Q: I have a sketch of Mickey on my wall that was given to me around 1979. It was drawn and addressed to me by a Disney artist at the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts on some sort of early Mall Tour. It is signed “from Mickey and Russell.” Do you have any idea who this artist was and maybe what the circumstances of the tour may have been? Thanks for all you do!
Steven, Brandon, Florida
A: This would have been Russell Schroeder, who was a character artist at Walt Disney World. I inquired of him, and he recalls being in Boston doing drawings in the late 1970s, but at a department store downtown, not the Burlington Mall. This was a promotional tour to bring a bit of Disney to people around the country, but as a side effect to encourage them to visit Walt Disney World.
Dave Smith