the time, had already been filmed by the time I heard that there was going to be a new Mickey Mouse Club. Looking back on it, though (with the help of You Tube), I think that this version of the Mickey Mouse Club was much more inferior to the original 1950's version. Why do I say so? Well, the kids in the MMC of the 50's really were talented and more genuine-acting than this 1977 bunch. They also had the benefit of Walt Disney himself being alive to call a few shots, and Disney had all kinds of talented writers, directors and producers working on that show (which was, at one time, one of the most popular shows on television).



Sure, the new Mouseketeers could sing, dance, and do what they were told, but it just seemed to me that everything they did on the show was a musical number reminiscent of the kinds of dopey CBS Specials that used to come on TV in the '70's. These kids didn't exhibit any of the natural innocence or charm of Walt's Mouseketeers, in my opinion. Those costumes definitely were indicative of the times- Mouseketeers in leisure suits, with wide collars and bell bottoms. The kids seemed too crazy and fake, too. Look at their mouths hanging open on the cover here. Am I still bitter about not being a Mouseketeer? Maybe. I did see them perform at Disneyland at the Space Mountain Stage that used to exist back then, though.

Disneyland Junior Ticket Book Cover

This is a Disneyland Ticket Book Cover for Juniors (age 12 thru 17). This is the back view of the ticket book, which included Admission and 15 Tickets to Disneyland (1-A, 2-B's, 3-C's, 4-D's, 5-E's), plus admission to "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln". Ticket books such as this were eliminated by Disneyland in 1985, when all Disneyland admission tickets included unlimited use of all attractions.

Disneyland Guide Summer 1972 presented by INA

This is the Disneyland Guide for Summer 1972, presented by Insurance Company of North America. This was the guide that Disneyland gave to guests when they bought their tickets at the Ticket Booths. The guide would describe each attraction, and tell you what kind of ticket was needed- "A", "B", "C", "D" or "E" Tickets. The newest attraction in this book was "The Country Bear Jamboree". This guide also listed the food and refreshments, and shops and stores.

Disneyland 50th Cheshire Cat in Teacup Pin

This is a pin featuring the Cheshire Cat from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" inside the golden teacup from the Disneyland attraction, "The Mad Tea Party", which was one of the original rides when Disneyland opened. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, one golden ride vehicle was placed inside each attraction at Disneyland that opened on the same day the Park did (July 17, 1955).

Walt Disney Pictures "Return to Oz"

This is Walt Disney Pictures' "Return To Oz", a second adventure for Dorothy, based on L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books. Pictured is the VHS box for the movie, which I bought at an NFFC Disneyana Convention about 2 years ago. In this movie "sequel" to "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy again finds herself going back to Oz, and gets into some pretty scary moments. Dorothy is played by Fairuza Balk. I had never seen this film until about 3 weeks ago, and it's pretty interesting and scary. It's not a musical like the old MGM movie, though, and it's not trying to pretend to be the MGM movie, either. My cousin told me that it was kind of unsettling compared to the MGM version, and she was definitely right.

Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland USA

This is a CD set of Walt Disney Treasures: "Disneyland USA". This is a must-have disk for hardcore fans of Disneyland and Walt Disney. This set was issued in limited edition (although, it's a very large edition). There's 2 discs in this set, each with 2 programs. First is "The Disneyland Story", which was on Walt Disney's television show, "Disneyland" back in 1954. In this show, Walt Disney introduces the public to his idea of Disneyland, and reveals that it will open in 1 year. Next on the disc is "Dateline Disneyland", which was the live recording of events that took place at Disneyland on opening day on July 17, 1955, and was seen live on television all over the United States. On the second disc is "Disneyland After Dark", where Walt takes us to Disneyland to see some special live entertainment throughout the Park. Finally on disc two is the "Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Show".

The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin (3rd Edition)

This is the book, "The Disney Films", by Leonard Maltin. This is the third edition of the book. It covers the Disney animated feature films, from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to "Pocahontas". It also gives "a comprehensive look at all of Disney's classic films, with discussions of every feature-length movie as well as surveys of the cartoon shorts and TV shows". This third edition was published in 1995, which was the year that "Pocahontas" was released in theaters. This book is a must-have book for anyone who wants to be an authority on Disney, with information about all the films that were made when Walt Disney was alive, and a lot more that were produced after his death. I still haven't watched all of the old classic non-animated Disney films yet, but I've seen most of them. This book is good for thinking of what new films to rent from Netflix or to purchase from Disney Movie Club. In this book, Leonard Maltin reviews all the feature films made by Walt Disney Productions that were produced by Walt Disney himself. He also talks about some of the films that were made since Walt's death. However, Maltin reviews at length all of the films that were made or were in production during Walt's lifetime.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Comic Book 1961

This is "Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse", published by Dell Publishing, Inc. This is issue number 80, from Oct.-Nov., 1961. Notice the cool artwork of Mickey Mouse and Pluto on the cover. My uncle used to read these comics when he was a kid. When I was a kid, I collected them from him and put them in protective bags for safekeeping.