Dumbo Coloring Contest

        I can honestly say that the last couple weeks have been extremely productive; with the exception of updating this website. A large portion of my time has been spent researching Dick Kelsey, and I must say it has been a most enjoyable experience. I'm certainly new to the interviewing process and establishing connections with individuals who have information on his life, but I'm learning as I go. I'm beginning to draft my writing as I type up this post, and I feel the facts provided will make for an interesting narrative. Considering the information that has been found, I think many will be interested to find out what I have.

        As I was perusing through various newspaper articles from the early 1940s, I came across a February 23, 1942 article from a paper in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It offered kids of the time a chance to win tickets to see Dumbo for free at the local theater. The catch? They had to neatly color a picture of Dumbo (seen above) and mail it out to be judged for a coloring contest. The article read:

Meet Dumbo. Dumbo is the famous elephant with ears so big he flies like a bird. Dumbo is a creation of Walt Disney who made Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse famous.

Dumbo's new feature picture, all in technicolor, opens this Wednesday at the Manos Theater in Uniontown. And to celebrate this event we are having a coloring contest.

Simply color the cartoon above. Put as many different colors on it as you wish. Use any kinds of colors you want.

Ten free passes to see the new picture Dumbo for the ten best coloring jobs sent in. Color yours now and mail or bring it to "Color Contest," care of The Junior Reporters Club, Standard office, Uniontown, Pa.

Tomorrow and Wednesday we will have a different cartoon from this picture. Ten more passes will be given for the best color jobs on each of these cartoons. Enter every day if you wish. Or enter just one cartoon. It's easy!

Don't miss this chance to see the grand new feature length cartoon. Color this cartoon and rush it in now! Winners of this cartoon's coloring will be announced Thursday.

For those who are now scrambling for their Crayola box, I'm sorry. The contest is over.

New Disney Treasures to Dust

        My quest to find more vintage Disney collectibles has turned up some treasures I'd like to share. A few weeks ago I came upon a very interesting Disneyland hat that I've never seen before. The brim of the hat is unmistakably Donald Duck's bill, which resounds with a SQUEAK! with the squeeze of his nose. Research revealed that this hat was probably made available in 1964 at Disneyland to celebrate Donald's 30th birthday. The hat I have (as you can see to the left) however does not contain a "Happy Birthday Donald Duck" ribbon on the top. I paid a little too much for this item, but its vintage Disneyland feel was the worth the price.

        While we're on the subject of Donald Duck, I came across more items pertaining to the hot headed mallard just last week. For only $2.00, I purchased a pack of "Donald Duck Transfers" from the 1940s that were never even used. As you can see in the pictures to the right and below, the book itself is a diecut of Donald, and inside one will find a total of 36 colored transfers. The directions on the inside cover read:

Cut out one picture at a time, place it in a saucer of water printed side uppermost. Make sure that the printed side does not get wet. After a short while take the picture out and place it face downwards on a sheet of paper. Press it down firmly, if possible with a soft cloth. Lift the paper gently at one corner and pull it off carefully.

        What better way though to enjoy these colorful transfers than by drinking from your very own Donald Duck straw? For a mere $5.00, I purchased an unopened box of "Donald Duck Sunshine Straws" at a local flea market. "The sanitary convenient way to to serve milk...iced drinks...bottled beverages" as declared on the back of the box. Considering that their age goes back to the 1950s, I'm sure their "sanitary" and "convenient" quality has diminished quite a bit. Regardless, what a great looking addition!

  

        One can't talk about Donald Duck without considering the rest of the gang. At the very same spot where I hunted down the transfers and straws, I came across a rather unique, little wooden briefcase colorfully decorated with various Disney characters. It was the 1940s/1950s Mickey image on the case's cover that caught my eye. Inside one will find twenty wooden blocks that can be turned over various times together to form up to four Vintage Mickey Mouse Picture Cubesdifferent pictures. This item's uniqueness is doubled by the fact that it appears to have been produced in West Germany by Hermann Eichhorn - a German toy company established in 1949 whose speciality lied in making wooden trains and puzzles. Various areas of the box are written in German and contain Disney characters that one typically does not find on Disney products today, such as: Little Wolf, Piper and Fifer Pig, Figaro, Morty and Louie. A truly special item found in excellent condition and at the right price - $5.00.

