Thrift Store Disney Glasses

Guest Writer Wednesday

Thrift Store Glasses
By: Gaylin
I don't have much luck out here in the Pacific Northwest finding Disney treasures in thrift stores. Also, I don't have many thrift stores in my neighbourhood. I was in the Salvation Army Thrift Store a few weeks ago and lucked into finding these! At first I thought they were all from the same set until I got home and realized two were from a MacDonald's promotion and the other one from ???

First one is a lovely glass with Pooh and Tigger on it!
Both Tigger and Pooh look quite happy on these glasses!

Next up is one of the glasses from MacDonald's restaurant. I know this was a Canadian promotional product because Cinderella is in English and French. Although it is hard to see (printed in white) there is also a Coco-Cola logo on the glass.
Going around the glass: first up, Cinderella herself.

With the Prince at her feet. (Did you know Cendrillon was Cinderella in french, I didn't.)

 

 Next is Lucifer, looking very pleased at finding Jaq and Gus.

And finally the Fairy Godmother with those helpful birds. A lot of detail on one glass!

The next glass is for Fantasia, which must be spelled the same in English and French as it is only printed once on the glass.
First up, Mickey with the ensorcelled brooms and buckets.

Then the dancing alligator . . . or crocodile?

What every drinking glass needs – a dancing hippo!

And finally all three glasses together, you can see the variation in shape and size from the 2 MacDonald glasses to the Pooh glass.

I thought these glasses were quite the find and they are used every day, I love them.

Disney Animation Collection: Vol. 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk

Sunday, while doing a search for Disney on Netflix streaming service, I discovered they have Disney Animation Collections Vol. 1-5 available! I actually have many of the cartoons available in these volumes on DVD, but the quality of the picture in HD is superb!

I watched Disney Animation Collection: Vol. 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk.

 
It starts off with Mickey and the Beanstalk, which was originally released  September 27, 1947 as part of the "package film" Fun and Fancy Free.  It was originally narrated by Edgar Bergen. The version in this collection is from Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, aired in 1963, and is narrated by Ludwig Von Drake. 

This is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, with Mickey, Donald and Goofy going on an adventure.
The highlight of this, in my opinion, and what I remember being most amused of as a child, is the beanstalk growing scene. It's full of hilarious and imaginative gags with perfectly orchestrated music accompanying it.

Next up is my favorite Mickey Mouse cartoon, the 1938 masterpiece, The Brave Little Tailor. I've written about several of my collectables from this classic, and have many more to come. Past articles can be found by typing in "Brave Little Tailor" in the "Search This Blog" block to the right. I don't think I've ever seen it as beautifully as it is here in HD. Just stunning. I watched it twice in fact!

Then I was treated to an almost as wonderful, certainly in my top 5 Mickey Mouse cartoons, Thru the Mirror, from 1936. Mickey falls asleep while reading Alice In Wonderland, and has quite the dream!
Also included a black and white Mickey from 1934 Gulliver Mickey. Mickey tells a group of young orphan mice a fanciful tale.

Rounding out the set is Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip, from 1940, where Mickey and Pluto try to avoid train conductor Pete, and have many problems doing so! I'll be checking out the rest of these animated classics for sure!

Disney Planes: Storybook Deluxe : App Review

Disney is releasing "Planes" on August 9th, but you can take flight now with the Disney Planes: Storybook Deluxe App, which takes readers to new heights as they relive the film through 41 story screens, read-along text and full narration that re-retells the story of the feature film with original music and video clips from the film.

Created to immerse readers in the world of Planes wherever and whenever, the app features "tilt-and-play" technology that gives pilots a chance to fly as "Dusty" through the story.

These games are pretty difficult for an old timer like me, but youngsters will probably take to them easier! Also, I highly recommend downloading this on an iPad rather than an iPhone if possible, to aid in ease of play.

There are many "tappable" features, so tap on anything that catches your eye to hear character names, dialogue, and actual animation from the film!

Also, as this is a retelling of the movie, if you don't want to know the plot, you may want to wait until after the film's release to read it. 

But in the meantime you can always play the game!

The "Race & Fly" game allows readers to race as their favorite Planes characters.

You can unlock other planes as you advance.

There is also a "Scan and Fly" feature. Once a day, you can scan a "Planes" logo to unlock a plane trading card!

I scanned the logo off of my computer to do so...

...and unlocked a Dusty card! 

Disney “Planes: Storybook Deluxe" is available now in the Entertainment category of the Apple App Store.

 

Also, those who purchase the Planes Read-Along Storybook and CD Bundle – available exclusively at The Disney Store and Disney Parks – will receive the “Planes: Storybook Deluxe” app for free, including four exclusive Planes to fly as in the app’s “Race & Fly” game; a download code can be found inside the book cover and is redeemable on the iTunes App Store.

I'd like to thank Disney Publishing for providing Disney Musings this App for review.

 

Flea Market Find: Winnie the Pooh Bank

We got this great little ceramic Winnie the Pooh bank at the flea market last year.

 

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.

The Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle at Night Desktops

I think the title pretty much says it all!

