The Lion King's Simba Bank

By Nick

This Simba Bank, or Simbank, (yes, I JUST came up with that, thank you) I believe was purchased at the Disney Store back when the Lion King came out in 1994.

It’s made of a heavy duty plastic.

I love the detailed sculpture of Simba, which is why I bought it originally, I’m sure.

Made by Just Toys, 1994.

I couldn’t find much info on Just Toys on Google, but I also have a Grumpy I’ve featured previously by the same company.

An Orange Bird Bank That Didn't Break the Bank

By Nick

I’ve been trying to get one of these Orange Bird Banks for a few months now, but the prices have been too high. Amazingly, I saw one at our local flea market last Summer, and it was even more expensive than I’ve seen on eBay!

I got this at a reasonable price off of eBay for a good reason.
It is missing it’s stopper.
But since I wasn’t looking to buy this as an investment, or to hold change, I was fine with that.



Copyright: Walt Disney Productions, but no indication of exact production year.



This very happy bird measures 5 inches high.

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Until next time, think orange thoughts!

Pixar's Disney Store Wall-E Bank

By Nick

A few years ago, an unlikely hit, and one of my all time favorite movies was released by Pixar. That movie is Wall-E.
I have a few Wall-E items, and today I'd like to share this Disney Store exclusive bank.

This is a large bank, measuring 8" high and 7" wide.

Change slot on the back.

The stopper is in the bottom.

Wall-E is, at it's heart, a movie about a blue collar worker, who carries a red lunchbox, and after a long day's work just wants to come home to the woman he loves, enjoy his collections, and listen to a good show tune. Wall-E is essentially about me.

Flea Market Find: Cast Iron Mickey

By: Nick

I got this cast iron Mickey for what I considered a good price, $5.

It is apparently supposed to be used as a bank.

At almost 6 pounds, it could also be used as a doorstop, a paperweight, or a barbell.

What would you use it for?

Flea Market Find: Plastic Pinocchio Bank

I found this large plastic Pinocchio bank at the Flea Market a few weeks back.

When I asked a price, I was quoted $10. I picked it up, and flipped it over to find out when it was produced and discovered its stopper was missing.

As I set it back down, the seller said she'd forgotten there was no stopper, and I could have it for $5!
Sold.

Still, I had no idea when this was produced, so I went to eBay. I discovered there were several up for auction, and I got a very good deal! I also discovered this is from 1971, produced by Play Pal Plastics for Walt Disney Productions. Apparently this information can be found on the back of the neck, and indeed, it appears there is some writing, but it is so shallow, it's illegible.

Barbie cleaned it up, and it came out pretty nicely. There are only a couple of permanent marks and the paint is very vibrant.

Another great find at the flea market!

Flea Market Finds: Mickey and Minnie Banks

Weekends at the Columbus Flea Market are hit and miss. Some days, my wife and I walk the isles of stuff, and don't find a thing. Other times, we pick up several items, like these banks. Let's start off with this large, 8" x 6" (20.32  x 15.24 centimeters), ceramic Mickey bank.

I picked it up for $5.

You can make out the simple Copyright Disney under the price tag. Originally priced at $18!

I picked up these terrific Mickey and Minnie banks for $10.

Made of rubber, they measure 6" (15.24 centimeter's) tall. At their bases they are marked Walt Disney Productions, aging them to pre-early 80s.

Made in Korea.

No markings on the bottom. I'd love to know where they were originally purchased.

As a bonus feature, which I didn't even notice when I bought these, they each have one articulated arm! Minnie's raises up to her mouth. You can almost hear her giggle!

You can hear Mickey saying "Thanks for stopping by the Disney Musings Blog, hope to see you again real soon!"

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.