Mickey Mouse & Ginger Rogers

This piece of art was created by Hank Porter. The fan card was sent to famed Hollywood actress Ginger Rogers on the occasion of her 28th birthday.

Disney postal covers

The cachets in this post were part of the collection of noted philatelist Ken Lawrence, who assembled a rather neat collection of interesting Disney related postal items. Note the cancellation marks on the envelope: Mickey Texas; Mousie Kentucky; Donald Wisconsin; and Duck North Carolina.

Some of the more novel items in the Lawrence colleciton included an envelope bearing a cancel from the French town that was the origination of Disney's surname, Isigny, France:


as well as a cancel from the town of Disney, Nebraska:


Other interesting cachets featured 1930s ink stamped images of Disney characters, hand drawn illustrations of Mickey and Donald and even an item with a postal cancel showing the date and city of Walt Disney's birth, December 5, 1901, Chicago.

Southern Dairies

With summer fast approaching, I thought it appropriate to post some ice-cream related images.


Southern Dairies became a Disney licensee in 1936. The publicity image of Walt Disney and some of his staff was taken on the grounds of the Hyperion Studio. Walt Disney sits on a box of ice cream cup novelties, while other staff hold paper banners advertising the cool summer treat. Disney and some of the others seem to be indulging in the tasty delight.


Besides the posters and actual ice cream cups, a pin-back button and play money were also issued. The novelty items were usually used by participating merchants who sponsored their local theater's Mickey Mouse Club. The pin and money would have been used in Club promotions as a means of getting children into the retailer's outlet.


The publicity image is courtesy my friend Mark Sonntag. The ice cream cup was auctioned on eBay several months ago, while the pin and money images are courtesy Hake's Americana and Heritage Auctions.

Wayne Allwine - 1947-2009

This sad news just in: Wayne Allwine, the official voice of Mickey Mouse, passed away May 16, 2009, due to complications from diabetes.

Allwine was just the third person to provide Mickey with his voice, the others being Walt Disney and Disney sound effects man Jimmy Macdonald. Allwine was married to Russi Taylor, the current voice of Minnie Mouse.

Walt Disney portrait

Back in the fall of 2008 Google started posting images online from the Life magazine collection - some great Disney related photographs are now available for viewing.

I'm not quite sure why, but this is one of my favorites - a very pensive looking Walt Disney, obviously tired, with an expression that indicates he carries the weight of the world upon his shoulders, taken in his Hyperion Avenue office in November 1938. That looks to be a budget, or some type of financial document on his desk.


When my seven year old daughter saw this photo she remarked, "Why does he look so sad?" Good question. She then quickly added, "Maybe he's trying to figure out a new story." I'd say she's a pretty smart kid.

Maybe he's trying to figure out how to ask brother Roy for more money to help fund one of the many projects the Studio had in production at the time. I suppose we'll never know for sure, but like I said, for some reason this image really appeals to me.

Enjoy!

Walt Disney and the Red Cross - part 4

This is the fourth post in my series exploring Walt Disney's time in France as an ambulance driver with the Red Cross. The other installments can be found by clicking here. Unless otherwise indicated, the quotes attributed to Disney come from his series of interviews conducted with journalist Pete Martin in 1955.

H. Alice Howell was the matriarch of the Red Cross canteen in Neufchateau, France. Walt Disney and Howell struck-up an endearing friendship, which lasted until Howell's death in 1944.

H. Alice Howell, seated center, first row, (red underline). This image originally appeared in a 1915 University of Nebraska "Cornhuskers" yearbook.

Howell had a deep sense of public duty. The head of the dramatic arts department at the University of Nebraska had tried several times to get to France, offering her assistance to a multitude of service organizations, including the YMCA, before she was finally accepted by the Red Cross. Despite her successful application however, Howell still had to pay her own way to Europe - she sailed to France aboard the transport Niagara, along with a group of Red Cross nurses and several companies of fighting men.

H. Alice Howell. Official portrait. Courtesy The Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Walt Disney had fond recollections of Howell:

"Mrs. Howell ran this canteen. [She was] a wonderful woman from Omaha, Nebraska. [She was] a very close friend of [General] Pershing. She was respected by everybody and she was decorated. She was given the Croix de Guerre for her work in Nancy during the bombardment. She had a wonderful canteen...when the boys got off the train, they could go in there...and take a bath and throw their old underwear away...she gave them new underwear and things.

A May 13, 1934 newspaper article detailed Howell’s wartime association with Disney. The article read in part:

Alice Howell Recalls War Days in France With Walt Disney As Her Chauffeur

"People the world over will always have a warm spot in their heart for Mr. Disney. But no one will have a greater interest in his work than will Miss H. Alice Howell…who for many months after the last war, was closely associated with the cartoonist far up in the front line trenches.

Even today Mr. Disney still refers to Miss Howell as his ‘boss’ at Neufchateau. Pals on the battlefield – they remain closest of friends here at home, although hundreds of miles separate them. Frequent letters, interspersed with drawings and elaborate Mickey Mouse dolls, serve to keep war experiences alive in the minds of both people.

It was at Neufchateau, France, immediately following the Armistice that Disney was appointed as Miss Howell’s chauffeur. It was his duty to drive her across the battlefields to the hospitals where she, as the head of one of the Red Cross canteens, had charge of delivering doughnuts and other refreshments to the sick and injured.

This cartoon of Howell and Disney appeared in the May 13, 1934 edition of the Lincoln Sunday Journal. The illustration was created by a staff artist at the newspaper.

The university woman laughs now and says that although she never realized then that her chauffeur would become so popular, she realized that he had a talent for drawing even at that early age. His cartoons then were mainly ways of passing spare time and were drawn on his truck and other accommodating places."

In the article Howell mentioned her association with General John “Blackjack” Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in France. The article indicated Howell “knew General Pershing intimately in Lincoln…the university instructor says she saw him innumerable times in France, sometimes reviewing American troops and again at various public meetings.” Pershing graduated from the University of Nebraska with a law degree in 1893. He also taught courses on military tactics at the university between 1891-1895.

On August 27, 1915, Pershing's private quarters at The Presidio was destroyed by fire. The inferno claimed the lives of his wife and three young daughters. Only his son Warren, pulled from a top floor window, survived.

In 1915 Pershing’s wife and three daughters died in a horrible fire, which consumed most of the top floor of their residence, located on the grounds of The Presidio in San Francisco. Warren was pulled from a top floor window with serious injuries, while Pershing himself was away at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The newspaper article recounted Warren Pershing’s visit with Howell at Neufchateau:

"One day, she recalls, the general sent his young son Warren, then a mere youngster, to stay with her all day. Mr. Disney…drove Warren and Miss Howell to a quiet spot for an afternoon’s picnic."

General John "Blackjack" Pershing and his son Warren. Pershing earned his nickname while in charge of a troop of so-called "Buffalo Soldiers" with the 10th Cavalry Regiment. The Regiment was composed of African American soldiers commanded by white officers.

Disney remembered the day Warren Pershing stopped by for a visit:

"One day…a big excitement. General Pershing was sending his son Warren down to visit Mrs. Howell. They cleaned-up the canteen. The whole place was spruced-up.

I had this old canteen car…wide seat for four…a siren…roll-up curtains. It was a junky looking old thing. Up comes this big locomobile with this Sergeant driving and in the back is sitting this little 10-year old boy in uniform…a duplicate of his father’s uniform. [We] were going on a picnic. There was a little town outside of Neufchateau called Domremy, the birthplace of Joan of Arc. They had a shrine…they had picnic places.

A lot of the canteen girls and some of these soldiers that were stationed there…went along. [Warren] wouldn’t ride in anything but that damned canteen car. It ended-up these buck Privates that were going along rode in the locomobile. They all ploughed in with Warren sitting there and I let him drive the car. I had my feet over the pedals, but Warren got to drive this little old Ford as we went on up to Domremy. [We] had this picnic and drove on back. He was 10 years old…it was a big day, you know?"

Two stories, which to my knowledge have never been reproduced elsewhere, also appeared in the May 1934 newspaper article:

"One day while Disney and his University of Nebraska ‘boss’ were driving over the battlefields taking cake and ice cream to the wounded in hospitals, they came upon a French messenger who had been struck by a truck while riding his motorcycle. Severely injured, Disney and Miss Howell jumped from their truck and approached the man. With his last strength, Miss Howell says he pulled the message from his pocket and asked her to deliver it. The man died shortly after."

The second previously undocumented story dealt with a doughnut delivery:

"At another time, one of the few when the cartoonist became furious, Miss Howell and Disney had left their truck to deliver doughnuts at a hospital. When they came back to the automobile they discovered all of the rest of their cookies, about 500 of them, had been taken by American officers. ‘Walt and I were furious,’ she stated, ‘for we wanted them for the other soldiers.' "

Howell spoke fondly of Walt Disney as well and her quote in the article showed her attachment to the fellow mid-westerner:

"[Disney] was so very nice. Everybody liked him because he was always willing to do things. He was lovable and all the girls around him were fond of him.

Miss Howell visited Europe not long ago and stayed for a time with the French family with whom she had roomed part of the time during the war. A small son of one of the daughters began telling her of his Mickey Mouse storybook.

Do you know Mickey Mouse? I asked. Sure, he replied and drew me a picture of Mickey immediately. I sent the picture to Disney when I returned home and at Christmas time, so I learned later by a letter from my French friends, Walt had sent the boy a Mickey Mouse – the twin to the one I have. I think this shows his generous nature.

The cartoonist always writes Miss Howell on Christmas. He sent her a picture of himself in uniform standing by the truck the two used in delivering doughnuts after the war, another recent picture of himself, which he autographed and a large Mickey Mouse doll dressed in the brightest of colors. On the back of one of the pictures is written – ‘To my boss at Neufchateau, from her chauffeur, Walt Disney.’

Miss Howell remained in France until the following August, fifteen months after the signing of the armistice. Then she came back to Lincoln and took up her work at the university. Looking back on her experience she says:

'That was the highest pointing my life. I don’t suppose I can ever hope to attain such heights again. If there ever is another war I certainly will enlist,' but she added quickly – 'I hope there won’t be another.' "

As a testament to their friendship, Disney sent Howell a Christmas gift in 1939. The following story ran in the Sunday Journal and Star:

"Another person interested in the welfare of Lincoln, Neb., is Walt Disney of Hollywood – for Mr. Disney sent two large boxes of toys, gift, books, etc. to Alice Howell, and she in turn gave them to Social Welfare society."

Nine days after the start of the Second World War, Alice Howell traveled to California. The Sunday Star Journal, detailed Howell’s trip to Hollywood, which included time with Walt Disney at both his studio and socially with his wife Lillian and children Diane and Sharon:

The HOLLYWOOD of which Tourists Dream and which

they Seldom See was Opened to LINCOLN VISITOR

Friends, Who Are Also Studio Officials,

Gave Miss Alice Howell Opportunity

To See Stars, Sets and Scenes

"During the month in Hollywood from which she has just returned, Miss Alice Howell was particularly interested in meeting a young man who was only 17 the last time she saw him. In that year, he was passing himself off as a much hoarier age, but back home in Kansas City he was 17 officially.

When Miss Howell knew him first he was camouflaging helmets, driving her little campion with its load of doughnuts here and there along the battle lines of France, cartooning its canvas sides.

He is, and was, Walt Disney.

As he greeted her, Disney cried: 'Where is your long white veil? I can still see it floating behind you.'

After Mr. Disney had learned his former World War laborer-in-the-cause was in Hollywood, he sent his motor of magnificent proportions and his own chauffeur for Miss Howell. She spent that entire day in the studio, guided by the versatile screen creator of those amusing mites, Dopey, Mickey Mouse, and the ever-violent Donald D.

This image appeared in the September 10, 1939 edition of the Sunday Journal and Star. In the photo Disney shows Howell a Model Department maquette of Pinocchio. While at the Studio, Howell was treated to a private screening of Disney's second full-length animated feature.

During that day, Miss Howell had a world premiere in her honor. In the 'sweat box,' the little studio theater for 'rushes,' she viewed 'Pinocchio,' the enchanting tale of the puppet who longed to be a real little boy. She was especially intrigued by Pinocchio’s conscience, 'Jiminy Crickets' [sic] a lively young cricket all dressed up and probably just as troublesome as any conscience. It is done in lovely color, and probably will be released about the first of the year.

Another film Mr. Disney had previewed for her is a light and delicate fantasy, the dances of the flowers through the seasons. It may never lead the box office lists, but Miss Howell finds it a lovely answer to those who deny the screen can be art. For those with an appreciation of natural beauty, the film carries its great appeal.

Fame, adulation, awards, including the French legion of Honor, recognition from foreign governments, degrees from leading universities have come to Mr. Disney since Miss Howell knew him as a boy with a knack at drawing. But essentially he is unchanged, remaining a very modest, rather shy, gently humorous person, with is studio and his home his two major interest.

When Miss Howell was there, all minds were working out a story, which had a tiny baby and a dog for a beginning. Drawings of unrelated scenes line the walls.

Miss Howell was the guest of Mr. And Mrs. Disney several times at their home in the hills overlooking the studio. It’s much like a pleasant home anywhere, friendly, gracious, simple, with two young daughters, Diane Marie and Sharon Mae, a swimming pool and a barbecue.

On one side of the nursery is a long glass case of dolls, locked most of the time. Miss Howell says the influence of the elder Disney show in his daughters. Rather than asking for a doll, they hunt far and wide through the house for a fairy to come with a key to open the cabinet.

Miss Howell attended the 'Merry Wives of Windsor' in the Hollywood Bowl and The Pilgrimage Play, similar to the Passion Play of Oberammergau, with the Disney’s."

In an email, Diane Disney Miller recalled Howell’s visit with her father and mother at their home on Woking Way, in the Los Feliz / Silverlake district of Los Angeles. On this trip Howell brought the American flag that had flown over the Red Cross canteen at Neufchateau:

"She came to our home with the flag…she presented the flag to dad. Dad was very excited about her visit, and I think he came home from the studio early. I was standing by his side when he opened the door. She brought me a little silver cross on a chain, with "Diana" inscribed on the back. Of course it was a treasure. I still have it. In further correspondence he asks her help in getting General Pershing to sign his book that dad has purchased…and she does."

During World War II, H. Alice Howell again answered the call of service when she became the local secretary of The British War Relief, a group of volunteers that gathered donated goods, which were sent to the war weary residents of England.

Howell passed away on July 8, 1944. Her funeral was held in Lincoln, Nebraska, on July 11, 1944. She was buried in Laramie, Wyoming.

There will be one more post on Disney's time in France. The final post will detail his journey home.

Good-Will Ambassador No. 1

The images in this post were originally published in the January 1942 edition of Movie-Radio Guide. The magazine featured a one-page article on Walt Disney's trip to South America and was illustrated with the following images. I have reproduced the captions verbatum with no alterations.

The caption on the first photo read: "Walt Disney (center) joins a group of musicians in Santiago, Chile, on his South American tour. This doesn't look like work, but Walt went to South America to gather material for 'good neighbor' cartoons. Mixing with Chileans, other Latins, he learned to know their music, their countries, them."


The funny thing about this photo is that Walt Disney didn't know how to play the guitar. While he may have played the fiddle in his youth, he had no formal training on how to play the guitar, nor did he ever play the instrument in his free time.

