Q : My husband has inherited Mickey and Minnie figurines. They have a Walt Disney and Made in Japan mark on the back of them. They look like the 1930s Mickey and Minnie and are made of porcelain bisque. My question, however, centers around what they are holding. Minnie has a brown book with a cross on it that gives the appearance of a bible, and Mickey is holding what seems to be an old  bayonet style gun. Did Walt Disney produce these figurines? Thank you for your help.
Shelley, Butler, Georgia
A: Disney did not produce them. They were produced in Japan during the 1930s under a license granted by Disney to the George Borgfeldt Company of New York City. There were several hundred different figurines of Disney characters, primarily Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. The Minnie you have is actually holding a nurse’s kit, with Mickey holding a rifle with bayonet attached.
Q : My mother, who was born in 1939, has two Mickey Mouse children’s desks. They have a large Mickey painted along the seat back and an arm-table-type desk. They say Walt Disney under the Mickey. One is beige and one is minty green. She remembers getting them when she was about four and her brother six. Her father worked in New York City, and most of this stuff came from the city. Would you have any idea where I can get any information about these chairs?
Mary, Rumson, New Jersey
A: If you have a manufacturer’s name on the desks, send that and photos to Disney.Archives@disney.com, and they may be able to identify them for you.
Q : In any product from a corporation like Disney, there is usually a sort of symbol or logo located on that product showing it’s an authentic piece. For example: if you go to Walt Disney World in Florida and buy a mug, there’s a small stamp at the bottom that reads authentic product of Disney theme parks. Does Disney have a stamp of authenticity that they used on their products back in the ’30s or whenever they first started distributing them, showing that it was a real product manufactured by Disney? Like the example that I gave you? I can’t find the original stamp or symbol they used in the old days. Can you help me, please… this is extremely important.
Kristen, Tallahassee, Florida
A: No, there was no such symbol. However, the merchandise from the 1930s had a copyright notice of Walt Disney Enterprises. The merchandise was licensed, but not made, by Disney.
Q : I am looking for information on the history of Disney sewing buttons and rivets. For example, when were the first Disney buttons/rivets made? Where were they made? What characters were on them? Were the buttons sold in sets? And what material were they made of, etc.?
Terri, West Branch, Michigan
A: The earliest known Disney licensee making buttons was the Leo F. Phillips Co., Inc., of New York. They were licensed in 1937 to produce “novelty dress buttons made of catalin and/or other plastic materials.” Their license was canceled in 1939. We have one card of three Mickey Mouse buttons in the Walt Disney Archives.
Q : I have a 1930s character bracelet with all the Disney characters on it and I would like to know if you could tell me a little bit more about it. It is my mother’s and she is a twin and they both received them from their father. They are now 80 years old and would like to know a bit more.
Peggy, Beaumont, California
A: There have been many Disney-licensed charm bracelets through the years, so it is fairly difficult to identify any particular one. You can often get an approximate date by discerning which is the most recent character on the bracelet.
Q : I have an old souvenir book that is in perfect condition and it has hundreds of pictures of Walt Disney World (including Epcot Center) that takes place somewhere in the ’80s, and way before the Disney-MGM Studios opened. It has a green front cover with the resort’s original logo. I was wondering I should sell it to the Archives? If so, can you give me any information about this book, if it’s rare or not?
Gabriel, Miami, Florida
A: Great numbers of the souvenir books were sold, so it would not have much collectible value. I see several copies offered on eBay for under $10. The Archives already has several copies, but thanks for thinking of us.
Q : I have a wooden box I got at an antique shop in Quebec. It is on wheels, has different Disney characters on the side and has lettering on it that says “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Push ’Em Car.” I use it as a toy box in my grandkid’s playroom, along with other vintage Disney items. Any idea of value or history? Thanks, and love your column. Actually got to meet you at the Studios one day and am looking forward to seeing you at the Expo this summer.
Terri, El Cajon, California
A: If it is the one I am thinking of, it has a Mickey Mouse Club logo on it, so that would date it to the last half of the 1950s. There are several for sale on eBay as I write this.