Flea Market Find: An Unusual Disney(?) Find

By: Nick

I bought this at our local flea market several years ago and was just flummoxed.
Looking at it, a multitude of questions popped into my head:

• What is it?
• Who’s the blond? A different princess? Is this an untold chapter of Cinderella’s life?
• Where did the figures come from?
• Were the 7 dwarf’s bought with purple noses?
• How do you spell the plural possessive of dwarf?
• What was the person who made it thinking?
• How much work went into it?
• What does something like this cost?

I commented to Barbie that I would pay a dollar just to have it to blog about. I asked how much it was. The woman said “A dollar”. I think she overheard me discussing it.
Sold!



Did the creator use those fancy pattern cutting scissors on the tape, or did the tape come that way?



Why is the back a mirror?

.

The figures are really glued down well.






Was it a school project? How old is it?
So many questions I’ll never know the answers to, but one thing I do know, this is absolutely the oddest piece of my collection.

Grumpy on the Cover of Stage Magazine, 1938

By Nick

I thought I’d start a new series, featuring stuff hanging up around our house, and I thought I’d kick it off with one of my oldest pieces. “Stage”, the “Magazine of After Dark Entertainment”, from February, 1938.



Back in the early 90s, not long after I developed my Disney mania, I came across this magazine at an antique shop.
I remember paying a price that at that time was an absolutely crazy amount for me to spend on a magazine, $60! Original cover price: $.35! But I love Grumpy, so….
And having it framed was even pricier, which is why it hangs in a very prime location in our living room.

Now, I'd love to be able to share the interior, but I don't want to wreck that expensive frame job. Imagine my surprise when I was checking out my friend Robert's blog Filmic Light-Snow White Archive, and found a great article with interior photos! Please check out that post here, and thank you Robert!

Disney History: A Snow White Rejection

Guest Writer Wednesday

By: Robert 

It was early 1938 and Disney's Snow White was breaking ticket sale records around the world. Interest in animated films was piqued. Even stalled projects such as Gulliver's Travels at the Fleischer Studios were now being green lighted. So it was in this atmosphere of great excitement and hope that a young woman named Mary Ford wrote the Disney Studio to apply for a job as an animator.

She would receive a letter back, dated June 7, 1938, but the rest of the world wouldn't find out about it until after Mary had passed away, nearly 70 years later. Kevin Burg, Miss Ford's grandson posted it online and mentioned that the letter wasn't discovered until after her death.

Written on Disney Company stationery with a Snow White letterhead, Mary received a rejection letter, and by today's standards, a very difficult one to take. Mary Cleane of Disney's Human Resource Department signed the letter which outright rejects Mary Ford's request to be an animator. Why? Because she was female. Ouch!

"Women do not do any of the creative work in connection with preparing the cartoons for the screen..."

"The only work open to woman consists of tracing characters on clear celluloid sheets with Indian ink and filling in the tracings on the reverse side with paint according to directions."

Via Kevin Burg

Interestingly, it appears that this rejection was not unique but rather a form letter. The same one was sent out to a Miss Frances Brewer in 1939. And it too was signed by Mary Cleane.

From The Animation Guild blog

While the world we live in today is far from perfect, it's hard to imagine such an openly discriminatory rejection letter being issued now by Disney or any major corporation. This is not to say that people are free from being discriminated against. Hardly. Yet, we have made some progress from those early days of animation in 1938.

Robert writes the excellent Filmic Light-Snow White Archive.

Mickey Mouse and Lonesome Ghosts

One of my favorite cartoons is a Mickey Mouse short from 1937 called Lonesome Ghosts.

 

It stars Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy as Ghost Exterminators. Essentially, this is Ghostbusters. In fact, the Ghostbusters theme song has the line "I ain't afraid of no ghost," echoing a memorable line by Goofy in Lonesome Ghosts, "I ain't scared of no ghosts."

Lonesome Ghosts can be found on the animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad on DVD, which I watch annually at this time of year, as well as several other cartoon collections.