The next photo showed Disney on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The accompanying caption read: "Feted wherever he went as creator of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Disney learned how popular his cartoons are. On Rio beach he attracts much attention."


The third photo showed Disney with Argentine cartoonist Ramon Columba. The caption read: "Disney (second from left) and famed Argentine cartoonist Ramon Columba (bow tie) join other Argentine film notables in round-table broadcast."


During a meeting with Columba, the American and Argentine cartoonists took the time to draw the following caricatures of the other.

Image courtesy CartoonBrew.com

The caption in the final photo contained in the article stated: "High-spots of Disney's trip were meetings with tiny movie-goers, who are his best customers, his most devoted admirers. Here are delighted Chilean schoolschildren at special matinee given in the cartoonist's honor."


I have dozens of newspaper articles in my clipping file related to Disney's South American adventures and chose the following to share. The first was published in the June 1, 1942 issue of The Times and Daily News Leader:

Chile Students Astound Disney

"Two Chilean university students who started out three years ago without any money but with a big idea gave become the budding Walt Disneys of the Latin-American screen.

The two students, Carlos Trupp, 23, and Jainoe Escudero, 27, are not merely imitators of the famous Disney. Their originality already has won praise from Disney himself who visited Chile late in 1941. The young men started from scratch, knowing nothing of the technique or problems of film making.

First they formed a company with half a dozen other cartoonists and then they persuaded the government's Production and Development corporation to lend them 5,000 pesos (about $160). Necessary supplies were obtained and credits established and the group worked without pay. Their progress was remarkable.

When Disney visited Chile last year in search of the material for his own studios, Trupp and Escudero were his hosts when he called at their studios. Fascinated, Disney remained two hours, inspecting their antiquated hand-made equipment and giving them much valuable advice. The American producer was astonished to find that Trupp and Escudero were producing first class films with the same type [of] camera with which he began his own career."

The second article I picked out of my files, if it can be believed, is quite funny. This story appeared in the October 23, 1941 issue of Las Cruzes Sun News:

"Hollywood - Poised in the Argentine town of Mendoza, just before an air hop over the Andes in to Chile, Walt Disney set other Hollywoodities [sic] an example in showmanship.

In his personal appearance before audiences of children in South America, Disney usually gave a 'chalk talk,' with Walt and a few of the boys drawing upon the stage.

But in Mendoza, they found themselves without paper, easels, chalk or anything, and out on the stage of a big theater with a couple of thousand kids in the audience.

Disney couldn't speak their language. Through an interpreter he told the children of his predicament. Under the circumstances, he said, the only thing he could do for them was to stand on his head.

Which he did, and it brought the house down."

The final gem I located in a much larger article detailing Disney's trip to South America. This quote was published on December 7, 1941, the same day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, heralding America's entry into World War II, and the same day an anti-aircraft unit moved in and took over several buildings at the Disney Studio:

"The South American way has hit Disney hard. 'You keep grinding out ducks and mice,' he said, 'and you get in a rut. You begin to get tired. But this thing - it's like a new lease on life.' "

For more info on Disney's South American adventure, please click here.

A note from the "ornery" son

This neat image can be found in the November 1932 edition of Silver Screen. This issue of the magazine contains a nice three page article on Walt Disney, along with six great images.


The note reads,

"To Mother + Dad from your ornery son and mischievous grand son. Walt + Mickey."

Notice Walt Disney's animated left eyebrow. Many artists commented on how expressive his eyebrows could be, especially when he was questioning something one of his staff had done.

Mickey Mouse model sheet

This original india ink model sheet sold at the last Hake's Americana auction. According to the auction description, this model sheet was created circa December 1929 and was used until the fall of 1931. The images on the sheet were used as guidelines for the creation of graphics on a multitude of items ranging from press releases, to domestic and foreign merchandise.


The art was attributed to Les Clark, who would have drawn the images, and Win Smith, who would have inked the drawings. Clark was hired by Disney in 1927 fresh out of high school. He later become one of the famed "nine old men." Smith worked on the early Mickey Mouse newspaper strips.

All images courtesy Hake's Americana.

UPDATE: April 6, 2009

This just in from my good friend Gunnar Andreassen, who lives in Norway. Gunnar sent me some great scans of items in his collection, which feature Mickey illustrations copied from the model sheet in this post.

First up are a series of illustrations found in the British Mickey Mouse Annual 1931:




The second set of scans Gunnar emailed to me were used to illustrate an article titled, "The Only Unpaid Movie Star," which was published in the March 1931 issue of The American Magazine:



You can see that most of the illustrations used in the annual and the magazine article were direct copies off the model sheet, while at least one image of Mickey, in the "Introducing Mickey & Minnie" illustration was slight altered - Mickey sports a not so pronounced toothy grin and his tail is slight different.

I want to publicly thank Gunnar for sharing these images with me. Gunnar has also been helping me locate images and information for a big post we are co-writing on the history of Disney's early Hyperion studio. We have amassed some great images and background, which I'm sure readers of this blog will enjoy. Look for this exciting post in the near future!

Adventures in Chicago - 1918

In the summer of 1955 Walt Disney was interviewed by journalist Pete Martin for a series of installments, which would eventually appear in the Saturday Evening Post. The Walt Disney quotes appearing in this post have come from an audio copy of that interview.

In the summer of 1918, some 37 years prior to the Martin interviews, 16-year old Walt Disney applied for a job as a letter carrier with the Post Office in Chicago. Disney recalled:

"I went down to get this job...another fellow and I went down together...he was no older than I was. When the fellow started interviewing us...this kid lied and said he was older. I couldn't lie. I said, 'Sixteen.' [The interviewer] said, 'I'm sorry, you're too young.' Well, I was really down. I went home...put on my dad's clothes...put on a different hat. I came back and got in line with the same guy and came up to him and he said, 'How old are you?' I said, 'Seventeen.' He sent me over to fill out an application. I felt I was in a disguise. I don't know whether he didn't care, or didn't recognize me, or what? So, I got the job."

1909 postcard showing the Chicago Federal Building. The Edison building, located on West Adams Street, is visible in the background on the right.

Disney began his new job as a mailman in the post office at the Federal Building on West Jackson Boulevard, in the so-called "Loop" district of downtown Chicago:

"I used to go to work...very early in the morning, about seven o'clock. I would work as a substitute. There were always two mailmen on a route. When one was sick, they'd put a substitute on. We'd sort the mail...then each man would start out with a load. The route was divided into sections. You made about three or four deliveries a day in the Loop area."

Sorting mail at the Federal Building post office, circa 1910. DN-0008875. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

"I'd be through...about 3:30 to four in the afternoon. There were several places I'd go to earn more money...40 cents an hour I got. This was a gold rush for me. I'd run over to the special delivery and see if they needed any extra help. Another place I'd put in my request [was] at the pick-up, the horse and buggy. We'd go out and pick-up the mail. I could drive a car, so if they had anything I'd go out to the garage and get a car and they'd send me on...a pick-up route. Or, I'd go out to the barn and get a horse and pick-up."

Chicago post office trucks, November 1915. DN-0065426. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

On September 4, 1918, a bomb ripped through the West Adams Street lobby of the Federal Building. The Lincoln, Nebraska Journal reported, "The bomb was hurled from across the street." The Mansfield News reported the bomb "was to have been exploded during the great Labor Day parade with the expectation that it would wipe out hundreds of lives." The article further stated, "The man who placed the bomb...is today reported under arrest. In the minds of the officials who have kept close watch over activities antagonistic to the government, there is no doubt that the crime lies at the door of the organization headed by Big Bill Haywood."

September 4, 1918. Aftermath of the bomb explosion, West Adams Street entrance to the Federal Building. DN-0070484. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

Haywood was the general secretary treasurer of the Industrial Workers of the World, an organization opposed to America's entry into World War I. Haywood was in the Federal Building at the time of the explosion, having recently been sentenced to 20 years in prison for "obstructing the government's war program." Haywood fled to Russia after being released on bail, where he remained until his death. No members of the I.W.W. were ever charged with the bombing.

September 4, 1918. Firemen and other workers sift through the debris in a corridor inside the Federal Building, sometime after the explosion. DN-0070486. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

Walt Disney was in the Federal Building when the bomb exploded:

"I was in the post office. I just got though sorting my mail, or finishing my route. I was walking out...going out a certain entrance...when it was bombed. I was right in the lobby when, FOOOOOM, this thing went off. Here comes the dust shooting out and everything. That was the way I went out every night. I missed that darn thing by about three minutes. There were several people killed. In fact, a mailman who worked just two desks away from me, he was on his way out and he got killed. We were locked up there until they made a thorough investigation. [They] wouldn't let anybody out."

Four persons were killed including letter carrier William Wheeler (the employee Disney referred to in the interview); clerk Edward Kolkow; 22-year old Navy recruit J. Ladd; and 19-year old Ella Mieblke, who was walking by the building when the explosion occured. The force of the blast also injured more than 75 others, killed a horse on the street, damaged a streetcar and shattered windows on nearby buildings.

September 4, 1918. Damage to the Edison building, located across from the West Adams Street entrance to the Federal Building. DN-00700485. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

An article in the December 24, 1918 New York Times reported Dominick Costerella, the alleged leader of a so-called Black Hand extortion group, which operated between Milwaukee and Chicago, was accused by his wife with having been responsible for the Chicago Federal Building blast.

Post office employee emptying the contents of his mail wagon into a streetside mail chute at the Federal Building post office, circa 1908. DN-0053296. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

Besides his regular duties, Disney's supervisors sometimes asked the youngster to work on Sundays:

"I took this big mailbag home with me. On Sundays...at 3:30 in the afternoon...I was to go out to the end of Grand Avenue pier. I'd ride out there in the streetcar. I'd collect all the postcards people were mailing. Then I'd ride back on the streetcar. There was the horse barn with all these mail wagons. I came in with this satchel full of mail. I hung it up on a peg in the stall. Then I got my horse out. I hitched him up to the wagon. I went out and collected boxes...at the different hotels, with this horse."

Located at the end of East Grand Avenue, the Chicago Municipal pier, later known as the Navy Pier, was built in 1916 at a cost of $4.5 million. The 3,300 foot long pier, which was serviced by its own streetcar line, was used by passenger steamers plying the waters of Lake Michigan. DN-0065714. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

One day while at work, Disney was removed from his sorting station and was taken away by two postal inspectors for questioning:

"I was sitting in there sorting mail...when suddenly all the mailmen began to look at me. I looked behind me and here were two postal inspectors. They said, 'Disney, come on with us!' I had to walk down this long corridor, with all these postmen on either side sorting mail and all their heads watching me. I walked down between these two postal inspectors, downstairs to where their office was.

They sat me down in a chair. [They] said, 'On a certain Sunday...you collected a bag of mail at the Grand Avenue pier.' I said, 'Yes.' [They said,] 'What did you do with it?' I said, 'I put it in the mail chute.' They said, 'No you didn't. What did you do with it?' And they gave me the third degree. They said, 'Come clean now kid!' I was sweating. I was panicking. I saw visions of bars in front of me.

Finally, they began to smile and they said, 'We'll tell you what you did with it. You hung it on a peg in the stable and it's been hanging there for two weeks.' They said, 'Now be more careful with it, and get out of here!' They played it right up the hilt, by God I was just, I thought, 'Gee, I'm a criminal. I'm going to jail.' "

South Dearborn Street side of the Federal Building, circa 1911. This image shows early automobiles and a horse-drawn carriage. The large curbside boxes are mail chutes used by postal employees to empty their wagons after completing their "pick-up" routes. The Edison building is visible in the background. DN-009273. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

While reflecting with Pete Martin on his time spent at the post office, Disney also recalled horse he had the pleasure of working with. Disney and this particular steed worked a pick-up route:

"The guy in the horse barn wouldn't let me touch the reins. He said, 'Now kid, leave that horse alone! He knows more than you do. He knows every box and he knows his way back to the barn. You keep your hands off those reins!'

So, we started out. I started down this ramp to the street. A streetcar came through. I started to grab the reins. This fella yelled, 'Keep your hands off those reins!' I did and the horse came right on down, he just stopped, let the streetcar go on by and he followed the streetcar. The horse knew every...street."

Horse traffic on the Rush Street Bridge, circa 1908. DN-0006503. Chicago Daily News negatives collection. Chicago Historical Society.

"[The] Rush Street Bridge used to open for boats. He'd come up to that [bridge]...they put a chain across [when] the bridge was opened. This old horse, he'd get right up, he'd just get right up and he'd be the first one at that chain. As soon as the bridge came back and they dropped the chain, that old horse would be the first one to cross that bridge. He took me all through the Loop.

He was tricky. I'd get the mail out of the box and I'd put it in the back of the wagon and I'd slam the gate. The horse woudl hear that and he'd start going. I had to run to get up in the darn wagon...you had to step on the hub. I had to outwit that horse. I had to quiety close the gate and get up there...then say, 'Go on.' But that horse knew everything. [He'd] take me right back to the post office. I'd put all the mail in...the chute...then I'd drive the horse all the way to the back of the barn and go on home."

In the fall of 1918, Walt Disney quit his job at the Post Office. On September 16, Disney and his friend Russell Maas successfully enlisted in the Red Cross Ambulance Corps. Disney was about to embark on his next adventure, this time in France, where he would practise his art, see the lights of Paris and begin a lifelong friendship with the matriarch of a Red Cross canteen.

Walt Disney and the Writer's Club, 1933

By 1933 Walt Disney had gained prominence in Hollywood as the premiere producer of cartoon films. Mickey Mouse was phenomenally popular, (the 1930s Mickey Mouse theater clubs boasted more members than the boy and girl scouts combined), the Silly Symphonies were successful in their own right, (Three Little Pigs, released in the spring of 1933 won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoon), and Disney himself was the owner of two Motion Picture Arts and Sciences statuettes.

As his stature amongst fellow Hollywood artists increased, so too did the number of invites to special events. On September 28, 1933, Walt Disney was invited to be the guest at a special dinner organized by the Writer's Club.

The Writer's Club was a social organization, which I think was formed in 1920 by members of the Author's League. I haven't been able to locate much about the Writer's Club. If anyone can provide some more info on how often or where the members met, what the Club's purpose was, etc., I'd be happy to add the details to this post.

Will Rogers and Walt Disney share a laugh at the Writer's Club dinner honoring the cartoon producer. The evening's toastmaster, Rupert Hughes, is seated on Disney's left, (right side of the photo).

Regardless, Disney attended the dinner held in his honor, as did many other Hollywood notables. The image in this post shows Disney sharing a humorous moment with his friend, the immensely popular actor, comedian, and social commentator Will Rogers. Disney and Rogers had become friends through their mutual interest in polo - Disney often practiced his game at Rogers' Santa Monica ranch, and Disney was set to include a caricature of the famed horseman in the Mickey Mouse short cartoon, Mickey's Polo Team, but pulled the sequence following Rogers' death in 1935.

Charles Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard were also seated at the head table.

Also in attendance at the dinner was Disney's boyhood idol, Charlie Chaplin. While he was living in Kansas City, Disney had often parodied Chaplin, even going so far as to enter Chaplin impersonation contests. The famed actor attended the dinner with actress Paulette Goddard, who lived with Chaplin in his Beverly Hills home. During their time together Chaplin and Goddard refused to comment on their marital status, which in turn provided subject matter for Hollywood's gossip columnists.