Disney Character Surprise! : Story Behind the Photo

Left to right: Kandi, John, Barbie, and Nick

By Nick 

In January of 2011, Barbie and I were with our friends Kandi and John at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were just leaving the park for the afternoon, when Barbie asked a Cast Member to see her pins. Barbie spotted a Stitch pin and asked to trade. As the Cast Member was handing her the pin, she asked if she liked Stitch.

Barbie said he was her favorite, to which the CM responded "Follow me."

We all followed her to a little cul-de-sac by Guest Services, where she asked us to wait a moment.
A couple of minutes later, Stitch peeked out from behind a corner!

But the surprise didn't end there. As Stitch walked out, he was followed by Donald Duck, then Daisy Duck, Piglet, and Minnie Mouse!

We had our own private meet and greet!

I wish we'd gotten the wonderful Cast Member's name, as this was really a highlight of that trip.

For more photos from this experience : http://disneymusings.blogspot.com/2015/02/wordless-wednesday-unforgettable.html

Muppet Stuff at the Stage 1 Company Store

The Muppet Stage 1 Company Store is located opposite the exit of Muppet Vision 3D at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

It's pretty hard to miss, and you shouldn't pass it by, as it is one of the best themed stores in all of Walt Disney World.

Muppet fans can spend plenty of time just looking at all the great props around the shop, picking out references to favorite Muppet characters.

And there is plenty of Muppet merchandise as well, of course.

Tee-shirts

The sign in the wall says "Look Here....(I didn't say Simon Says)

Hats and stuffed figures.
Look up while there, the whole store is themed as a film set.

 

The fun continues to the cash register area. Themed like a hotel desk.

"We feature... The Murphy Bed From the Makers of Murphy's Law." and "Please Steal Linen, it's cheaper than having it cleaned".

"Check out time is whenever you like. Patrons wishing to pay will find their money gladly accepted. Patrons wishing to sneak out without paying will find it easier than they think."

So next time you are in the Studios, don't forget to stop in and spend some time enjoying the gags at the Stage 1 Company Store.

This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Diva Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Going on an Adventure!

Guest Writer Wednesday

 
Going on an adventure!
By: Gaylin


One of the best tours I have gone on at Disney World is the Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour. This tour is held at the Fort Wilderness Campground and is well worth the $95.85 cost to go on it.

The tour is held twice a day, 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. I picked the 11:30 time so I could sleep in a bit that day. It is easy to get to the Campground Resort, you take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and get on a boat (the docks in front of the main gate at MK) and it takes you the dock at the campground. At that time of the day, you may be the only one on the boat - I know I was! It was a lovely quiet trip, there was a captain and one other cast member but they did their jobs and I enjoyed the view!

Once you get to the dock, you walk past the store, etc and look for the signs to Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I got there early so I could go in the store, buy a few small things, have a snack, check out the area and then find Meadows Bike Barn where the tour starts from.

Once you see all the Segway's lined up, you know you are in the right place. There are two guides, no more than 8 people on a tour and you have to sign a waiver, get safety instructions and a helmet and then learn to ride a Segway. If you have taken a Segway tour before (and I had) they let you play around a bit, as long as you stay out of the way of the beginners.

See, I look like a total expert Segway driver, don't I! If you look in the background, you can see the top of Space Mountain, the Contemporary Resort and because this in 2008, you can see the construction of Bay Lake Tower. This photo was taken once we were underway.
The leader of our fearless troop was Ron and he had a mic on and a small speaker hanging off the back of his belt. He was telling us all kinds of information about the indigenous plant life, Disney land management processes and the campground. Fort Wilderness has 770 campsites and while we toured around a couple of the areas, I couldn't take photos and drive the Segway at the same time.

Then we had a break at the Tri-Circle D Ranch. This is where the horses used at the Magic Kingdom are stabled. Other animals are kept and take care of here as well.

This is Ron, telling us all about the ranch. He was a very nice man, a wonderful tour guide, hopefully he is still guiding these tours.

This is me and my buddy Charlie, he wouldn't fit in my carry-on luggage so I did have to leave him behind!

And finally, a couple of hidden Mickey's at the ranch.

The tour from here followed the exercise trail from Fort Wilderness Campground to the Wilderness Lodge Resort. It was a lovely and quiet trip. It was great to get to use the Segway with no one else around (having taken the tour at Epcot, dealing with crowds on a Segway is not fun). On the way to the Wilderness Lodge, Ron told us more about Disney land preservation as this trail is on land that is set aside to never be used by Disney and it will stay green and wild. When we turned around to head back to the campground, we were told that Ron would now stop talking and we could go 'wild'. Okay, you can't go very wild because the Segway's are speed limited but I did hang back with the other guide and we let the rest of the group get ahead of us and then we careened all over the place going the full speed of 3 miles an hour and generally being goofs.

As I said, this tour was a lot of fun. We had 7 people in our group, I was there solo and that didn't hold me back from having a great time.

If you can fit it in your schedule and budget, I highly recommend this tour. As Mickey would say: