Q : Are you ready for this one? It was about the year 1960, and the Disney Studio in California sent an animation artist to Gertz deparment store in Hicksville, New York. Any child could request that any Disney character be drawn right there for about $2. I had Donald Duck drawn, which I still have! The picture is about 3 feet by 2 feet, drawn in pastels. Who in the world drew that picture, and is it worth anything today?
Wayne, West Babylon, New York
A: In the past when there was a new Disney movie to promote, the Disney Studio would send personnel, including sketch artists, out to malls and stores around the country. We cannot identify your particular artist. Drawings by Disney sketch artists have little monetary value.
Q : I just read your Disney Trivia book and decided to ask you about something I’ve been wondering for quite a while. I have a copy of The Giant Walt Disney Word Book (published in 1971). The book has a red cover (hardcover), showing Merlin the wizard holding an open book while Disney characters like Bambi, Pluto, Dumbo, etc. fly up and around him. Anyhow, a character I don’t recognize shows up several times in this book. It is a green frog with big, black, bushy eyebrows. I can’t find anything on this frog anywhere! Could you please tell me who this frog is, and what movie, cartoon, or story he is from?
Victoria, Granite Falls, Washington
A: The frog you describe is probably based on one of Merlin’s transformations during the Wizard’s Duel sequence in The Sword in the Stone. The frog is wearing Merlin’s glasses, as it does in the film.
Q : I wonder if you can tell me about Tom Scherman’s Iron Man. Why does it exist? Was it built for a specific project or just for fun? When was it created? Where is it now?
Will, Wheat Ridge, Colorado
A: It was just for fun. Tom Scherman’s Iron Man from the early 1980s was non-functional and was used for photo ops that day posing next to Ward Kimball’s Chloe locomotive, supposedly to have a race. For more information on the Iron Man, see the Tom Scherman blogspot http://tomscherman.blogspot.com/2010/10/tom-schermans-iron-man-and-great-race.html. Scherman is best known for intricate models of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which have been displayed at Disney parks, and the Iron Man was inspired by concepts for that film.
Q : Hi Dave! I was wondering if there are any careers centered around Disney history. I’m 16 years old and I’ve been interested in Disney history basically my entire life. I love to learn things about Disney’s past and would greatly enjoy spending the rest of my life finding out new things that haven’t yet been found about Disney history. At the 2013 D23 Expo my dad and I viewed the Tomorrowland exhibit on the 11th and I absolutely adored it. I could’ve spent every minute of that day in there.
Katy, Sherwood, Oregon
A: The main department for this would be the Walt Disney Archives, though there are also other smaller archives/libraries within the Disney company that deal with the history of particular areas. Any available jobs would be listed on the Disney Careers website.