Other notables attending the dinner included Joseph Schenck, (the head of United Artists - in June 1932 Roy Disney signed a contract giving UA the distribution rights to the Studio's cartoons), film pioneer Rupert Hughes, (uncle to Howard Hughes), actress Mae Robson, vaudeville, Broadway and film writer Edgar Allan Woolf, and University of Southern California president Dr. Rufus von KleinSmid.

The October 7, 1933 San Mateo Times carried a short story about the dinner:

Behind the Scenes in Hollywood

"The season's most embarrassed guest of honor was Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse, at the dinner given him by the Writer's Club. All the big-wigs were there...

Speaker Joe Schenck twitted Disney: 'Walt used to make twenty-six pictures a year, then he joined United Artists, and the influence got him. He's taken up polo and now he's only going to make eighten pictures. Next year he'll probably do only eight.' "

The October 15, 1933 edition of the Lincoln Star also carried a report about the dinner, but this one had a more personal touch as the story was written by none other than Will Rogers:

"We were all down to a mighty fine dinner they gave to Walter Disney. He is the sire and dam of that gift to the world, 'Mickey Mouse.' Now if there wasn't two geniuses at one table, Disney and Charley.

One took a derby hat and a pair of big shoes, and captured the laughs of the world, the other one took a lead pencil and a mouse and he has the whole world crawling in a rat hole, if necessary, just to see the antics of these rodents. But there was more than just shoes and pencils and derby hats and drawing boards there. Both had a God given gift of human nature, These professors base it all on psychology of some kind and breed, but it's something human inside these two ducks that even psychology hasn't a name for. Why that Three Little Pigs, why I would have given my life just to have played one of them. That's the best picture ever made.

That night at the dinner the Writer's Club gave...outside of a non stop speech of mine it was a wonderful dinner. Chaplin wouldn't talk, but he did two fo the cleverest pantomime sketches I ever saw. Then Disney wouldn't talk much. Everybody that does things I have noiced they don't talk at public gatherings but boy us other old windbags, we just gas up and go till the lights are turned off. Rupert Hughes, that clever writer, is a wonderful toastmaster."

Dennis Books' collection

"No further shall weaklings' virtue triumph over evil's mighty spell.
Now you deal with ME, oh Prince and all the powers of HELL!"

I have added a link to my friend Dennis Books' collection of art. I have known Dennis for close to 25 years now. I'd rate him easily in the top 10 collectors of vintage Disneyana - he has literally thousands of 1930s and 1940s pieces of Disney memorabilia: books, celluloids, dolls, bisques, and paper items.

Dennis owns letters written by Walt Disney, Roy Disney, Hal Horne and Kay Kamen. He owns Roy Williams' business card and Floyd Gottfredson's Studio pass, both from the '30s, as well as prototype dolls and even a set of character model department figurines from Fantasia, which were cast in bronze in the 1940s and later given to him by his friend Bob Jones, who headed-up the Model Department with Joe Grant.

Dennis' Disney children's book collection is, in my estimation, second to none. Dennis claims to own copies of almost all of the American edition Disney books published from 1930 to about 1945. His European collection of 1930s Disney books is absolutely astounding - just the books printed in the United Kingdom number close to 200.

What is most amazing is the size and scope of his art collection. Dennis has managed to collect around 850 pieces of original Disney art. Almost all of the pieces are from Disney's so-called "golden age."

Dennis has an affinity for original model sheets (not photostats), as well as storyboards, conceptual art, production drawings, cels and backgrounds. Artists represented in his collection include Kay Nielson, Gustaf Tenggren, Earl Hurd, Bill Tytla, Floyd Gottfredson, Carl Barks, Hank Porter, William Wallet, Ferdinand Horvath, Sylvia Holland, Grim Natwick, Freddie Moore, Les Clark, James Bodrero and dozens more.

Pictured at the beginning of this post is an extremely rare Kay Nielson pastel concept created for Sleeping Beauty. This piece depicts the film's climactic battle between Maleficent and Prince Phillip and is amazing to see in person. I hope you enjoy this piece and to view more gorgeous pieces of art, please click on the link and head over to his gallery where hundreds more pieces of vintage Disney art await.

On vacation...in Cuba

When Walt Disney suffered a nervous breakdown in 1931, his doctor suggested a vacation to get away from the pressures of running the Studio. On his doctor's advice, Walt planned a cruise to Seattle with Lillian, followed by visits with his parents in Oregon and his wife's relatives in Idaho. The couple changed their minds and instead booked a trip to Hawaii.

The excursion to Hawaii was canceled as well. Instead, the two booked a trip that included stops in St. Louis, a voyage down the Mississippi on a riverboat, a stopover in Florida, then on to Cuba before returning home via the Panama Canal.

When faced with the disappointment of not being able to sail down the mighty Mississippi (riverboats no longer plied her waters), the couple instead trained to Washington, D.C., where they stayed for several days, before heading to Florida and then Cuba. While in Cuba the Disney's stayed at the Hotel Nacional.


The above photo, which I imagine was taken at the Nacional, appeared in the February 29, 1932, Hamilton Daily News. The original headline and caption read:

Here's Looking At You!

Even when Walter Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse comics published in The Daily News starting today, tries to take a vacation, he can't get away from the entertaining little rodent. He's shown in the picture...in Havana, resting from the labors of inventing new adventures for Mickey, who has penetrated the barriers of all languages to become world famous.

Well, the above picture sort of appeared in the paper...with one minor variation. Seems the "entertaining little rodent" made the trip as well. This is the image that actually appeared in print:

UPDATE February 5th:

Thanks to my friend Gunnar Andreassen, who located and shared with me the manifest for the SS California, the luxury cruise ship Walt and Lillian sailed on from Cuba to Los Angeles. The manifest, which lists Walt and Lillian as passengers, indicates California departed Havana on November 3, 1931 and arrived in the Port of Los Angeles on November 14th.

I have also been able to locate two images of the California. The first shows her in Havana Harbor, while the second shows her in one of the locks in the Panama Canal.

Carolyn Kay Shafer

While scanning the listings in a recent Hake's Americana auction, I came across a noteworthy lot attributed to Carolyn Kay Shafer, one of Walt Disney's first secretaries. The grouping had several very interesting items including a two-page letter, an article from The American Magazine and a wedding invitation. A 1931 Disney Studio Christmas card with her imprint was also sold as a separate lot in the same auction.

Not much has been written about Shafer, other than a short note in a recent Wade Sampson, Mouse Planet column. So, being the Disney history buff I am, I decided to embark on a quest to see what additional information I could discover.

According to Shafer's great niece, Carla Lakatos, Shafer was born on September 22, 1905, in Evansville, Indiana. Not uncommon during that time in history, Shafer was part of a large family - she was the 6th of seven children born to Jacob Shafer (2nd generation German), and Sarah Gleason (1st generation Irish).

Yearbook photo, courtesy Carla Lakatos.

The Shafer family moved to California in 1929 after sister Rosine's husband, who was badly injured in a horrific car crash, committed suicide. As an interesting sidenote, Rosine later remarried - she wed Frank J. Baum, son of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum.

In a letter written on February 5, 1932, to a friend in Texas, Shafer spoke briefly about her career before moving to California. "For the most part I have been going to school and teaching. My last mission was at Mt. St. Joseph Junior College in Kentucky. I taught physical culture, dancing, all the sports and the commercial subjects. I also substituted."

She continued: "I liked teaching very much. In fact I had my contract with me for the next year when I came out here on a visit [in] June 1930. My family had moved out here a year before and I liked it so much I decided to stay."

Shafer then spoke about her new position at Disney's: "I made good connections here. I had been in Los Angeles only two days when I started working temporarily for the Studio...but the work developed into such a nice position that I stayed on. I direct the publicity for Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons and in addition to that act as Mr. Walt Disney's Confidential Secretary."

Photo signed by Shafer to a friend. The photo contains images of several Mickey Mouse publicity photos, which Shafer appears ready to sign either as "Mickey Mouse," or perhaps on behalf of her boss, Walt Disney. Photo courtesy Carla Lakatos.

According to Robert Tieman of the Walt Disney Archives, Shafer was hired sometime in 1930, (probably in the latter half of the year going by what she had written in the aforementioned letter), and she left the Studio in 1934.

1931 Disney Studio corporate Christmas card bearing Shafer's imprint. Courtesy Hake's Americana.

While Wade Sampson reported in his column Shafer was fired for marrying a fellow employee, (contravening an unwritten "no studio marriages" rule), Tieman says, "There is no indication in the personnel record that she was fired."

I was able to locate and purchase a copy of the February 1934 issue of The American Magazine, which featured a one-page article on Shafer. In the story, "Kay," as she was referred to, was noted as being "the world's only secretary to a mouse."

This image appeared in the February 1934 issue of The American Magazine.

The article further stated Shafer "personally answered Mr. Mickey Mouse's mail...by actual count, he received 30,000 letters in one month." The article referred to Shafer as the "confidential secretary to Walt Disney" adding she "also autographs each picture of her boss." The last statement could mean, incredibly, there are circa 1930-1934 photographs of Walt Disney bearing her signature and not Walt's.

Sampson also noted in his column Shafer edited and distributed the Mickey Mouse Melodeon, one of the Studio's first employee newsletters. She is also credited with writing a gossip column in the monthly under the pen name "Clara Cluck." The Melodeon was published from November 1932 until February 1933. Other bits of info contained in The American Magazine article included:

1. "Loves her family, her black dog, Skippy, and a black cat named Tommy Quarts."
2. "Never throws away anything she has ever liked."
3. "Likes to lie on the sand but can't swim becauseof a 'bumpy' heart."
4. "Dislikes dressing up and going to big parties."
5. Claimed that if she "had plenty of money [she'd] be well dressed in plain clothes."
6. "Has a mania for hand bags - owns more than a hundred but carries the same one for months at a time."

In her February 1932 letter Shafer wrote: "Now for 'romance.' I, like you, have not married. Most of the girls who were in my class at school are married or at least engaged. I was engaged...for five long years, but decided I was much too young. I have been engaged to a young surgeon from home...but can't make up my mind about living back in Evansville. I do so like Los Angeles, and there are so many interesting people here and I love my work. Being a Doctor's wife in a small town is not a lot of fun. There is a very interesting young musician here at the Studio and a still mroe interesting young Doctor that I see a great deal."

The "young musician" Shafer referenced was none other than Disney Studio composer Frank Churchill. Included in the Hake's lot was an invitation to the June 10, 1933 wedding of Carolyn Kay and Frank Edwin Churchill. The American Magazine article stated, "Their common interest is Mickey Mouse and any good music. They want to go to Europe some day so he can study and she can hunt hand bags."

Unfortunately, tragedy came into Shafer's life on May 14, 1942, when she was awakened by the sound of gunfire. An article appearing in the next day's Los Angeles Times reported:

Big Bad Wolf Creator Suicide
Disney Studio Music Composer Ends Life on Ranch Near Castaic

"Ill health yesterday prompted Frank E. Churchill, 40, composer of music at the Walt Disney Studio, probably best known for his 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,' to take his life by shooting himself through the heart with a rifle at his Paradise Ranch...on Highway 99, near Castaic.

A note turned over to the Deputy Sheriff John Morell and addressed to Churchill's wife disclosed the motive. The note read: 'Dear Carolyn - My nerves have completely left me. Please forgive me for this awful act. It seems the only way I can cure myself. Frank.'

Churchill's body was found by his wife and Don Dunford, manager of the ranch, after Mrs. Churchill was awakened by the shot. He was lying on the .30-40 caliber rifle and a rosary.

Morell was informed that Churchill had been in ill health for the last six months and that he had gone to a sanitarium on several occasions for his health, but had worked at the studio the day before his death."

Funeral services for Churchill were conducted on May 18, 1942, in the Wee Kirk o' the Heather chapel at Forest Lawn in Glendale. He was buried near the grave of film star Tom Mix.

The month following her husband's death, Shafer had to contend with a lawsuit launched by Corinne Churchill, Frank's daughter by a previous marriage. A June 29, 1942 Los Angeles Times story reported:

"Cut off with $1 under the will of her late father...18-year old Corinne Churchill has launched a move to nullify the document. Miss Churchill filed her contest in Superior Court on the grounds that her father...had been mentally incompetent for some time before he signed the document Jan. 17, 1939.

Churchill, the daughter says, entertained an 'unnatural antipathy' toward her and it became aggravated by the influence of his second wife, Mrs. Carolyn Shafer Churchill. The contesting daughter also contends that her father drank to excess and that while he was under the influence of liquor, his second wife made such fraudulent representations that he became prejudiced against his daughter.

'The reason I make this bequest to my daughter,' the will explains, 'is because of her refusal to accept any education and advantages or moral guidance from me and her avowed preference to make home with her mother.' While the petition for probate of the will gives the value of the estate at $2,000, Attorney G. Vernon Brambaugh, representing Miss Churchill, expressed the opinion that it would exceed $50,000."

I was unable to find any record of the final judgement in the case.

In the fall of 1974, Shafer wrote to the "Accounting Department" at Walt Disney Productions. She indicated she had been an invalid since 1969 and legally blind since 1971.

In the letter Shafer asked for help securing her widow's benefits through Social Security and she asked if the Studio had paid for her late husband Frank Churchill's funeral saying, "the shock was so great, I have forgotten if I received them or not." She also noted she had in her possession "several old manuscript's of Frank's," and wondered if the Studio might have any use for them.

An artifact from a happier time in Shafer's life. The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. Book I. 1931. David McKay Company. This copy was signed by Shafer to an orthopaedic doctor and his wife. The inscription reads, "To my good friends Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Fosdick Jones. With the hope that they will never forget Mickey Mouse or Carolyn Kay Shafer." After maintaining a practice in Denver for 24 years, Dr. Jones retired in Pasadena. I have been unable to determine what the connection between Shafer and Jones was. This book also contained a one page synopsis for the Mickey Mouse short Mickey's Orphan's tipped into the blank page at the back of the book. This copy recently sold for over $1,200. The inscription is dated July 16, 1931.

Shafer's great niece Carla Lakatos wrote the sad epilog to this story when she said, "I do know that Carolyn married Frank Churchill and after his death, Donald Durnford - who stole her assets - and she died July 26, 1977, penniless and nearly blind - very sad."

Toast of the Town

Walt Disney appears as a guest on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town." The date: February 1953. One could just imagine all the neat things the two talked about. This photo is currently for sale on eBay. Some 15 years earlier Sullivan had written an extremely positive review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, after attending the premiere at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.

Harvard 1938

This photo is for sale on eBay right now - Walt Disney picks-up his Honorary Degree from Harvard. The date: June 22, 1938. More on this event at a later date.

unknown Hank Porter Christmas illustration

This illustration was sent to me by Hank Porter's son. I am not sure when the image was used, or where the illustration was published. If anyone knows when and where this piece of art was used, please let me know.

I have posted several more Christmas related items tonight. This particular image will be my last Christmas one for this season...after all, there are many more exciting treasures to share. Hope you've enjoyed looking at some of the great Christmas collectibles from years past that I managed to post over the last month or so.