As a child I watched Lonesome Ghosts over an over, literally forward and back, on my Fisher Price Movie Viewer. This little hand cranked toy was the DVD Player (or maybe more accurately, VHS) of it's day. The cartoon came in a cartridge you would pop into the player, and crank to watch. It being 1973 or 1974, when I was 5 or 6, I don't remember many details, such as if Lonesome Ghosts was included with the player, but I don't recall watching any other cartridge. I found this Fisher Price Movie Viewer and Lonesome Ghosts cartridge on eBay.

Just pop the movie in, and you can watch it forward, or, as I used to do, for whatever reason, in reverse.

There are several Disney movies available for this player, such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Bambi. But, as when I was a little kid, I'm fine just watching Lonesome Ghosts forward and back.

Disney Memories

Guest Writer Wednesday

Disney Memories By: Rebecca Kingsley Gonzales

When I was an infant my family started going to Disney, so my love of Disney started at a very young age and I have so many great memories. Disney has always brought me such happiness.  As soon as I drive under the Disney arch I tear up and I am so happy to be “home”. The arch is kinda like a time machine that takes you back to when you were young, or for me it is.

Choosing which rides you love at Disney is like having to choose between a Mickey’s ice cream bar and a Dole Whip, because they all have such special meanings. Like the Haunted Mansion, I remember when I was five I would cry and cry when we would ride it because I was afraid of the hitchhiking ghosts, but every time we got off I would cry because I really wanted to ride again. It’s one of my favorite rides. Riding it now just makes me feel happy!  I do however miss Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Snow White’s Scary Adventure, they also scared me but were my favorites

Being a child back when Disney opened Epcot I really miss a lot of the old rides. Horizons and World of Motion were always my favorites. While visiting the Land Pavilion we loved eating at The Good Turn, which is now The Garden Grill; I must say I still love eating there.  It brings back such wonderful memories. I love when we pass by the old farm house!

 

I, like many, many others am so very blessed to have been able to go to Disney multiple times.  I am so very glad that Walt Disney had a dream, and he made that dream possible.   I would like to end with one of my most favorite Walt Disney quotes:
 “I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.”~~ Walt Disney


Brunch at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel

Goofy's Kitchen is located in the Fantasy Tower of the Disneyland Hotel.

A very popular brunch, with plenty of food choices, including many breakfast item, such as "Mickey Mouse" Waffles & Pancakes, French Toast, Sausage & Bacon, a Create-Your-Own Omelet Station, Eggs Benedict, Fresh Fruit, Goofy's Famous Peanut Butter Pizza, Soft-Serve Yogurt with Toppings.

 

There are several lunch type items as well, since this is "brunch", such as an extensive salad selection, Chicken Breast Nuggets, pizza, and many other items.

But to me, there seems to be more desserts than anything else, including an ice cream bar.

 
To be honest, the food here, in my humble opinion, is mediocre.
I think the food at the Storyteller's Cafe buffet at the Grand Californian is superior, while their characters are not as varied.
At Goofy's, the characters are the draw, including Baloo, who joined us for breakfast:

 

 The new super team, Chip 'n' Mulan?

 Dale:

A character I've not previously gotten a picture with, Br'er Fox!

Pluto:

Rafiki:

And our host, Goofy:

As of January 2013 Brunch is 7am-12pm Mon-Fri and 7am-2pm Sat & Sun, prices for Adults: $32.99 and Children 3-9: $16.99 not including gratuity or sales tax.

Final analysis: The food, while not the best, is plentiful, and you won't go away hungry. Go for the fun.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

My wife, friends Kandi and John, and I had a late lunch at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion of Epcot on our last trip to Walt Disney World.

Our meal started with a photo with Belle.

The meal includes a complimentary imaging package including 4 prints size 4" x 6" and one 6" x 8" print in a Disney Princesses themed folder. Additional photos may be purchased. One image package per group of four paying guests, 2 packages for groups of 5-8 guests and 3 packages for groups of 9-12 guests. The package was delivered during our lunch.

The Royal Feast begins with "A Taste of Norway" which includes sliced deli meats, seafood, and a grand selection of prepared salads and cheeses.

I could have just had the food offered on this buffet and been happy. There was plenty to choose from. The fish dishes were excellent.

