Q : I have two boxed board games with the Disney titles Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Gardner Games Co., but I can’t find any information about them. I have searched all of my Disney reference books and guides but find almost no information on Disney board games by Gardner Games except that they did business with Disney from 1955 to 1960. So far the Internet has not yielded any tangible information either. Can the Disney Archives offer any further information?
Gredo, St. Cloud, Minnesota
A: Gardner Games Co. of Chicago was indeed a Disney licensee for those six years. The 20,000 Leagues game from 1955 had a list price of $1. The Treasure Island game listed at $3. Other Disney games Gardner produced include a basketball game, a beanbag bucket game, a Casey Jr. game, and a Davy Crockett Adventure Play Set.
Q : I have a Walt Disney Davy Crockett pocketknife that was given to me by my father. It is yellow, has a picture of Fess Parker with his legendary beaver skin hat on, and there is a musket and hatchet crossed behind his picture. It also has the following written on it: Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett, Fess Parker as Davy Crockett; and at the bottom it has a registered trademark next to Walt Disney Prod., Inc. On the can opener is serial number P 2391732. Do you have any history to share about this knife?
Fred, Canton, Michigan
A: The knife was made by the Imperial Knife Company; they were licensed for Davy Crockett items from 1955 to 1959. There were three versions of the Davy Crockett knife, with original retail prices ranging from 59 to 98 cents. Examples have sold on eBay in recent years for prices up to 100 times the original cost.
Q : I am an obsessive collector of Minnie Mouse (for the past 21 years), and my collection is extensive (probably to the tune of 2,000 pieces). How would I go about getting an appraisal of my collection, and how would I go about donating my collection upon my death. My smallest Minnie is a quarter-inch and my biggest is three feet. I love Minnie and would love to know that someone else would be able to enjoy my collection.
Karen, New Orleans, Louisiana
A: For an appraisal, you would need to go to a dealer who handles that type of memorabilia.  Perhaps a local museum would like the collection.
Q : I worked at Disneyland in the 1980s, and as a cast member I was able to purchase the “Partners” limited-edition lithograph. I have it framed and still treasure it. I was wondering if it is worth anything as far as a dollar value these days? I never hear anything about these lithographs we as cast members were able to buy. What great memories I have of those years and feel honored to have been able to work there.
Jackie, Baldwinsville, New York
A: One of the lithographs sold on eBay for $250, but a number of others listed for lower prices did not sell.
Q : A friend bought me a cookie jar at an auction. It has Mickey on one side and Minnie on the other. The bottom of the jar states that it is a patented Walt Disney Product. There is no date on the jar, and I was wondering if you would research the age and let me know. It doesn’t look like the Mickey and Minnie Mouse that I know. It looks like it is from an earlier time.
Kay, Southport, North Carolina
A: This Mickey and Minnie cookie jar is known as a Turnabout, and it was made by Leeds China Co. of Chicago. They were licensed by Disney from 1944 to 1954, so the cookie jar would have been made during that period. On most of these cookie jars that I have seen, most of the paint has worn off through the years.
Q : I am trying to find out more information on a plush Pluto doll that was given to me. I can’t find any information on it. It looks old, my guess is it is from the ‘70s or ‘80s. It is a very simple looking Pluto with a single string smile and a red plastic collar. The tag is kind of faded but I can see that it says Walt Disney Productions made by California Stuffed Toys Los Angeles, California, Made in the USA. I have pictures if needed. Who is California Stuffed Toys? What was their relation to Disney?
John, Riverside, California
A: California Stuffed Toys was a Disney licensee from 1972 to 1974, and again from 1987 to 1988, so your Pluto would have been made during those years.