If you have an interesting item you'd like to share, an interesting vintage Disney related story you think others would like to know about, or if you have any great Disney items for sale, drop me a line.

Christmas greetings from...

No, this wasn't sent to me and the card is not personalized to anyone, but I scooped it for a good price several years ago and now the card resides in my collection. The illustration is titled "Christmas Carols" and was painted by artist Andree Ruellan.

unknown Christmas illustration identified

On December 7th I posted an image I initially thought may have been used for the 1933 Disney Studio corporate Christmas card. This was not the case and I was left wondering what the art was used for.

Well, two good friends emailed to let me know the illustration, found here, was initially created as a concept for the 1933 card, but was not used as such.

According to my friend Are Myklebust, "This is an unofficial...Christmas card drawn by Fred Spencer to his friend and colleague Charles 'Chuck' Couch in 1933." Another friend, Ross Anderson, provided an image of the conceptual art.

Thanks guys!

1939 Walt Disney Christmas card

This Disney Studio Christmas card comes to us via my friend Lance Fontenot. Lance took time out of his busy holiday schedule to scan several cards from his extensive collection, so I could share them with you.

I love the page in the card that shows the signatures of some of the artists who worked on the film. There are a lot of very talented people listed on that page who went on to attain great fame at Disney's over the course of their careers.

Thanks again Lance for the scans...I appreciate your time!

1938 Walt Disney Christmas card

Another beautiful Disney Studio "golden-age" Christmas card, from the collection of my good friend Lance Fontenot.

Happy New Year greeting

Wishing all my visitors a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

Cheers!

David

Toytown banner

Another Kay Kamen point of sale banner, this time from 1936.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

Baby it's cold out there...

Well, in my part of the world we have had three snowstorms in a matter of just a couple of weeks. It's been snowing all day today. We're supposed to get a respite on Monday, but then another cold front roars in on late Tuesday and the weatherman is calling for another large dump of snow through Wednesday. We'll be having a white Christmas for sure this year - yippee! Needless to say, the kids are ecstatic!

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

I have a few errands to run tomorrow, so I thought I'd dig out my trusty scarf to keep warm.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

Actually, this great scarf and the accompanying box are another pair of cool vintage Mickey artifacts sold at a recent Hake's Americana auction. He has the neatest stuff.

Toytown advertisement

Another Toytown newspaper ad from my clipping file. This one appeared in the November 29, 1935 edition of The Chester Times. The ad also contained another smaller Mickey illustration and listed the new Lionel Mickey Mouse Circus Train for sale at $1.85.



Text contained in the ad read:

"MICKEY MOUSE" himself is here...he stepped right out of the moving pictures to come and entertain the children at Chester's largest toy department!

Bring all the children to Tollin's and let them see "MICKEY MOUSE" in person...he has a nice little souvenir for all the kiddies. You, too, will thrill and feel young again when you see the hundreds and hundreds of new toy ideas for boys and girls.

Christmas candle

This electric Christmas-themed candle sold recently in a Hake's Americana auction. I had one in my own collection many years ago. The decorations on the faux candle are the same decals found on the 1936 NOMA Mickey Mouse Christmas tree light set. A neat little item.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

German Christmas tree ornaments

This great set of pre-war German Snow White ornaments is currently for sale on eBay. For those who may be interested, the item number is 250343200316.


These paper ornaments were originally filled with candy, which was accessed by removing the character's head from their body. They could be refilled and reused every Christmas season. There appears to be two Dopey figures in this set.

British Christmas tree lights

This set of Christmas tree lights was recently auctioned on eBay. Manufactured by The British Thomson-Houston Company, the set dates from the mid-30s.

Mickey & Minnie visit with Santa Claus

From my clipping file, an interesting photo and story which appeared in the November 23, 1934 issue of The Oakland Tribune:


The photo's caption read: "The mice will play, even if Santa Claus does give them permission. Here's Santa greeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Kahn's toy department. "

The accompanying story read:

SANTA READY TO GREET ALL

Kahn's Department Store has introduced a new feature in connection with its toy department on the fourth floor. The two Walt Disney characters, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, will be on hand tomorrow to lead Santa Claus to his throne. This special feature has been arranged for Saturday only. The Disney characters and Santa Claus will be on hand to greet Oakland's youngsters all day tomorrow.

It appears that adult-sized Halloween costumes have been used to depict the two characters. I think this scenario was repeated countless times in toy departments across the country in the 1930s.

Philadelphia Gas Works - Mickey Mouse Magazine

Fantastic little promotional item published during the Christmas season of 1935 by the Philadelphia Gas Works Company.

The neat thing about this publication is that it not only features Mickey Mouse on the cover, but also contains a Mickey Mouse Magazine promotion on the inside pages. There can't be too many of these that survived the ravages of time.

Courtesy the collection of Dennis Books.

Sunday Mirror - December 10, 1936

This newspaper was for sale recently on eBay. Donald stands under a sprig of mistletoe, waiting for a kiss, while Mickey, Minnie and Pluto look on.

Macy's - parade and premiums

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, formerly called the Christmas Parade, had its genesis in 1924, when a group of employees organized a parade that included animals from the Central Park Zoo, professional bands and floats.

The first Disney character to appear in a Macy's parade was none other than Mickey Mouse, who made his debut in 1934. Mickey measured over 50 feet tall and was constructed by the Goodyear Rubber Company. Attendants dressed in adult Mickey and Minnie Mouse Halloween costumes guided the gigantic balloon through the streets of New York.

Photo that appeared in the New York Herald Tribune, December 9, 1934

Two exceptionally rare Disney books also have a Macy's department store tie-in. In 1934 and 1935, Disney licensee Whitman published small Big Little Book-type premiums, which were handed-out exclusively by the Macy's Toy Department Santa Claus.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie at Macy's was published in 1934 and ran 144 pages. This soft-cover book told the story of the Pilgrims.


Mickey Mouse and Minnie March to Macy's was published in 1935 and also ran 144 pages in length. This book told the story of Mickey and Minnie's trip to New York City.

The newspaper clipping comes from my own files, while the two premiums are from the collection of Dennis Books.

1937 Walt Disney Christmas card

The 1937 corporate Christmas card was actually two cards. The larger greeting card contained a tipped-in color illustration on the inside - this art was created by the great Swedish artist Gustaf Tenggren and was also used on the original release poster. The image features the Prince and the Hunstman, which were rarely used in promotional material. Tenggren's Dwarfs also have an "old world" look to them.


The 1937 card also contained a smaller card featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto.

The first card is courtesy my friend Dennis Books, while the second resides in my own collection.

1933 Walt Disney Christmas card

Here is the 1933 Disney Studio corporate Christmas card, courtesy my friend Dennis Books.

The card promotes the three stars from the hit Silly Symphony Three Little Pigs, which had been released by United Artists on May 27, 1933. The eight minute short went on to win the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoon.

Three Pigs Christmas Seals

The promotion of Christmas Seals began in Denmark in 1904 and was later adopted in the United States as a fundraising / awareness tool in 1907. The modified Cross of Lorraine seen on the American Lung Association gummed stamps was suggested by a French physician as a symbol of the "crusade against tuberculosis."

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

The Disney Three Little Pigs poster was created in 1934 for the Minnesota Public Health Association.

The above 1934 newspaper clipping promoted the poster. In case you can't read the copy, the text stated:

Fight the
BIG BAD WOLF
"TUBERCULOSIS"
Buy Christmas Seals

Walt Disney, creator of the famous "Three Little Pigs" and other motion picture cartoons, has made an outstanding contribution to the cause of Christmas Seals in the form of the above cartoon. The Minnesta [sic] Public Health Association has had the cartoon made into a poster which is being sent to every school as part of the campaign to enlist the interets of children in tuberculosis prevention.

Toytown advertisements

Here are a couple of more 1936 Toytown newspaper ads from my clipping file.

1936 Walt Disney Christmas card

Compare the image of Donald on this year's corporate Christmas card to the one produced in 1934 - quite the change. The image on the 1936 card was re-used several years ago on a limited edition plate sold at Disneyland.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

Toytown promotion -part 2

A 1936 point of sale Toytown poster. The retailer could have used this signage to advertise merchandise, prices, specials or the poster could have been used as a directional marker, indicating the direction to Toytown.

Letters to Santa

In the 1930s many newspapers ran "letters to Santa" pages. Here is a sampling from the December 18, 1936 Edwardsville Intelligencer:

Dear Santa Claus - I am a little girl 4 years old. Please bring me a red bicycle, a Shirley Temple doll with white hat, coat and muff, a Mickey Mouse circus, a little knife, fork and spoon, games, books, candy and a big Christmas tree. Don't forget all the other little boys and girls. Your little friend, Nancy Jayne Watson.

Dear Santa Claus - I am a little girl six years old. I like school and like to hear you over the radio. I would like a streamline scooter, a buggy, also a Ducky Doll, books, colors, Mickey Mouse ball and anything you think nice for a little girl. Don't forget mother and everyone dear to me. Your little friend, Joyce Ann Clark.

Dear Santa Claus - For Christmas I want some books, a tiny doll, Mickey Mouse wrist watch, something to keep my doll clothes in, a Christmas tree, candy, nuts and fruit. Don't forget my two sisters, my parents, teacher, Miss Werner, and the children in my room. Your friend Wanda Lee Cross.

Dear Santa Claus - For Christmas I want a rocking chair, a doll, a tricycle, a big ball, a Mickey Mouse and plenty of candy, oranges and nuts. And please don't forget my mother, aunties and Uncles. Joan Shaw.

Mickey Mouse in person

From my clipping file, a December 1935 newspaper ad announcing Mickey's appearance at a Pennsylvania department store Toyland. The ad's accompanying text box read:

Mickey Mouse Has A Gift For Every Child

Bring all the children here to see Tollin's real live 'Mickey Mouse'... give them the thrill of seeing him in person! 'Mickey' has a little souvenir for each child that comes with its parent. And don't forget...YOU DON'T NEED CASH, tell us to charge it!"

Several other newspaper clippings I have from 1935 indicate the premium of choice for retail Santa Clauses were Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse paper masks. Perhaps that is the premium referred to in this instance.

The bold "you don't need cash" appeared as is in the ad. I wonder if this is where the country's credit woes had their genesis?

1935 Walt Disney Christmas card

The illustration on the front of this card was reproduced a few years ago on items sold at the Disney Store including a coffee mug, heavy stock paper gift bag, and a blanket.


The neat thing about this card are the illustrations found inside that tell of a Christmas party held at Mickey's house - these illustrations and the accompanying rhyming verse are exact copies of those found in the 1936 Whitman book, Mickey Mouse and His Friends, which can be seen here.

Another interesting item I discovered tonight while admiring these graphics, is that the Donald Duck illustration found in the Studio Christmas card and the Mickey Mouse book, is very similar to the Donald drawing depicted on a flyer found here, that I just posted a couple of days ago.

I also noticed the flyer shows Horace picking out a collar, Clarabelle picking out a lavaliere, and Pluto picking out a pull toy with a cat on it - these are the items all three receive as presents in the book...

New York Santa Clauses in revolt!

The Night Before Christmas, a 1933 Disney Silly Symphony cartoon

From my newspaper clipping file comes this amusing story. A headline on page six of the December 15, 1933 Waterloo Daily Courier screamed:

Santa Clauses Ask 35-Hour Week, Flay Inroads of Mickey and Pigs
Hundred Gotham Professionals Humiliated and Irked by New Rivals

The article reported "Members of the Santa Claus Association... met... at the Grand Central Palace and demanded a 35 hour week... at the same time the Kris Kringles adopted a resolution condemning the 1933 practice in department stores of permitting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as well as the Three Little Pigs, to 'chisel in' on the Santa Claus business."

John Mangan, president of the Santa Association, delivered a rousing speech to the roughly 100 Santa Clauses in attendance. The newspaper story reported Mangan saved some particularly unkind words for Walt Disney: "[Mangan] was... vitriolic in discussing the manner in which Walt Disney is undermining the Santa Claus business, describing the Disney influence as 'plain, dog-gone boring from within.'"

Mangan continued his rant: '''In some of the major department stores, fellows,' he said, 'we Santa Clauses are faced with ruin and disgrace. They have got men dressed up like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and like the Three Little Pigs. These impostors and pretenders are permitted to rove about at will and play with the children and I am informed that many of the kiddies almost ignore us in order to follow these walking nightmares around. Such a condition has got to be brought to an end and we are the ones to do the job.'"

Several questions came to mind when I read this article.

1) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when Disney merchandise and point of sale material really dominated retail toy departments;

2) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when, as a Santa, he would have been handing out Disney themed Christmas premiums at the end of each child's visit, including the two Macy's department store premiums, which I'll post this weekend, or the Magic Movie Palette seen here, or Pinocchio's Christmas Party seen here, or Mickey Mouse and the Magic Carpet seen here, or Dopey's Christmas Party; and,

3) I wonder if Mangan ever made it to Disneyland and if he did, what he thought of all the "impostors and pretenders" he would have seen there.

Too funny!

1934 Walt Disney Christmas card

This particular card was reproduced on a limited edition plate in the 1980s that was sold at Disneyland. The illustration contains great images of a long-billed Donald Duck, an early depiction of Goofy and the rarely seen Clara Cluck.

Walt Disney skiing

Just a great early to mid-30s photo of Walt Disney and the large-sized Mickey Mouse Charlotte Clark doll seen in many early promotional shots. Click here to read an earlier post about these dolls.

Walt Disney was an avid skier and there are many 1930s newspaper articles that detail trips he made to local California resorts. Who said Walt didn't have a sense of humor?


I wonder if this photo was taken at Yosemite in January 1935? The outfit Walt Disney wears is almost an exact match of the one he wears in the image I posted on my blog here.

unknown Christmas illustration

I had originally thought this illustration was used in the 1933 corporate Christmas card, but I no longer believe this is the case. If anyone knows what this illustration was used for, please drop me a line. Thanks.

Toytown promotion

An example of the stunningly beautiful graphics often employed in Disney marketing campaigns - in this case, a Christmas 1936 newsprint flyer.

Mickey Mouse street signage 1936

The image in this post comes from a newspaper clipping I have in my files.

During the Christmas season of 1936, the Fresno Merchants Association launched a marketing plan that included the use of Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus. According to the newspaper article, "every electrolier along Van Neas Avenue, Fulton Street and Broadway will bear gay signs wishing the Yuletide shopping crowds Season's Greetings and a Merry Christmas."

The article continued, "Electroliers at intersections will be decorated with artificial brick bases topped by a large Mickey Mouse carrying a Christmas tree. Through...Walt Disney Productions...the merchants association has obtained permission to use Mickey Mouse for the decorations without the usual royalty charge levied."

A letter sent to the association from the Disney Studio stated, "We are glad to co-operate with you and hope that the results are pleasing to all of the Fresno merchants. Please extend to the association our very best wishes for a successful Christmas season."

It appears from the article that at least two different styles of Mickey were used on the light standards.

I have sent out some emails to several leads and if I hear back anything of interest, I'll be sure to pass along the info. In the meantime, if anyone has a photo of one of these decorations in use, please let me know.

I wonder if one of these rarities still exists today, tucked-up in someone's attic, or hidden in a corner of grandma's basement?