Adult Entrees:
Traditional Kjottkake -Norwegian meatballs served with Mashed Potatoes, seasonal Vegetables, and Lingonberry Sauce
Oven-roasted Chicken Breast - with fennel hash, tomato jam and chive oil
Open-faced Beef Sandwich - thinly sliced beef sirloin, wild mushroom-onion ragout, Jarlsberg cheese served with your choice of soup
Open-faced Chicken Sandwich - on Sourdough Bread with Tomatoes, Arugula, Bacon, Mushroom Vinaigrette, Jarlsberg cheese, and Lingonberry Mayonnaise, served with your choice of soup
Seared Salmon Cakes - with pickled root vegetable, remoulade and your choice of soup
Mushroom Stuffed Pasta - with Swiss chard, over-roasted shiitakes and parmesan cream

Barbie and I had the traditional Kjottkake, John the Beef. I cannot recall what Kandi had, but we all enjoyed our meals.

Kids Meals:
Meatballs-with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
Hot Dog- with corn
Pizza - with mozzarella
Grilled Chicken Breast - served with vegetables and roasted potatoes
Cheese Ravioli - served with tomato sauce
Salmon - served with vegetables and roasted potatoes
Dessert, and Choice of 1% milk, small Bottled Water or Juice
Soft Drinks Available Upon Request
Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid light pomegranate lemonade, Barq's root beer
Glowing Character Punch - Minute Maid Light Lemonade Punch served in a souvenir cup with a glowing Disney character Light $6.49

Dessert plate was delicious and included:
Sweet and Savory Chocolate Mousse
Traditional Rice Cream - topped with Strawberry Sauce
Apple Cake with cardamom whipped cream

While not as elegant perhaps as a meal at Cinderella Castle, this is less expensive, the food is very good, and you meet several Princesses. The Princesses on our visit (besides Belle), were Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).You may get different Princesses at different times, including Jasmine, Mulan and Mary Poppins (who I was unaware is a Princess!)

The price of this meal varies based on the time of year, peak seasons vs regular season, and even on the day of the week weekday vs weekend. The general price ranges for this meal are $41.53-$50.05 for adults and $25.55-$28.75 for children ages 3-9. Tax is included, but a gratuity is not a standard, non-alcoholic beverage and desserts are included.

Disney California Adventure, Carthay Circle Restaurant

The Carthay Circle Theater (Theatre) was a Los Angeles landmark from 1926 until 1969, where many movies made their theatrical debut, including Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937.
Now it's been replicated in Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort as a fine dining establishment. My wife Barbie, her cousin Jill, and Jill's husband Zach, and I had dinner here on our trip in February.

 Left to Right: Zach, Barbie, and Jill

There are several pieces of memorabilia from the premier of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" as you enter.

A lounge is on the right.

 Zach and me.

There are photos of Walt Disney with his family and other luminaries throughout the entire restaurant.

There is also a display of original Snow White animation art that hung in Walt Disney's home!

The restaurant is upstairs, and is lovely.

There are illustrations on the ceiling that make you feel as if you were in the forest with Snow White.

There are also private rooms, and we were very pleasantly surprised when we were escorted to the "Hyperion Room"!

 

And the food? Excellent!

We started with  Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits - Stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon, and Jalapeno, Served with Apricot Honey Butter,  $11 and Ginger Pork Satay - Green Papaya Slaw and Mango Raita. $16.

The biscuits were very good...

...but the Ginger Pork was outstanding!

For entrees my wife and I both ordered the Short Rib Raviolis Sauteed in Sage Brown Butter - Winter Squash, Portobello Mushrooms and Sprouts, $27. Very nice, and while the portion looked small when first served, they filled me up!

Jill had the Skuna Bay Salmon with Hot Almond Dried Cranberry Couscous and Lemon thyme vinaigrette, $30. She really enjoyed this.

Zach had the Santa Maria Braised Pork Pot Roast with Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes, and Dried Cherry Zinfandel Sauce, $31.
He said the pork roast was even better than the ginger pork satay, which means I will have to get this if it's still offered on our next trip.

We were all pretty full, but we managed to split a dessert, which, even though I can't recall the name or cost, was delicious.

As I've already said, this was an excellent dinner, and we are already looking forward to our next trip so we can enjoy another fantastic meal here.

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