Disney Fire Fighters Lunchbox to Celebrate National Fire Fighters Day

Photos: Nick 

Walt Disney's Ludwig Von Drake in Disneyland Lunch Box

By Nick

I love Ludwig Von Drake.
I love Disneyland.
I love metal lunch boxes and thermoses.
Put them all together, and you get this awesome lunch box and thermos from 1961!

The illustrations are very stylized.  In the image above, 3 of the new attractions opened just a couple of years prior are visible. We have Ludwig on the Matterhorn, with the Monorail and Submarine Voyage visible in the distance.
In the image below, we have Ludwig with a camera photographing the carousel and Sleeping Beauty Castle. Or maybe he’s spying on the folks at the cart?

Around the sides we have Ludwig visiting individual lands. I am assuming the image below is Ludwig on Main Street U.S.A., but not sure why they depicted a raging fire. Not really something you’d want guests to experience.

Ludwig taking a cruise in Adventureland… with the Tiki Birds? Did they come along willingly, or has he bird-napped them?!

This next scene features pirates, but Pirates of the Caribbean is several years away from opening. This likely represents the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant, which was at Disneyland from 1955 thru 1969, when it changed to Captain Hook’s Galley when Chicken of the Sea dropped their sponsorship. The ship was a landmark until 1982. The sticker reads “Aladdin, School Lunch Kit “New Positive Lock”

Finally we have Dude Ludwig in Frontierland. Not sure if the rabbit is a friend or there to trip him up.

The corners and inside of the box are pretty scuffed, but the graphics on the box are pretty vibrant considering the age.

The thermos is also in great shape.Ludwig is butterfly hunting in Adventureland.

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He should be wary of the Hippo, one of the most dangerous animals on Earth! Was he on the Jungle Cruise when he decided to just abandon ship? Where’s Disney security when you need them?!

There are more questions than answers raised on this lunch box!

Disneyland 1960's Metal Lunch Box and Thermos

By Nick

I thought I’d share this metal lunch box from around 1960, as well as a couple memories from my first trip.

This lunch box features several major attractions, The Matterhorn Bobsleds, Monorail, and on the opposite side, the Submarine Voyage, which all opened on one very memorable day, June 14, 1959!

In the picture below, you’ll notice a mermaid in the lower left corner. For the dedication of the new Submarine ride attraction at Disneyland, the opening ceremonies had several actresses portraying mermaids, performing a synchronized swimming routine in the lagoon. There seems to be conflicting information as to how long these live mermaids remained in the lagoon. As far as I know, there were never live sharks or other fish in the water!

The top, bottom and sides all feature a wrap around illustration of other attractions of Disneyland. Here we have the Disneyland Band marching up Main Street U.S.A.

Continuing into Frontierland. I’ve found information on actual stagecoaches being in Disneyland, but doubt that a team of horses ever came tearing through!

On to the Rivers of America and a look at the Mark Twain Riverboat.

And finally, around to the Sailing Ship Columbia.

The inside is pretty clean considering the age.

The thermos is actually my favorite part, featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland Railroad and Main Street Station.

Much smaller than Walt Disney World’s Cinderella’s Castle, but to me, THIS is the most magical castle in all of the world, because this was seen and touched by Walt Disney himself. The first time I saw it in person, having grown up seeing it on “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” as well as other television programs, I got very emotional.

Around to the railroad…

…going by the Station.

The box and thermos are in pretty good shape, with just a little bit of rust and wear.

On our first trip, the weather was cold, damp and windy, but that didn’t stop us from having a terrific and magical time.

Disney's Split Personality Lunch Box

By: Nick

I love a majority of this 1980 metal lunchbox and thermos. It features wonderful graphics of classic characters enjoying classic rides at Walt Disney World.


Is Donald standing up on the boat in Pirates of the Caribbean?


Did Goofy fall out of his Jungle Cruise boat?



Has Mickey abandoned his Doom Buggy in the Haunted Mansion?


The top gets a little rough, with a lot of rust and a tape name tag, but you can still see that there was an incident on Space Mountain.

Open it up, and interestingly, the thermos is not held in with a clip.



It instead offers a diagram for proper thermos placement.




Then, this lovely box takes an odd turn. It decides to advertise World on Ice.



Now, I have nothing against World on Ice. It brings the Disney magic to many people's hometowns.

But, as a somewhat obsessive person, this throws me completely off, and as a kid, I would have had to pass if confronted with this as a lunch conveyance device.

Luckily, it is displayed on a shelf, and the World on Ice side is hidden, and only brought out as a conversation piece. Okay, that has never actually happened, but if you are ever at my house, please feel free to bring it up.

A Thrilling Magic Kingdom Metal Lunch Box

I love lunch boxes. They remind me of the (relatively) carefree days of my youth.
I had a metal lunch box, of course, but confess, it wasn't a Disney lunch box!
As an adult, I've made up for this, by buying as many reasonably priced boxes as I can get my hands on.
I got this one on eBay several years ago.

 This box is pretty exciting! 
Mickey, Donald and Pluto enjoy Space Mountain, which seems to have broken free of the attraction building, and has flown past Cinderella Castle, as a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean prepares to take aim and shoot the errant craft down!
Whew!

Then there's the back, which is, arguably, even more dramatic.

Mickey's nephews, Morty and Ferdie, while trying to get away from an escaped elephant from The Jungle Cruise are running right into the path of the runaway train over at Big Thunder Mountain, while the Haunted Mansion caretaker looks on!
I hope those crazy kids will be okay!
 

This is all too much for me! Let's calm down by taking a ride on It's a Small World.

The image continues all the way around the sides of the box.

The inside is actually pretty clean.

From the thermos, it looks like Mickey is okay and enjoying the fireworks, thank goodness. It was  some day!

1979, Walt Disney Productions.

By Aladdin Industries Incorporated, from Nashville, Tennessee.

We'll be away at Walt Disney World for a week, but we'll be sharing trip photos here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/disneymusings