NOMA Mickey Mouse Christmas tree lights

This box of eight replacement shades dates from about 1936. To see an ad for the complete set of boxed lights, click here. I'll try and post my 1930s Disney light sets over the course of this month.

Snow White point of sale banner

This great 1938 two-sided banner was the brainchild of Disney licensing rep Kay Kamen.

Kamen devised and instituted marketing campaigns that ensured Disney toys were featured dominantly on the shelves of the nation's leading retail outlets. He even went so far as to design and publish elaborate Christmas campaign manuals that provided retailers with complete merchandise plans for the holiday season.

Directional signs, banners, static and mechanical three-dimensional display items, and special holiday premiums printed for distribution by toy department Santa Clauses helped feed the publics desire for all things Disney.

Snow White ornaments

This image shows the lid for the box of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs glass Christmas tree ornaments. Copyright 1938 Walt Disney Enterprises.

The box originally held eight glass ornaments, each of which was a solid color: Doc silver; Bashful and Sleepy red; Grumpy green; Happy and Sneezy blue; Dopey gold; and Snow White, well, white of course.

1932 Walt Disney Christmas card

The third corporate Christmas card issued by Walt Disney, features the Studio's major characters out for a merry coach ride on a snowy day. Great graphics. Too bad we don't know the name of the artist(s) that created some of these greeting cards.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

1931 Walt Disney Christmas card

Walt Disney sent out his first corporate Christmas card in 1930. Very few examples of that card exist today. Another rarity is the Studio greeting card from 1931, an example of which was offered by Ted Hake earlier this month.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

This particular card was hand-signed by Walt Disney. Disney mailed the card to his second grade teacher, Ethel Fischer, on December 29th, care of the Benton School in Kansas City. As all schools were closed for the Christmas break, the post office redirected the card to Fischer's home address.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

A group of Fischer's items, including this card, was offered to a friend many years ago. In addition to the pictured Christmas card, I recall the lot also included several Mickey Mouse books and personal letters, all signed by Walt Disney. My friend offered a large sum for the items, but the family turned him down, thinking I suppose, that if he had offered as much as he did, the items were in fact worth more. My friend offered a very fair price for the items, but lost out when the family eventually located someone who was willing to pay slightly more.

A second card from 1931 sold a couple of months ago for almost $3,000.00 That card belonged to Carolyn Kay Shafer, who was Disney's Confidential Secretary.

I absolutely love early 1930s Disney merchandise and the related publicity and marketing material. I think you'll agree the graphics, color and overall layout of this early, ultra rare card are superb!

Mickey Mouse store pin

This great looking pin-back button was sold recently through Hake's Americana & Collectibles. Just a rare and graphically appealing Mickey as Santa pin from 1931. It's interesting to note that the toy sack contains two Mickey Mouse toys.

Image courtesy Hake's Americana

Walt Disney and the Red Cross - part 3

This third post in my series examining Walt Disney's time with the Red Cross explores Walt Disney's friendship with a German prisoner-of-war named Rupert. Unless otherwise noted, the quotes attributed to Disney in this post come from the series of interviews author Pete Martin conducted with Disney in 1955.

While working at the Red Cross canteen in Neufchateau, Disney was responsible for overseeing a squad of German prisoners, who formed the local garbage detail. The German Corporal who helped Disney was named Rupert. Disney's affection for the German is evident when listening to Martin's interview - the upbeat tone and joviality present in Disney's voice as he recalled his time with the German is very apparent.

Walt Disney in his Red Cross uniform. While in France the youngster led a charge in a small French village and unwittingly helped his crew of German prisoners enjoy an intoxicating French beverage.

Disney recalled, "I had this five-ton truck...Rupert...he spoke good English [and] French. We collected the garbage [from] the canteen [and] the places where the canteen workers lived...we'd take it out to the dump." According to Disney, Rupert was quite the ladies man, despite being a prisoner-of-war. "His German uniform had worn out and he had an American uniform. Rupert would take his coat off, so he'd just have his shirt on. He scratched the PW [prisoner-of-war logo] off the front. He'd sit on the truck up there with me, while the prisoners...[would] get cordwood. Rupert would sit up there...a French girl would come by and he'd speak to her in French...she thought he was an American. He used to make dates with them. He would [arrange to] see them at a certain time. Well, at five o'clock I had to take him back and he was dumped in the compound and couldn't get out."

One day while gathering cordwood at a local village, Disney and his prisoner-of-war detail came under attack. "The cordwood we were buying was all stacked along the wall...we were loading the cordwood...[and] rocks began coming over the wall! [The attackers] hit a couple of guys on the head. We'd see a kid...and a rock would come. We'd yell at him but another kid would pop...there were a bunch of these kids. Rupert,,,yelled French at [them]...they kept up and pretty soon those rocks got thick! I got a little annoyed. I said, 'Rupert...tell the guys to put some rocks in their pocket. If they don't cut it out we're going to charge them!' We gave them a warning. Finally, I said, 'Rupert ----- Charge!' We chased those kids clear to the other end of town throwing rocks at them! I was a Sergeant then - I had a Sergeant's stripe." With a chuckle Disney added, "I led the charge of the German garbage detail against this French village."


On another occasion, Rupert played a joke on the unsuspecting Disney. The May 13, 1934 Lincoln Sunday Journal reported: "I remember the tricks the German prisoners used to play on me to get me to run errands for them. One time one of the prisoners, (the one I liked the best), came to me with an empty wine bottle and gave me some money, saying that Miss Howell [who was in charge of the canteen], wanted me to buy her some wine. I carried out his orders, although all the time I wondered how it happened [Miss Howell] wanted me to buy...wine." "When I returned, Rupert was waiting for me and insisted that he take the wine. I didn't think any more about it until a half an hour later, I went to the shower room and found all the German prisoners having a great time with that bottle of wine!"

Disney recalled with a hint of sadness, seeing Rupert for the last time: "I've got a picture of Rupert. We got to be great pals. He didn't want to go back to Germany. He wanted to be where he was. They were the saddest bunch of prisoners when they finally sent them back [home]."

The fourth post in this series, which I hope to publish in the next week, will explore Disney's friendship with canteen matriarch, Miss H. Alice Howell.

The other Red Cross posts in this series can be read here, here, and here.

Halloween stickers

From my collection, a panel of uncut, gummed stickers made by Disney licensee Dennison.

The Dennison Manufacturing Company was a Disney licensee between 1933 and 1936 that produced printed crepe paper items, decorations, napkins, table covers and other associated party supplies. This item dates from the early-1930s.

Click on the above photo to see a larger image. Click here to see another neat uncut Dennison Christmas related item.

Floyd Gottfredson employee card

This absolutely fantastic item comes courtesy the collection of my good friend Dennis Books. Dennis has been collecting for close to 50 years and in my opinion, has one of THE BEST collections of vintage, pre-1948 Disney memorabilia.


Dennis' collection runs the gamut of great Disney collectibles - hundreds of pieces of exquisite art, and hundreds upon hundreds of dolls, bisques, celluloid toys, books, magazines, premiums, letters and other ephemera, all from the '30s and '40s.

Floyd Gottfredson's 1935 employee card is but one example of the numerous rare and unique items Dennis owns. I always look forward to my visits with Dennis to admire his collection and to marvel at his latest acquisitions.


Gottfredson began his career at Disney's in 1929 as an animation in-betweener. When Win Smith and Ub Iwerks left the Studio, Walt Disney asked Gottfredson to work on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, the position the budding artist had initially hoped to be assigned to. The move to the Comic Strip Department was the beginning of an association that lasted some 45 years.


Gottfredson's first Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip debuted on May 5, 1930. Under his stewardship the strip eventually evolved from a gag strip to one that featured great, serialized stories. Several of the many new characters developed by Gottfredson included the Phantom Blot, Captain Doberman and Gloomy, and Eega Beeva.

Gottfredson passed away in July 1986 at the age of 81.

Mickey Mouse Magazine - November 1939

November 1939 issue of the Mickey Mouse Magazine. Vol. 5 No. 2. Great seasonal cover.

From the collection of my good friend Dennis Books.

"Kay Kowboy Kamen"

This photo sold recently on eBay. Kamen's salutation showcases his sense of humor, as documented in Diane Disney Miller's recollection, which can be found here on my blog.


I believe the "Ruth" mentioned in the message is Ruth Ivener, the Vice-President of Kay Kamen Enterprises. Click on the "Kay Kamen" link found below this post to see other entries related to this merchandising genius.

Walt Disney and the Red Cross - part 2

This second post continues our look at Walt Disney’s time as a Red Cross volunteer in France during World War One. To review part one click here and to see an addendum to the first post click here.

After spending time at Evacuation Hospital No. 5, Disney was transferred to the Red Cross canteen in Neufchateau, an idyllic French town located on the rail line to Nancy. Replacement troops en-route to Germany frequently stopped in the town, as the French changed train engines. During the brief stopover, some of the servicemen would visit the Red Cross canteen where they enjoyed a coffee or doughnut, before continuing on their journey into Germany.

Walt Disney stands beside one of the ambulances he drove for the Red Cross in France. The doughboy caricature on the canvas side-flap of the vehicle was drawn by the budding young artist. Notice that Disney is wearing a sleeveless wind break leather jacket, which he speaks about two paragraphs down.

While at Neufchateau Disney created canteen posters, painted cartoon images on the canvas sides of ambulances, painted footlockers and emblazoned jackets with copies of the French Croix du Guerre medal.

Disney recalled, "We all wore leather wind breaks...with no sleeves. There was a Frenchman who took care of our barracks and he had a Croix du Guerre. I asked him, 'May I borrow that for the day?' And he said, 'Yes.' I painted on my jacket a Croix du Guerre. Just as a gag. And the guys [said], 'Gee, paint me one of those will ya?' So I said, 'Alright.' Every one of us were going around that barracks...with a Croix du Guerre. You'd see somebody coming down the street ten feet away and you'd swear he had a Croix du Guerre on. I used to get ten Francs for [painting] the darned things."

A 1914 - 1918 French Croix du Guerre. The medal was bestowed by both France and Belgium as a unit award or to individuals who distinguished themselves in combat.

After watching Disney paint a camouflage scheme on a footlocker, a fellow nicknamed “the Georgian Cracker” put Disney’s creative talents to use and together, the two young men combined their respective talents to earn some extra money.

During time of war, servicemen have always sought out mementos and souvenirs to bring home and World War One was no different - one of the most highly prized trophies was a German sniper’s helmet. Disney and the “Cracker” often went on treasure hunts, scouring the surrounding countryside in search of discarded weapons and helmets, which the pair then sold to soldiers passing through on the troop trains.

Authentic German World War I helmet sporting a common camouflage pattern. Walt Disney may have painted his handmade souvenirs in a similar pattern.

Disney said, “We used to drive up…through ammunition dumps…[the Cracker] would go pick-up as many helmets as [he] could pick-up. The helmets were the thing. The Cracker knew very troop train coming…he’d go…with a whole armful of helmets…he had a sniper’s helmet…they all fought over this sniper’s helmet.”

The Cracker convinced Disney to reproduce the sniper camouflage design on discarded helmets the two had collected. “I copied the sniper’s helmet,” Disney recalled. After finishing the paint job, complete with a “quick drier” that made the paint crackle, the Cracker “went out …and banged it in the dirt. Then one day…he was shooting holes in them. He’d only have one…for every troop train. These troop trains would come through…and [the soldiers] would be around for an hour…he got the schedule…he’d go…with a whole armful of helmets…he’d only have one [sniper’s helmet] for every troop train. He never had more than one hanging on his arm.” For his role in the charade the Cracker paid Disney “5 francs or 10 francs."

I often wonder if any of these doctored “sniper” helmets have found their way into WW I military collections.

News-Week image of Walt Disney

The image in this post appeared in a 1934 issue of News-Week magazine. The article was titled, "ART: Mickey Mouse's Friends Find Him in Portland Museum." The article gave details on a Disney traveling art exhibit that was in Portland for two weeks.


The article stated in part,

"The Disney traveling exhibit...is one of the two Disney shows sponsored by the 22 year old College Art Association of New York, which organizes traveling art exhibitions. College art borrows [the art] and sends them to museums throughout the country, charging only for transportation. Each Disney exhibit is insured for $5,000 and consists of 50 black and white Mickey cartoons and 50 water colors. Every four months [Disney] supplies 40 new items from his current movie releases."

The Mickey Mouse doll Walt Disney is holding looks like one of the 44 inch tall promotional marketing dolls created for the Disney brothers by seamstress Charlotte Clark.

Image courtesy hakes.com

A pair of these gigantic promotional dolls (shown in the image above), sold recently at a Hake's Americana auction for just over $150,000. Yes, that's right, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Mickey is 44 inches tall, while Minnie stands 48 inches tall to the top of the flower on her hat. Both sported 32 inch long tails.

SS Vaubin, or perhaps it was the SS Vauban?

In my first post about Walt Disney volunteering for service with the Red Cross, (seen here), I wrote that Disney sailed for France aboard a liner called the SS Vaubin. Reference to the ship can be found in several Disney biographies and I went with what had previously been written.

I tried to locate both background info on the Vaubin or the existence of a photograph to use in my original post. Despite countless hours scouring the web, I found nothing. Surprised by the lack of information available on the ship, I began contacting various museums and archives to see if they had any info on the mysterious Vaubin.

Some of the research facilities I contacted included the National World War I Museum, the Red Cross Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum, The Museum of America and the Sea, the U.S. Navy Historical Center and the Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library. All of my queries, save one, came up blank.

Fellow researcher Michael Campbell first hit upon the idea there may have been a spelling mistake with the name of the ship. This appears to be the case. Liz Verity, of the United Kingdom's National Maritime Museum responded to one of my emails suggesting perhaps the ship was actually the SS Vauban, spelt with the letter "a" instead of the letter "i," the same conclusion Campbell hit upon.

Postcard image of the SS Vauban, the ship that may have taken Walt Disney to France in November 1918.

After researching the history of the Vauban, I have come to the conclusion she may in fact be the ship that took Walt Disney and 49 other Red Cross volunteers across the Atlantic Ocean to Le Havre, France in November 1918.

According to a story published in the Lincoln Nebraska Journal, the Vauban arrived in New York Harbor November 13, 1918, just five days before Disney departed from Hoboken, New Jersey. An article in the Logansport Pharos-Reporter confirmed the story: "The British steamship Vauban was the first [ship] to reach here today after the navy department lifted its ban on using the names of vessels and ports. The Vauban came from Buenos Ayres [sic] by way of Rio de Janeiro and the Barbadoes. She sailed into New York harbor with lights ablaze, every strip of 'color' flung to the breeze and her 300 passengers lined up at the rails, cheering and waving flags."

Besides carrying passengers, Vauban was also outfitted with refrigerated holds, which were used for the transportation of beef. In one of his interviews with Pete Martin, Walt Disney referred to the vessel he went to France on as a "converted cattle ship."

Vauban normally transited between the United States and South America. At some point in time her route was changed to cover the United States to the United Kingdom route. Several newspaper articles published in 1919 indicate Vauban sailed from New York to Liverpool, England.