        A similar item at the same flea market, entitled Walt Disney Character Scramble - Interchangeable Pictures, fell under my radar as well and immediately entered my possession. The character pieces inside were incomplete, but the outside game box is worthy of being framed. Various characters like Horace Horsecollar,Clarabelle Cow and Panchito were once a part of this package, but sadly only fragments of them remain. The idea of the game was to interchange various pants, shirts, and hats to create up to "1,000 different combinations" of wardrobe for each character. Mickey and Pinocchio (as seen below) are the only two characters that seemed to have survived over the decades. This item was made by the Plane Facts CO. sometime during the 1940s.

                                 

       

        In closing, I'd like to share a lesson that I've learned with other budding Disney treasure hunters out there - do not leave any stone unturned. At this very same flea market I uncovered a 1930s Mickey Mouse cereal bowl in a box filled with dollar priced items. What a find and still in good condition. These bowls are usually priced anywhere from $10 - $20. It's image below should remind anyone - that with a little patience and the right information, a treasure is waiting to be rescued and loved.

Disney Treasures: Bambi Knock-off Meets Fifer Pig

        Spring is on its way here in southeastern Pennsylvania, and my urge to search flea markets and auctions for vintage Disney treasures is starting anew. Last week was the first time in quite a while where I went out to search for some classic finds, and two pieces of a unique nature happen to cross my path.

        The first item to catch my eye was a Bambi planter, and after an initial glance it appeared to be one
of several Bambi planters made by Leeds in the mid 1940s. Bambi pieces of this caliber can be worth anywhere from $20-$110 depending on the condition and availability, so I admit I was a bit excited at first. Bambi collectibles can be very deceiving however, simply because so many knock-off ceramic and pottery pieces were made after the release of the film. Due to this, after I observe the condition of a specific item, I check all of its surface areas for any markings that contain the Disney name. I was initially relieved to see that this particular item was labeled "Walt Disney's Bambi" in large, cursive text under its base. Despite this discovery, I've been collecting long enough now to know that just because it says Walt Disney on it doesn't necessarily mean it was licensed by the company. This item however felt right to me at the time, and I comfortably paid $35 to take it home.

        When I bring a new item home, I refer to my books and price guides on Disneyana collectibles to get an idea of its worth and production year. Purchasing vintage Disney items can always be a gamble when it comes to value, but for the most part I usually come out on top. As I did research for this Bambi item I was surprised to see that this particular piece was considered to be a knock-off. Even though it was labeled "Walt Disney's Bambi" at the base, my thoughts have led me to believe that if it was authentic, it should have had the "Walt Disney Productions" label somewhere on the mold. Though it may not have been the news I wanted to hear, the piece was produced in the 1940s (right around the time of the movie's release) and is worth anywhere from $35-$50. In the end (and after a good cleaning) it's truly an unusual and beautiful piece, and its historical background makes it all the more interesting to me.

        1930s Bisque Fifer PigOften times collectors will not purchase damaged or flawed Disney items, and I can't say I blame them, however I must admit that I do depending on their age and historical significance. The second item I purchased for instance was a bisque figure of Fifer Pig from the classic Silly Symphony cartoon - which happened to contain a significant flaw. The body of the figure appeared to be in great condition considering its estimated age of 75 years, but a crack around the perimeter of its neck soon revealed that he had been "decapitated" and glued back together at one time. This figure was originally part of a figure set released by the George Borgfeldt Corp. in the mid-1930s; an early distributor of Disney merchandise before the great Kay Kamen signed on. The complete set in its original box is worth approximately $150-$450 according to the Official Price Guide to Disney Collectibles. I gladly paid $15 for this little piece, and was happy to rescue him from being potentially lost forever - a fate that has happened far too often.