Merchandise Archives - Page 2 of 8

Q : Was the Mickey Mouse Club incorporated in New York? I have a small plastic musical toy rotary-dial telephone that plays “Teddy Bear Picnic,” and it has “M.M.C. CO. INC., N.Y.C. U.S.A.” stamped on the underside of the phone’s handle. I thought the phone might be a Walt Disney-related product.

Ruth, West Monroe, Louisiana

A: Mickey Mouse Club was not an incorporated entity, so this would not be a Disney company associated with your toy telephone.

Q : I just want to thank you for all you’ve done to preserve the Disney legacy. The fact that, even after your retirement, you still take the time to answer questions from D23 users, is a testament to your dedication and respect for the Disney legacy and its fans.

Kenny, Lithonia, Georgia

A: Thank you. I have always enjoyed doing the Ask Dave answers, so I’ll keep it up as long as I can.

Q : The Walt Disney Archives handles the archives of Disney going back to the 1920s and beyond. But with the acquisitions over the past decade of the Muppets, Pixar, and Marvel—companies with rich histories of their own—do those assets become part of the Disney Archives, or are they separate?

Kenny, Lithonia, Georgia

A: The Muppets, Pixar, and Marvel have their own Archives; those archives have not been integrated into the Walt Disney Archives.

Q : I am a pharmacy librarian working at the University of Maryland. Also, I am the chair of the Library and Educational Resources at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The organization will have a meeting this year at Disney, Orlando. As part of the programming, we are interested in visiting the archive/library/research center of Disney World. Since you are based in California, I wonder if you know if Orlando has an archive/library research center office. If so, how can I make contact with them? I would also be interested in talking to one of the staff at the California archive, if that will work.

Ting, Baltimore, Maryland

A: There is no archive at Walt Disney World, though there is a research center for cast members. Contact the Walt Disney Archives at Disney.Archives@disney.com and they can provide more information.

Q : My young-adult niece claims that when she went to Disneyland in California when she was younger, they had a special giveaway. There was a character on everyone’s ticket and whomever had Donald Duck’s that day got a coin with him on it. It has since been lost and I’m trying to find out what coin this was.

Louise, Laguna Niguel, California

A: The only Donald Duck giveaway coin at Disneyland that I can think of was released during the park’s 45th anniversary celebration in 2000. There was a Character of the Month Collector’s Coin, and Donald Duck was in July. The coins sold for $12, or were free with a $50 purchase in the Disneyana Shop or the Disney Gallery.

Q : I found a Snow White’s Last Call For Dinner picture published by the New York Graphic Society Fine Art Publishers and am wondering if you could give me any information about it?

James, Seattle, Washington

A: The New York Graphic Society was licensed from 1945 to 1949 to do full-color lithographic prints of scenes from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi, and they did several from each picture. Purchasers could buy a 20 x 24 one for $4, a 15 x 18 one for $2, or a 10 x 12 one for $1.

Q : I have several Mickey Mouse items, old and new, that my mom has collected over the years. She just passed away in December, 2011, at 83 years old. I was trying to find someone in Oklahoma who could sell them for me. Can you give me any information with this?

Sherri, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

A: Sorry, we do not have anyone to whom we can refer you. Most Disney collectibles seem to be sold on eBay these days.

Q : My parents gave me a Minnie coin bank back in the day. She has a pink hat with a pink and white polka-dot dress. It’s very worn and the colors have peeled. Is there any way to have it repainted?

Julia, Niagara Falls, New York

A: I am unfamiliar with your bank. Unfortunately, Disney does not have a department that repairs toys or other merchandise.

Q : I have an unusual lithograph that I received when I purchased the Cinderella DVD. It is a picture of Cinderella in her torn gown, but when you tilt it a certain angle it transforms into her ball gown. Is this what they used to call a sericel?

Pat, Doraville, Georgia

A: The process is called lenticular printing. Several of the Cinderella lenticular prints from 2005 sold on eBay recently for $25 each. A sericel, on the other hand, is a cel made with a silk-screen process (i.e. not painted by hand).

Q : Do you know if there has ever been a collectible coin produced with Figment featured on it? The one time that I was not able to make a journey to Walt Disney World with my family, they said they saw one in the Imagination Pyramids store. When I went back two years later, I couldn’t find it and I have not been able to locate any on the Internet. Figment has always been a favorite of mine.

Edmond, Oklahoma

A: I am unaware of one, and we do not have one in our large Disney coin collection in the Walt Disney Archives. Do you think your family might have been referring to a Figment pressed-penny?