Based on the above-mentioned newspaper articles and the fact no major naval related research institution has any information on a ship called the Vaubin, I believe the SS Vauban was the ship that took Walt Disney to France. We have record of the Vauban in New York just days before Disney left for France, we have Vauban sailing from the U.S. to Europe and we know Vauban was equipped with refrigerated holds used for transporting butchered cattle.

Based on my conclusions, I don't think it's a stretch to state SS Vauban was the ship Walt Disney went to France on as a member of the Red Cross. If anyone has any thoughts to the contrary, I'd be interested in hearing from you.

Courageous Hearts With Glorious Hopes

This image was created by Disney artist Hank Porter in mid-1943. The illustration shows disabled children looking above themselves at a dream cloud that depicts the children engaged in various childhood activities.


According to a letter written by W. Freeland Kendrick, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Shriner's Hospitals for Crippled Children, Walt Disney presented the original art to J.H. Northey, Marshall of the Oasis Temple, Charlotte, North Carolina.

In his letter to Porter, Kendrick wrote:

"Surely you must have been divinely inspired when you conceived that sketch. It so beautifully blends the humanitarian work carried on by the Shriners in [sic] behalf of the destitute crippled children of North America, and the hope that this work inspires in their little hearts.

In a letter just received...from Mr. Northey, I am advised that since copies of this sketch were mailed out to their Nobility, they have already received 80 Subscriptions at $60.00 each and they're hoping to secure many, many more. Every dollar received from these Subscriptions is placed in the permanent Endowment Fund of our Hospitals and [is] invested in U.S. War Bonds. Nothing but the interest from these bonds is used for hospital maintenance."

This illustration is just one example of the many non-publicized, charitable works, Walt Disney was involved with in his lifetime. I have queried the Oasis Temple for more information and will report back anything of interest.

While similar images of the print and the letter were sold on eBay a few months ago, the image in this post is courtesy the Porter family.

This blog will be silent over the upcoming week as we head off to Disneyland.

Walt Disney and the Red Cross - part one

To say Walt Disney was an American patriot is an understatement. One just has to spend time examining the various projects he and his Studio participated in during the Second World War, to understand how deeply he cared about his country and the men and women fighting on the front lines and the home front.

Walt Disney's sense of patriotic duty can be traced back to the First World War. Disney was just a 16-year old teenager when "the war to end all wars" was winding down. When asked later in life about his desire to join the military he replied, "I [didn't] want my grandchildren asking me, 'Why weren't you in the war? Were you a slacker?' "

Walt Disney was envious of his two older brothers who were already in the military - Raymond was in the Army, while Roy had enlisted in the Navy. In an interview conducted with Pete Martin and his daughter Diane, Disney recalled the day he was at the train station with Roy, who was on his way to the Navy's training facility at Great lakes, Illinois. As he stood beside his older brother, a sailor mistook the younger Disney for a new recruit and ordered him to fall in. Disney recalled, "...that put a bee in my bonnet...they thought I was old enough."

World War I Red Cross recruiting poster. Despite the poster's claim, the minimum age for volunteers was just 17.

When Disney and his high school pal Russell Maas were turned down by the Navy, the two took jobs at the post office picking-up and sorting mail. One afternoon, Maas burst in to the room where Disney was working and excitedly told his friend a Red Cross unit was forming to go overseas and they could enlist. Disney said, "We went down and signed-up...under an assumed name. We found out that we had to get [our] parent's signatures and we had to get passports. This was a volunteer unit...a private subscription deal forming for the Red Cross."

Both youngsters were one year shy of the minimum age requirement of 17. The two filed their applications and then set about securing the necessary documents that would take them on their grand adventure. Disney related, "I went out and told my mother. I wanted her to write a permission thing. My father was against it." Elias Disney adamantly refused to acquiesce. "I will not sign any permission," he said adding, "That's a death warrant for my son."

Flora Disney, knowing her son's determination and pride, explained to her husband she would rather sign for a passport and know where her son was, than have him run off. Elias still refused. Walt Disney successfully convinced his mother to sign the paperwork. "My mother made out this affidavit, signed it for my father and signed it for me."

In the November 1932 issue of Silver Screen magazine, Flora recalled the incident. "Dad wouldn't sign for Walter. I signed after much coaxing...for the date of birth I wrote 1901. But Walter fooled me. When the paper was turned in to the Red Cross, it read 1900. Walter had made a circle out of the one!"

Walt Disney on the right an his friend Russell Maas pose for a portrait. This image appeared in the November 1932 issue of Silver Screen magazine.

Disney and Maas, who had initially signed-off on their initial applications as the St. John brothers, returned to the Red Cross recruiting office, where they had the clerk replace the falsified records with the genuine ones. The Walt Disney Family Foundation currently owns the passport Disney used to get to France. The document will be displayed at the Walt Disney Museum currently under construction on the grounds of the Presidio in San Francisco.

With the proper papers filed, Disney began his Red Cross training almost immediately. His first assignment took him to the grounds of a temporary camp in the Cottage Grove area by the University of Chicago. The new recruits were trained by Yellow Cab mechanics in automotive repair. Disney and the others were also tested to see if they could drive trucks in various road conditions. "They...put us in holes and we had to get out. They washed you up if you couldn't drive...if you couldn't make it...you were made a helper."

A poster typical of the ones seen throughout Chicago during the flu epidemic of 1918-1919. Walt Disney was one of thousands of Americans who contracted the virus, which swept the globe killing upwards of 40 million - more people died of influenza in one year than died during the four year span of the Black Plague.

While in camp Disney caught the flu during an epidemic that swept the globe. Instead of being taken to a local hospital, where his chances of survival were actually diminished, the gravely ill teenager was driven home. "Up in front of my house one Sunday...drove this ambulance...I got out. My folks put me in bed." Disney credited his survival to his mother, who brought a local doctor to the house. The physician prescribed quinine to help combat the fever. Disney recalled, "I was delirious for about a week." Disney eventually recovered, as did his mother, who had also become quite sick.

Ye Olde Greenwich Inn, Sound Beach, Connecticut. Disney and the other Red Cross workers in his unit were billeted at this hotel. It was here that the youngsters received word the war had ended.

While Disney was at home in bed, the Ambulance Company he was attached to left for France. When he was healthy enough to return to the Red Cross, he was transferred to a unit stationed at Sound Beach, Connecticut. The youngsters were housed in a resort that had closed following the summer rush. "We were regimented...we had discipline...we had a guard house...kp duty...we were being indoctrinated to go."

Unfortunately for the new recruits, the Armistice Treaty to end the war was signed on November 11, 1918. Disney and his fellow volunteers were devastated when they heard the news. "I've never seen a sicker bunch of kids. Everybody was celebrating...but we were so naive."

After the dejected group went to bed, an announcement woke the boys from a sound sleep. "They went through the place and said, '50 guys going to France, 50 guys going to France.' I just laid over in bed and slept. They called out the names...it got up to 49 and number 50 was Walter, Private Walter E. Disney."

The pier at Hoboken, New Jersey. Walt Disney left from this exact location to begin his adventure in France with the Red Cross. This photo was taken one month after Disney had left for Europe. Courtesy the family of Virgil Brooks.

Disney's buddies quickly raced back to the barracks, woke the sleeping youngster and informed him of his luck. Within an hour the chosen 50 were on a train to Hoboken, New Jersey, the main port of embarkation for troops going to Europe.

The group of Red Cross workers transited the Atlantic aboard the SS Vaubin, a converted cattle ship. Disney recalled, "The big thrill I got out of it was that I slept right over the magazine hatch. The boat...still had its ammunition in the hold. We said, 'Gee, this is thrilling...we could get blown up.' We were thinking of all the things that could happen to us."

As the transport approached the French port of Cherbourg, minesweepers were deployed. Vaubin's gun stations were also manned, on the lookout for rogue mines that posed a real threat to marine traffic in the area. After a brief layover the transport continued to the port city of Le Havre, where Disney and his fellow workers disembarked. "It was very exciting you know. Our first day ashore was a real experience." That experience included using a street side, open, public urinal for the first time.

From Le Havre the group took the train to Paris for a brief stopover and from there, to St. Cyr, a small town 13 miles to the west of Paris. "[The Red Cross] had a couple of chateaus...I darned near froze to death. It was getting into December. I couldn't keep warm. We rolled ourselves in newspapers. They had one field kitchen to feed us...and the most horrible food."

While in St. Cyr, Disney celebrated his 17th birthday. A friend invited him for a celebratory drink, but when the two walked into the bistro the bar was deserted. Suddenly, a group of friends appeared from nowhere and shouted, "Happy Birthday Diz! Then they all turned around and ordered drinks."

The surprise in the so-called surprise birthday party was the fact Disney got stuck with the bar tab, which was substantial. The drinks cost Disney all the money he had brought with him. In order to pay the tab, he was forced to sell his second pair of Red Cross issued shoes for 30 Francs.

The men and women of Red Cross Evacuation Hospital No. 5.

From St. Cyr Disney was transferred to Evacuation Hospital No. 5 in Paris, where he performed auxiliary work. Being an experienced driver, Disney was assigned to the Motor Pool, which was nothing more than a glorified taxi service for Army officers.

In February, Disney was tasked with the responsibility of transporting a truckload of sugar and beans to the devastated town of Soissons, located 60 miles northeast of Paris. Adverse weather conditions and a mechanical breakdown almost led to Disney being drummed out of the Red Cross. "I went out of Paris and it started to snow...part way [out] I burned out a bearing...I tried to keep going. It kept knocking and pounding and finally...the whole connecting rod came loose."

After parking the vehicle, Disney found refuge from the freezing elements in a nearby railroad watchman's shack, while his swamper left to get help. Disney would later say, "Sugar and beans were gold." As the snow blew outside, Disney shared some of his emergency rations with the watchman in the tiny four-foot square shed.

After two cold nights in the shack and no sign of relief, Disney decided to abandon his truck and go get help himself. "I was so cold and tired...I left my truck and walked...to this town and ordered a meal." Pushing a dead cockroach from his plate, Disney devoured his lamp chop, peas and bread, before renting a room and flopping into a bed where he slept until the next afternoon. Horrified he had overslept, Disney quickly returned to where he had left his truck, only to find that his vehicle and the valuable cargo were gone.

Portrait of staff belonging to a Red Cross Ambulance Company attached to Evacuation Hospital No. 5.

Disney caught the next freight train out of town and made a beeline for the Red Cross headquarters in Paris, where officials charged him with dereliction of duty. With the assistance of a Sergeant from Evacuation Hospital No. 5, Disney was absolved of any wrongdoing, while his swamper, who had run off on a drinking binge leaving Disney stranded, was court-martialed.

From St. Cyr Disney was once again transferred, this time to a Red Cross canteen near the town of Neufchateau, located about 175 miles east of Paris. While here Disney made friends with several interesting people including Alice Howell, the canteen matriarch, a fellow Red Cross worker nicknamed the "Georgian Cracker," and a German prisoner of war named Rupert.

Part two of Disney's amazing Red Cross adventure will be posted in the coming weeks. I am off on a trip to San Francisco this weekend and have to prep for the trip...

Roy Disney Enlists in the Navy

On June 22, 1917, Roy O. Disney enlisted in the Navy for a four year hitch, along with his friend Mitch Francis. (Roy would later marry Mitch's sister Edna). After completing the necessary paperwork at the recruiting office, Roy was sent home.


Two months later a telegram arrived on Roy's doorstep, directing him to report to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, located north of Chicago. Roy trained at Great Lakes from August 20, 1917, until January 17, 1918. When he graduated from Boot Camp, Roy became one of over 100-thousand men that were processed through the Navy's training center during World War I.

Aerial view showing a portion of the Great lakes Naval Training Station.

After graduation Roy was sent to Charleston, South Carolina, where he spent four months aboard a receiving ship - a floating barracks where sailors would await their next assignment, usually the arrival in port of the ship they had been assigned to.

On April 17, 1918, Roy boarded the USS Adonis, where he stayed for just five days. Despite scouring the internet and querying a well-respected naval historian, I have been unable to find any information on the Adonis. After his brief stay aboard the mystery ship, Roy was assigned to another receiving ship for two days.

On April 24, Roy was ordered to report to the USS Houston. Roy's floating home for the next seven months began her seafaring career as the SS Liebenfels, a 45-hundred ton German cargo ship that had been built in 1903.

With the outbreak of war in August 1914, ships of any class belonging to the combatants became fair game on the high seas. Liebenfels was initially laid up at Charleston at the war's outset. Fearful of their safety in the open waters of the Atlantic, the ship's crew decided to stay put for the war's duration.

When relations between Germany and America deteriorated in early 1917, Liebenfels was scuttled by her crew while in port. The ship was quickly floated, salvaged and refitted for service in the United States Navy.

The German built SS Liebenfels undergoes repairs while in drydock at the Charleston Navy Yard, May 16, 1917.

Commissioned in July 1917 as USS Houston, the merchant ship began transporting much needed supplies to Western Europe. Roy Disney was aboard Houston during three trans-Atlantic crossings.

The salvaged German freighter begins her new life as the USS Houston, Charleston Navy Yard, July 2, 1917.

According to Bob Thomas' biography, Building A Company, Roy E. Disney recalled his father telling him, "He did see ships blown up all around him. He said it was really scary; he was impressed with the terror of it all." Roy Sr. was also apparently in awe of the might of mother nature, when he witnessed the violent pitching waters of an Atlantic storm wrench a 57-pound iron compass ball from its housing on his ship's bridge.

USS Houston takes on supplies at the Charleston Navy Yard, April 18, 1918.

When the Armistice was signed to end the war, USS Houston began transporting supplies between the eastern seaboard and the west coast. Roy's last voyage aboard Houston ended with a load of coal at the Bremerton Naval Yard in Washington State.

Caricature of Roy Disney as a WW I sailor found in the 1943 employee newsletter, Dispatch From Disney's.

During his last trip Roy wrote about his time in the Navy. He later remarked, "Many years later, I...read [the notes] over again. I found I had been telling the biggest whoppers ever." Roy's notes about his naval experience have never been located.

Roy O. Disney's WW I Navy discharge papers. Roy began life in the Navy as an Apprentice Seaman. He was promoted to the rank of Seaman 2nd Class and then Seaman. He finished the war with the rank of Quartermaster 3rd Class.

With the war's end the Navy began to downsize. Roy applied for and was granted an early discharge on February 14, 1919. Roy returned to Kansas City and resumed his job at the First National Bank.

Mickey Mouse Boy Scout lamp

I meant to include this item in the post about Walt Disney receiving the Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo award (see here), but I've been so busy lately I forgot. So, instead of adding it to the Silver Buffalo post after the fact, I thought I'd just create a separate entry.



This lamp came up for sale on eBay quite a while ago. The lamp is missing a few parts and the hole in Mickey's head where the threaded post would have been has been filled and colored black, otherwise the piece was a knockout.

The licensee was La Mode and the lamp is made of plaster. The base measures four inches in diameter, while Mickey stands just over seven inches tall. La Mode also made a night light and a bookend based on this same image. The lamp was made in 1938.

Besides this Mickey as a Boy Scout lamp, La Mode also manufactured a great line of light fixtures featuring many of the main characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, including Snow White, Doc, Dopey and Grumpy, as well as a lamp featuring a short-billed Donald Duck.

