Q : I recently was given a gift to add to my Donald Duck collection. It’s a bubble bath bottle and only has coloring on the front side of it. On the bottom it says, “WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS Colgate Palmolive Co. New York, NY.” Is this an authentic Donald Duck piece of memorabilia or just a wannabe?
Barbara, DeWitt, Michigan
A: It is authentic. The bubble bath, called Soaky, in the Donald Duck bottle, was made by Colgate-Palmolive in 1961. There were other Disney-character Soaky bubble bath bottles through the years, such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Dopey, King Louie, Baloo, Thumper, Bambi, Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Goofy, and Pluto.
Q : I was going through a box of home movies and found a Disney short called Jealous Mickey. The box has “Home Movies” and “Made in Hollywood Calif.” on it. It has “Enterprises Inc.” on the end flap. The number is 1525-A. This must have been purchased by my parents when I was little. It appears to be in great condition and was probably only run once or twice. Is there a market for this?
Barbara, Camarillo, California
A: When shortened home-movie versions of the Disney cartoons were released in 8mm and 16mm versions, they were often given different titles by Hollywood Film Enterprises, the licensee.  Thus, Jealous Mickey is their title for a part of Mickey’s Rival (1936). They had cut the cartoon into several parts, and gave each part a new title. These films have little or no value, since the cartoons have been released in their complete form on video and DVD.
Q : I am hoping you can help me with a title of a box set of books I had when I was younger. There were four or five hardcover books. Each book included a different set of stories (fantasy, adventure, and so on). I think they were from the late 1960s or early 1970s. The stories were shortened from the originals. They were all different color books.
Anthony, Tomah, Wisconsin
A: There were two early boxed sets of four Disney books that are fondly remembered. They had enormous sales through mail-order campaigns. The initial set, from 1965, was called The Wonderful Worlds of Walt Disney, with the individual titles being Fantasyland, Worlds of Nature, America, and Stories from Other Lands. The next set (1970, 1977) was The Walt Disney Parade, including Adventures in Fact, Fun Favorites, Fantasy on Parade, and Great Moments in Fiction.  The sets were published by Golden Press and can be readily found on eBay and at many used book stores.
Q : My mom, who was born in 1925 and passed last summer, was given a “Kodatoy” projector and reels of Mickey Mouse cartoon film when she was young. The projector seems to be in very good shape, although I haven’t plugged it in. The films have been kept in an old tobacco tin. Some time ago, Mom played the films for my sister who remembers it/them as being “Tugboat Willie”, but I don’t want to possibly damage them by trying to run the projector on my own. I hope you can guide us to additional information of value or safekeeping or who might be able to help. Thanks!
Rebecca, Saint Joseph, Michigan
A: According to an article in the March 1931 issue of Modern Mechanix, the 16mm Kodatoy projector, made by Eastman Kodak, was “recently introduced.” It was during this same period that Disney licensed Hollywood Film Enterprises to release shortened versions of its cartoons for home movie use. The projector itself is unrelated to Disney. The projector is, of course, an antique; the films have little or no value because all have been released on DVD in recent years.
Q : My mother has a metal Mickey Mouse pin, which I believe my grandmother purchased at Disneyland sometime in the 1950s. What makes this pin somewhat interesting is that at the bottom it is inscribed with the year “1936.” Since that is neither the year of the founding of The Walt Disney Company (1923) nor Mickey’s birth (1928), I was wondering if there is any significance to that year or why Disney would make a pin with that date? To make matters more interesting, 1936 happens to be the year my mother was born. Is it possible that at one time you could customize Disney pins with a year of your choice? Any insight would be most appreciated.
Carl, Katonah, New York
A: If you will email a photo of your pin, with any supporting information, to the Walt Disney Archives (Disney.Archives@Disney.com) they may be able to help you.