Anatomy of a mid-1940s photo - part 2

This second post in a series examines a mid-1940s photo of Walt Disney that appeared in Look magazine. The montage showcases an amazing collection of Disney artifacts. The first post in this series can be seen here.

The award pictured in the center of the three medals shown in the bottom right side of the photo is the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle. This prestigious award was created in December 1933 and is the highest decoration awarded to foreigners by the Mexican government. The medal is given to luminaries as a reward for services to humankind or Mexico.

On August 16, 1943, Mexican President Avila Camacho announced his selection of four American film producers to receive the decoration, "in recognition of their contribution toward the better knowledge of Mexico abroad." Besides Walt Disney, those chosen to receive the Order included Louis B. Mayer, James Fitzpatrick and Francis Alstock.

Walt Disney and Louis B. Mayer left for Mexico City on August 23, 1943. The men received their awards in a ceremony held at the National Palace one week later on August 30. Other Hollywood notables in attendance included Hedy Lamarr, John Loder and Walter Pidgeon.

On the day of the ceremony the Tuscon Daily Herald published an article which reported: "Disney...said he will bring members of his staff from Hollywood to make pictures in collaboration with Mexican artists. The pictures will teach reading and health and sanitation."

The films referred to in the newspaper story were eventually produced as part of a series initiated by the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs for the Latin America market. Other topics covered in the films included nutrition and infant care.

Walt Disney, the Silver Buffalo and the Boy Scouts of America

On May 16, 1946, Walt Disney and his wife Lillian arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, after a brief stopover in Walt's boyhood town of Marceline. Walt had traveled to St. Louis in order to attend an awards ceremony.

On May 17, 1946, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded Disney and eight other recipients the prestigious Silver Buffalo.

The Boy Scouts of America "Silver Buffalo." Image courtesy eaglescoutbadge.com

The Silver Buffalo is awarded annually by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America for "distinguished service to boyhood." Created in 1925, the award is Scouting's highest commendation.

Besides Walt Disney, other notables represented at the 1946 ceremony included Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson; United Service Organizations co-founder Frank Well; and World War II veterans Dwight David Eisenhower, Commander of all Allied troops in Europe and chief planner of the D-Day invasion; and Chester William Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations and United States Signator to the Japanese Surrender Treaty.

According to the May 17, 1946 Monitor Index and Daily Democrat:

"The awards to Eisenhower and Nimitz were for their wartime exploits. Disney, a former scout, was honored for contributing 'to the joy of youth in every land...and the elevation of their standards of good taste."

The May 18, 1946 Joplin Globe reported Disney had quit the Scout movement as a so-called Tenderfoot, the first rank earned as a Boy Scout. The newspaper stated Disney:

"...joined 'in 1914 or 15' in Kansas City. He doesn't remember what troop. It was headquartered in a Congregational Church. He doesn't remember what Congregational Church. He quit - frustrated when his family moved to Chicago.

In fact [Disney] blushed a bit when his scouting record was mentioned by an interviewer. 'I didn't bring up the fact I was a Scout,' Disney said. 'They did [the committee].' The committee of selection was headed by Richard E. Byrd, Antarctic explorer and retired rear admiral."

Interestingly enough, Disney had been a supporter of the Boy Scout movement during the mid-1940s, when he had artist Hank Porter create at least two pieces of related artwork.

One illustration was designed as a presentation piece for Chief Scout Executive Dr. Elbert K. Fretwell, who visited the west coast for the first time in the spring of 1944. While in California Fretwell attended Scout events in Oakland, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara and Long Beach. While in Long Beach the Chief Scout Executive was presented with a piece of art that featured an image of Fretwell, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

The Hank Porter illustration of Fretwell, Donald and Mickey appeared on a Scout Region Twelve newsletter. The salutation reads, "Best wishes to Dr. Fretwell. Walt Disney and staff 1944."

A letter to Hank Porter from Roland Dye, the Deputy Regional Executive of Region Twelve stated:

"We can never tell you how much we owe you for the very excellent sketch you made for Dr. Fretwell while he was here recently. He was actually at a loss for words when he found himself in the sketch, which a Scout was presenting to him before that large group in Long Beach.

I really feel it is going to be one of his prized possessions...we are using the reproduction of it for the cover of our News Letter going to our key leaders in these four Western States [California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah], and the Hawaiian Islands. I thought you might be interested in a copy of it to see how it came out when printed."

Close-up of art before Porter added the salutation and signature. Image courtesy the Porter family.

During his trip to California Fretwell also toured the Walt Disney Studio, where he actually met with Hank Porter. As evidenced by his May 9, 1944 thank-you letter, Fretwell had no idea Porter had created a piece of art he would be presented with just one day later.

"My dear Hank Porter.

This is all about the Mickey Mouse - Donald Duck Chief Scout Executive sketch. The afternoon I had the privilege of calling on you...I was completely and utterly delighted with those sketches that take the place of pin-up girls on your wall. I really meant it when I said I hoped at some time I could come back, and you would do a sketch of a Scout for us that had all the 'whatever it is' that makes Donald Duck the only Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse the only Mickey Mouse, and the Seven Dwarfs the only dwarfs, etc. I do not know what this intangible thing is, but it is something.

Now when I was visiting you, I did not have any notion at all about this sketch you had done, and which the next day was presented to me at a luncheon of the Scout people at Long Beach.

Many delightful things happened to me and were done for me in this, my first official trip for Scouting to the West Coast, but nothing stayed with me and delighted me quite so much as this sketch. It is framed here in my office now and is going to stay here. When the going gets tough and rough and the world gets a bit sour, somehow it gives me an upswing.

I am grateful to the good Lord for giving you whatever it is - the genius and stick-to-it-iveness - to work and develop your own art...I am grateful to you, and although I thanked you before, I want you to know that the flavor of my all too brief visit at your workshop lingers delightfully, and I was really very pleased with Donald, and Mickey, and myself as you brought us together."

The second piece of art created by Porter for the Boy Scouts featured Donald Duck and his three nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie dressed as Scouts saluting a member of the Boy Scouts.

Image of Donald and his nephews courtesy the Porter family.

I'm not sure when this second piece of art was created or when it was used, but given the fact Porter was extremely sick from 1950 onward, I am sure this piece was also created in the 1940s. If any of my readers have further background information on this particular illustration, I'd love to hear from you.

Kay Kamen Remembered

There are many references to Kay Kamen in all of the major Disney biographies. He is, understandably, a very important person in the history of the Disney Studio. His business acumen and marketing genius generated tens of millions of dollars in merchandise revenue, which was in turn used to fund the many projects Walt Disney envisioned.

I thought it would be interesting to see what Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, remembered about Kay Kamen. I sent her an email recently and what follows was her reply back to me. Her recollections detail a different side of Kay and his wife Katie that is often overlooked:

"David: I read with great interest all about how Kay Kamen came to dad with his ideas and how his merchandising savvy helped the company grow and prosper, but I knew him and his wife Katie as some of my very favorite people who came to our home, who were friends of my parents and of my Uncle Roy and Aunt Edna.

Kay was a very witty man. There was always laughter when he was around. Laughter was an important ingredient in our family, but Kay was really funny, in a low key way.

Katie was warm, generous, and always made me feel very important. When I was about ten I went to New York with my parents for the first time. I was in the 4th grade at Immaculate Heart, a Catholic girls' school near our home in Los Angeles.

I don't know the purpose of the trip, but dad was very busy every day and mother and I were taken around the city by Katie. She was a wonderful companion. We had lunch at the Automat because I wanted to, having heard about it from dad. We had ice cream at Howard Johnson's, because Katie said we must, 'because they have such high mounds of ice cream.'

My one year in a Catholic school had filled me with awe at the beauty and mystery of the Church and I had become an avid collector of Holy Cards. Katie sought out places where I could purchase some.

They invited me to spend a night with them, and I did, but I had a stomach ache, which lasted for several days. I don't think it had anything to do with being away from my parents. I was very comfortable with [the Kamens].

Everything about that trip was important and memorable...we spent a weekend at Major Alexander de Seversky's beach home on Long Island and dug clams, which we had for supper. I didn't care for the supper, but loved the digging part. This makes me wonder if we were in N.Y. for the premiere of Victory Through Air Power, and that is why I was invited to the Kamen's for a night.

Kay Kamen's relationship with Walt and Roy Disney...was much deeper than a business relationship...[it] was also a very important friendship."

On October 26, 1949, Kay Kamen sent a letter from Paris, to Ruth Ivener, Vice-President of Kay Kamen Ltd. in New York, in which he joked about his fear of flying. In a very sad, ironic twist of fate, Kay Kamen, his wife Katie and 46 others were killed two days later, when the Air France Constellation they were aboard crashed into a mountain peak in the Azores, while returning to the U.S.

Diane remembered hearing the news of Kamen's death:

"For some reason I now forget, I was driving down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles...in my dad's grey Oldsmobile convertible with the top down when I heard the news of the plane crash on the radio. I burst into tears. I knew well that Kay never flew anywhere because of his fears and found the irony extremely cruel. It was a great personal loss for our...family and for many others."

I would like to publicly thank Diane for taking the time to reply to my questions. She is extremely busy with many projects right now, including the construction of The Walt Disney Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco. I appreciate her time and generosity.

Kay Kamen - Playthings magazine

This blog talks a lot about Kay Kamen and the impact he had on Disney merchandise in the 1930s and 1940s. For those of you who have never seen a photograph of Kamen, I present this image, which was featured in the April 1937 issue of Playthings magazine.


Playthings called itself, "the national magazine of the toy trade." Kamen often bought the rights to the advertising space on the magazine's front cover. There are many issues where Disney merchandise, a special promotion or publicity illustration appeared on the cover, complete with great Disney graphics.


Kamen was the self-styled "king ot toyland." He used this magazine to his full advantage, promoting Disney product to the hundreds of retail store buyers who subscribed to the publication.

Images courtesy Hake's Americana.

General Foods Post Toasties Cut-Outs

In early 1932, Herman "Kay" Kamen left his home in Kansas City for a business meeting in Hollywood, California. The man he was going to meet had made a similar journey west almost a decade earlier. The purpose of Kamen's trip west was to discuss merchandising ideas with Walt and Roy Disney.

At their first meeting, Kamen presented his ideas for increasing the Studio's revenue stream through the sale of character merchandise. The brothers were suitably impressed and on July 1, 1932, they awarded Kamen his first contract. After the agreements with the George Borgfeldt and William Levy B. Levy companies expired, Kamen assumed control of all Disney merchandise licensing agreements.

Through a well thought out and brilliantly executed marketing plan, Kamen quickly established Disney characters as the dominant product on the shelves of toy departments across America.

At the height of the Great Depression, Kamen negotiated deals with some of America's largest manufacturers including Ingersoll and Lionel. In 1934 Kamen inked an unheard of 1.5 million dollar deal with General Foods. The agreement gave the cereal producer the right to reproduce Disney characters on boxes of Post Toasties. Adjusted for inflation, that contract would be worth almost $24 million dollars in 2008.

Counter top or window point of sale display sign. Courtesy Hake's Americana.

The so-called cereal "cut-outs" were huge hits. After children finished their box of cereal, the images printed on the box were cut-out and became instant playthings. At a time when thousands of Americans found themselves out of work and with no disposable income, these cut-outs were undoubtedly the only toys some children had.

This newspaper advertisement announced the Mickey Mouse Cut-Out promotion. The ad appeared in hundreds of newspapers across America - the only part of the copy that changed was the insertion of the name of the city. This particular ad appeared in the Paris News on May 11, 1934.

In mid-May 1934, Kamen and General Foods launched a nationwide newspaper advertising campaign announcing, "Post Toasties with Mickey Mouse Cut-Outs." The ad stated in part:

"What marvelous toys for children! - these new Post Toasties Cut-Outs. What fun for boys and girls to cut them right off the boxes...to play with these beloved 'movie stars!' On some boxes you get Mickey Mouse and his pals - Minnie Mouse...Pluto the Pup...Horace Horsecollar...or the Goof. On other boxes there are dandy Cut-Outs of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. Get some Post Toasties today. Eat it often. It's full of quick, new energy. And remember - Post Toasties is the only cereal that gives you, absolutely free, these wonderful Walt Disney Cut-Outs for the youngsters."

This shipping box was recently offered on eBay.

Besides Mickey, Minnie and Donald, many of the Studio's Silly Symphony characters also appeared on the cereal boxes. Here is a representative sampling of just a few including Old King Cole, Little Red Riding Hood, Max Hare and the Pied Piper:





A short article in the May 18, 1934, the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune announced Mickey's new role:

"A mouse with your breakfast food? Sure- but it's Mickey Mouse, and that makes a difference! Mickey - yes and Minnie - have figured in many pleasant episodes and somehow are always mighty welcome visitors. And one of their newest and most pleasant jobs is posing on the new Post Toasties boxes along with other Walt Disney cut-outs...the kids are in for a great time cutting out their favorite Disney characters."

Detail from circa 1934 General Foods stationary. Courtesy Hake's Americana.

Kamen often wrote press releases, which were run by many media outlets as factual news stories. These articles carry no by-line, but their style and substance is pure Kamen marketing at its best. One such "story" ran in the September 20, 1934 Oakland Tribune:

"Walt Disney seems to be the only producer in Hollywood who realizes the importance of by-products, or at least he is the only producer who, having realized it, made an effort to capitalize on the knowledge. Through summarization in the Film Daily, it is disclosed that merchandise to the extent of more than $20,000,000.00 has been sold in the last year through the use of the Mickey Mouse trademark.

This figure is exclusive of the work done by the Disney characters in recent months for General Foods and National Dairy Products. At present Mickey is working for 142 manufacturers including 75 in the United States, 45 in England, 20 in Canada, six in France, six in Spain and Portugal. It should be a long time before the Big Bad Wolf effects entrance to the Disney house of bricks."

The Chronicle Telegram, June 15, 1934.

Characters from the Academy Award winning film Three Little Pigs were also printed on boxes. A June 15, 1934 Chronicle Telegram ad featured a box with all of the pigs and the wolf. The ad copy stated in part:

"Here they are - right on the sides of Post toasties packages. The famous 'movie stars' of Walt Disney's Silly Symphony...the characters the whole country has been singing and talking about!"

Perhaps the most interesting ad campaign associated with the Disney / General Foods agreement came out of the state of Texas. On June 10, 1935, G.S. Robison, General Foods' Texas district sales manager, announced a $250 dollar cash prize to the Texan who originated the best new name for Mickey's pal "the Goof."

A "name the Goof" contest advertisement. Paris News, June 1935.

Robison stated, "The contest is unique in that it is limited to residents of [Texas] - Walt Disney thus honoring Texans in his search for a better name for poor old 'Goof'." More than 100 prizes were offered for a new name for "the lanky dog catcher who has tickled the ribs of millions in Mickey Mouse comedies."

The contest's second place winner received a $100 prize, while 100 other entrants were given $5 each. As an incentive to grocers to stock more product during the contest, prizes of between $5 and $50 were awarded to stores.

General Foods ran several large newspaper ads over the course of the contest, which lasted from June through September. One ad stated, "Walt Disney calls him the 'Goof,' but Mickey wants a better name. Here are some suggestions: Dizzy McMutt, Boppo, Mr. Tousle, Snoozle. You can beat these easily!"

The September 9, 1935 Paris News announced the contest winner: Captain W.H. Scott of Corpus Christi suggested "Nobby Noddle," and was awarded the first prize of $250.

General Foods association with Disney lasted until 1941. Over the course of their partnership, hundreds of thousands if not millions of boxes of cereal imprinted with Disney character images were sold.

As far as I know, there is no complete record of how many different images were printed. The cut-outs and the occasional cereal and packing box do appear from time to time for sale on various internet sites.

Cut-out images courtesy the collection of Dennis books.

1930s Mickey Mouse Club

Coming in the month of May:


I'll explore the history of the 1930s Mickey Mouse Club.

From my collection, the image in this post is from the header of a 1936 theater door hanger, which promoted several movies the theater was showing as well as the Mickey Mouse Club.

Walt Disney autograph

This great 8 x 10 inch Clarence Sinclair Bull casual portrait of Walt Disney sold recently on eBay. The photo dated from July 25, 1933 and was inscribed, "To Ruth Ivener, With best Wishes, Sincerely, Walt Disney."

Here's a little game...no mention was made in the auction listing as to who Ivener was. I recognized her name instantly...do you recognize her name?



Ruth Ivener was the Vice-President of Kay Kamen Ltd. She worked out of Kamen's upscale art deco offices in New York's Rockefeller Center on Sixth Avenue.

Herman "Kay" Kamen was the sole representative of Walt Disney Enterprises' merchandise division. He held that position from 1932, until he was killed in an airplane crash in 1949. Kamen published several special Christmas Promotion manuals which instructed retail toy department managers on how to mount impressive Disney-themed displays. Kamen also published several great merchandise catalogs.

An interesting bit of trivia: according to the October 21, 1933 issue of The New Yorker magazine, if you dialed Kamen's switchboard at Bryant 9-1990, "a lady with a schoolgirl inflection says, 'Mickey Mouse'."

The photo sold for under $600.

Studio strike

I recently located the following images while surfing the net and thought I'd share them. They are associated with the strike at the Disney Studio. My friend "matterhorn1959" over at the blog Stuff From the Park has been posting some very interesting photos related to the strike. Click here to get to his blog.

The first image shows the Studio parking lot during the strike.

The next two images promote a street dance and carnival held across the street from the Disney Studio. The first image is of a ticket stub for June 28th, while the second is a flier promoting a carnival that was held on July 26th. Proceeds from both events went to support the striking workers.

The next two items are fliers that were printed to dispel any rumors that the strike was over.



The next item is a flier that asked strike supporters and moviegoers to boycott Disney films including Fantasia and The Reluctant Dragon.


The following image of Mickey Mouse was reproduced on a Screen Cartoon Guild newsletter printed during the strike.


We close out this post with two photographs taken on the picket line.


All of the images in this post are courtesy the Delmar T. Oviatt Library Urban Archives Center, San Fernando Valley Issues Digital Library.

Now that winter is behind us...

How about we get out and enjoy nature? Well, in most areas of North America spring has finally sprung. What better way to celebrate the arrival of warm weather than a canoe trip on calm waters? The Donald Duck toy is composed of celluloid, while the Mickey Mouse toy is made of bisque. Both are courtesy Hake's Americana.The one of the two pals together is made of celluloid and comes our way courtesy my friend Dennis Books. Notice that in this one Mickey seems uncertain of the Duck's intentions or skill level and appears to be hanging on for dear life! This toy still bears the original sticker, visible on the tip of one of the oars.
All three toys are from the early to mid-1930s.

Donald Duck celluloid wind-up

Another great Donald Duck mechanical celluloid toy with the box.

I'm truly amazed when toys in this great condition show-up complete with their boxes. Notice that the front of the box is marked with the early copyright notice: "c Walt E. Disney." This celluloid toy was made in Japan circa 1934-1935 and sold recently through Hake's Americana.
Another example of just a lovely rare toy with a great box in primo condition.

Mickey Mouse newspaper pin

This pin was offered recently either through Hake's Americana or eBay - I can't recall which one now. Regardless, this particular pin is a hard one to find.


The horse depicted in the illustration is none other than Mickey's trusty steed Tanglefoot, who curiously enough never made an on-screen appearance. Tanglefoot came to life at the hands of the great newspaper strip artist Floyd Gottfredson, making his first appearance in a Mickey Mouse daily comic titled His Horse Tanglefoot. The story began on June 12, 1933 and ran some 102 strips in length.

Mickey's horse was also showcased in several children's books including Whitman's 1934 six set Wee Little Books series, seen here in a previous post, Blue Ribbon's 1934 The Mickey Mouse Waddle Book, and David McKay's 1936 title Mickey Mouse and His Horse Tanglefoot.

Donald Duck Carousel

This great toy sold recently on eBay.

I love the wind-up mechanical action of the actual toy as well as the early long-billed Donald Duck graphics depicted on the box. This toy would have been made in Japan circa 1934-1935.



Just a super celluloid item with a great box in nice minty condition!

Oak Hytex toy balloons

I purchased the poster and catalog in this post about 15 years ago.


The poster measures approximately 27 inches wide by 10 inches tall and represents the only example I have seen in 25 years of collecting vintage Disney memorabilia.

The introduction in the catalog states:

"The Oak Rubber Company started the manufacture of toy rubber balloons in 1916. Oak Balloons quickly established a reputation for a new degree of toughness, greater elasticity, brighter colors, attractive designs and novel variety."

The company used "milled," virgin, liquid latex rubber in their production process. Given the fact most of the rubber used in America at this time came from the South Pacific, I am not sure how this company fared during the war, when rubber was rationed and the Japanese occupied many rubber producing regions.

The 48-page catalog contains nine full-page Disney related advertisements and six additional pages where a Disney product is featured with other balloon products. Besides the following images, there are also two full-page ads featuring Snow White themed balloons.

Cover

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Package for the Stratosphere novelty.

The Stratosphere Balloon novelty consisted of a balloon (9 - 10 inches tall when inflated), and a cardboard die-cut balloon basket. The basket featured the likenesses of Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto. Hard to see in the scan, but Donald is reading a book about air sickness.

The Wedding Party of Mickey Mouse

The sheet music in this post was published by Bibo-Lang Incorporated in 1931. This company held a Disney merchandise license between 1930 and 1932. The firm also published the first Mickey Mouse book, which can be seen here.


The cover illustration for the sheet music was first used as the back cover illustration on the Mickey Mouse Book - the only difference is that Minnie wears a wedding veil in the sheet music art.

A nice, early item courtesy the collection of Dennis Books.

Header

My thanks to fellow blogger Cory the Raven for the new header. I love the pie-eyed mice. Cory runs an interesting blog titled "Voyages Extraordinaires." You can get there by clicking here. Thanks again Cory for taking the time to design the banner...I appreciate it!

Same illustration, different use

In my 25 years of collecting I have come across several examples of illustrations that have been used multiple times for different purposes. Here is one such example.



The October 1939 issue of Valley Progress magazine with an in-depth article on the new Walt Disney Studio in Burbank. This issue featured a great cover illustration of the so-called "fab five" showing off their new digs. The magazine's accompanying article can be read here.

The same illustration used in an advertisement that appeared in a 1941 - 1942 RKO exhibitor's booklet. The only difference, as pointed out by loyal blog reader and ardent observer Are Myklebust, is that Donald's head has been rotated to the right.

If anyone has an extra copy of Valley Progress for sale, please let me know. I have a friend who is looking for a copy for their collection. Thanks!

Anyone up for a movie?

It took me a while to track down the two items in this post, but I was very happy when they arrived on my doorstep a few years ago.

Both pages appeared in the New York Times newspaper. The first item dates from November 18, 1928, while the second, a review by a film critic named Mordaunt Hall, dates from the next day and could possibly be the first review ever published in regards to the film in question. (Please note the spelling error in Hall's review).

Enjoy.

Anatomy of a mid-1940s Walt Disney photograph

The image in this post arrived on my doorstep several weeks ago in a package sent to me by the family of one of Hank Porter's children. I assume Porter kept a copy of this image as it contained examples of two pieces of combat insignia art he created.

The photograph is unique and interesting on so many different levels. I believe the montage was created in either 1944 or 1945. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I will take one item or a group of items shown in the photo and explain their significance, which in turn will explain why I think this is a mid-1940s photo.

One of my first observations was that Walt Disney is not in the photograph. For some reason, a photo of Disney was used in the creation of the photograph. Why is this? I'm not sure at this point in time. Perhaps a magazine requested a montage at the last possible moment and Walt was away on business, precluding his appearance in person? Speculation on my part, but perfectly feasible.

There are so many interesting items to talk about, so for this first post I'll single out two.

The first is the Academy Award statuette seen in the left margin. That Honorary Special Award was given to Disney in November 1932, in recognition of the creation of Mickey Mouse. To read more about that particular Academy Award ceremony click here. The statuette is unique in that the base is quite stubby. The size of the base actually varied until the present standard was adopted in 1945.

The next items that interested me were the three medals seen in the lower right corner. It turns out these are three very important medals. Here's the story of the medal seen on the far right of the photo.

January 8, 1936 was a special day in Hollywood. On that day, Walt Disney was decorated with France's highest award: the Legion of Honor. Jean-Joseph Viala, the French Consul in Los Angeles, pinned the medal to Disney's left lapel in a ceremony held on the grounds of the Hyperion Avenue Studio. The event was attended by a large group of family, friends and well wishers.

One of the earliest reports of the French decision to make Disney a Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honor, appeared in the December 17, 1935 edition of the Nevada State Journal: "It was reported today that Walt Disney, creator of the popular Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony movie cartoons, has been named for the French Legion of Honor. However, a decree to that effect has not yet been published." A second story appearing 10 days later confirmed the first report.

In this newspaper publicity photo, Walt Disney is about to receive the customary kisses. The award can be seen pinned to his left lapel.

At the ceremony the French Consul general said the award was made, "in recognition of Disney's work in creating a new art form in which good will is spread throughout the world." One reporter added the award "was made in recognition of [Disney's] contribution to the screen, as the French people feel that his use of animals to interpret human comedy has made him a modern Aesop."

At least four different Associated press photographs were taken that day. Two show a very serious Walt Disney receiving the customary kisses from the French Consul, while the other two show both men smiling and joking as the French Consul interacts with a huge Charlotte Clark Mickey Mouse doll Disney is holding in his hands.


The award was established in May 1802, by Napolean Bonaparte. The decoration is divided into five degrees ranging from Chevalier, or Knight, on up to the highest degree of Grand Cross. The front of the medal features the head of "Marianne," the country's symbolic figurehead and the words, "Republique Francaise" (French Republic), while the reverse bears the inscription, "Honneur et Patrie" (Honor and Fatherland). The award is in the shape of a five-sided, double-pointed star, encircled by a green wreath of oak and laurel leaves.


An editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail stated:

Probably the French had no particular thought for such ponderous matters as cementing foreign relations or stretching hands across the sea, when they awarded the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor to Walt Disney, which means, of course, to Mickey Mouse. But how better could they have stirred a feeling of appreciation in the hearts of Americans than by that sterling gesture?

It is upon such understandings that mutual regard is built. The incident has proper comic value. When one pictures the sedate gentlemen, usually in full beards , top hats and long coats, who wear the decoration in France, the award to the mouse (by proxy) may move one to laughter. But will anyone say that it was undeserved?

With a proper regard for and familiarity with the fables of La Fontaine, the French nation has taken to Mickey in a body with enthusiasm. The flexibility of the Legion as a method of recognizing public service, whether civil or military, French or foreign, was never better illustrated. Was it not a Frenchman who said, 'I hurry to laugh at everything, for fear that I may weep'?"

Unfortunately there was at least one article that reported some felt Disney's award was undeserved. Under the headline, "French Dispute Walt Disney's Title as Dean of Animated Movie Cartoons," the February 15, 1936 issue of The Havre Daily News reported: "The French press as adopted an air of injured dignity in regard to the naming of Walt Disney...as Knight of the French Legion of Honor. Several French journalists have banded together to right this 'injustice'."

The perceived sleight by the French government involved 80-year old Emile Cohl, a French artist who claimed to be the "real creator of animated screen drawings." Cohl did in fact create one of the first fully animated films. In August 1908, the French artist released Fantasmagorie, a cartoon made-up of 700 drawings, which told the story of the adventures of a clown. Click here to view a copy of that film.

Cohl explained, "I had been successful in newspaper work and fell into cinema work by a streak of luck, having got my inspiration for cinema cartoons from an advertising billboard I happened to pass in the street. I had much success between 1908 and 1912. I shall protest to the last against those who refuse to admit that I am the first to create animated drawings for the cinema."

Walt Disney never made any claim of being the first to create animated pictures, so Cohl's negative comments seem misdirected and regardless of how a scant few in the French media may have felt at the time, Walt Disney, his family and friends were extremely proud that January day. Walt Disney had been involved with animated films for many years prior to receiving the medal.

The Legion of Honor was just one of several awards presented to Disney since Mickey's debut in 1928. In the years to follow, Walt Disney would garner close to 1,000 awards, making him one of the most recognized and decorated personalities of the 20th Century.

I'll pick another interesting item out of this photo for another post in the coming days.

American Dental Association

The April 1936 issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association featured an article titled "Mouth Hygiene in Kern County, California." Not the most endearing of topics to be sure, but a quick scan of the magazine's pages reveals an interesting Disney connection.

Kern County is located in central California, taking in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley, Sierra Nevada Mountains and Mojave Desert. In the mid-30s the Kern County Board of Supervisors employed one dental hygienist to spread the word amongst youngsters the value of brushing their teeth.


As part of the promotion children were examined and if they passed inspection, they were awarded either a Mickey or Minnie Mouse "Good Teeth" pin.


Classes scoring 100% "good teeth" by the end of the school year were also awarded a hand-tinted picture of Mickey Mouse and the Three Little Pigs. In 25 years of collecting I have never seen an example of this particular certificate.


There was also a Kern County dental Roll Call of Honor that was hung in classrooms. While that item also had Disney character graphics, the illustrations were not done by a Disney Studio artist.

There were at least two other Disney / American Dental Association campaigns: one featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the Big Bad Wolf, while the other featured characters from Pinocchio.

Here are examples of premiums associated with the second campaign: A reminder card and close-up detail of the back flap of the mailing envelope, a certificate of merit and a pinback button. All three items feature outstanding graphics. It's interesting to see the Wolf once again resurrected as the villain.



One item I have never seen and have never been able to confirm the existence of, is the "Mickey Mouse Merit Medal," an illustration of which can be seen behind the Wolf in the background of the certificate.



Enjoy the images and keep those pearly whites clean and shiny - if you're lucky maybe your dentist will give you a pin.

United Artists merchandise catalog

This fantastic 48-page publication was produced in 1932 and is widely considered to be the very first, pre-Kay Kamen, Walt Disney character merchandise catalog.


The booklet's pages are strewn with ads for many of Disney's earliest licensees including George Borgfeldt, Hall Bros., and David McKay.

There are also great full page ads featuring Mickey Mouse Club items produced by Fisch and Company, as well as display items made by Old King Cole.

Just a beautiful, fantastic, rare item.

Photo courtesy Hake's Americana.