How Much Postage?

 

Ready to Mail Jigsaw Puzzle

With the mess that the USPS is going thru right now, I'm not sure I would trust this to make it to its destination but what a great souvenir.  I love the Big D logo curved on the front and in its traditional form on the back (mailing side).
There is no registered trademark on the logo and so I am assuming this piece is from the early '70's.  It still has the original price tag on the bottom of $1.50. (less than a nice postcard today)

100,000 Flashbulbs

Your Complete Guide to Walt Disney World
compliments of GAF
1975

General Aniline & Film (GAF) was an early sponsor of Walt Disney World.  They produced these guides for several years in the mid-70's.  This edition in my collection is from 1975.  Most of them use the stacked globe-head logo.

The brochure has a 3 panel map in the middle that shows the GAF Photo Trail and picture spots that '...have been carefully researched and selected as the best locations for taking memorable pictures.' -precursor to the Kodak Photo Spot.

Part of the 30 pages was dedicated to photo tips. My favorite: 'An Important Word About Flashbulbs: Don't try to illuminate large subjects or anything further than 12 feet away....A flash picture of the Cinderella Castle would require more than 100,000 flashbulbs!'

To see more from this guide, check out these other posts: Part 2, Part 3

Walt Disney World Sucrology

Dixie Crystals Sugar Packet

Apparently, people collect lots of interesting thing.  (Who am I to judge, right?)  But in looking for information about these items, I learned of Sucrology, "the hobby of collecting sugar sachets and/or packets."  Thank you, Wikipedia.


Here is a set of Dixie Crystals sugar packets, "The Official Sugar in Walt Disney World."  The set contains seven different packets.  Each packet has a photo from WDW on one side and the globe head logo on both.  I'm not sure when these packets were made but the images do contain the Walt Disney Productions copyright which I don't seem to find on the earlier 70's items.

The packets feature some great shots of The Magic Kingdom: The Hall of Presidents, Cinderella Castle, Rivers of America and Main Street USA, as well as The Contemporary Resort.  You can see another set of these on Flickr, posted by Sucrologist, Sugar Packet Chad.

A Visit to Walt Disney World in Florida

A Visit to Walt Disney World
Whitman Punch-Out and Play Game
1971

This Whitman game came out the year Walt Disney World opened.  It uses the early logo that featured the Florida flag so that people would not confuse WDW with its older sister park in California.

The punch-out and play game came with a 30'x30' play mat map of the Magic Kingdom & 6 crayons.  The original owners only colored the two Main Street, USA buildings.  

Six characters and two children cut outs are still with my edition of the game along with the Swiss Family Tree House and parts of Cinderella Castle.  Based on the box cover, there may have been a cut out train and steam boat as well.

Most of the lands are represented by a 'weenie' punch-out or attraction to color: Grand Prix Raceway, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Hall of Presidents, and the Sunshine Pavilion.

Mother's Day Bell

ceramic bell

Happy Mother's Day!  My mother was a collector, too.  She didn't collect WDW items but bells.  So to honor her, here is a bell from my collection.
The bell measures 4.5" high and 3" across the bottom.  It has the same curved logo design on both sides and matches the salad fork and spoon set I shared previously.

Very Merry Christmas

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Button
1989

All this month I have been sharing my collection of buttons from Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  This is the earliest button from my collection, 1989.  This week I am celebrating the season with Mickey.  I trust everyone has a safe and happy holiday and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The First Snow

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party button
1994

We have yet to see our first snow this season here in Pennsylvania but we leave for Walt Disney World this week where we are guaranteed snow on Main Street at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  I assumed that 1994 saw the first snow on Main Street USA based on the theme of the button but my research shows that this didn't occur until 2000 in Disneyland.  Hmmm.....but even in 1995 the button features snow.  Anyone have any additional thoughts on "The First Snow?"

Japanese Cup of Coffee

Embossed Coffee Cup

A recent addition to my collection is this early coffee cup from Walt Disney World.  A unique castle icon and Big D/Globe Head logo are embossed on the front with a crisp cobalt blue.  It is unusual to see this particular castle icon being used as the primary image on a piece.  It is the design used by much of the pieces 'made in Japan' but is typically seen on the back or bottom of the pieces, like on the 'Plane Crazy' plate I shared recently.  I've added a picture of that back, here.  You can also see the difference in castle icons by comparing the main design on this mug to one I shared several years ago.  You will see the flat bottomed 'Japanese' castle on the bottom of the mug but the main design is the more commonly used 'jack-o-lantern' castle.  I call it that because the bottom geometric shapes remind me of a carved pumpkin.

Highway in the Sky

Monorail to the Magic Kingdom postcard
01110242 dp 87164-c

I had already planned to share this postcard today because of the sequence of cards and because I spent the earlier part of the week riding the Las Vegas monorail.  I was so disappointed each time the doors closed and I did not hear that familiar voice say...."Please stand clear of the closing doors...."  Ironically, today this same color monorail (I can't assume it is the same one from 1971) stalled on the "highway in the sky" leaving passengers stranded for 2 hours.

As you can see from the images, this Dexter Press card was printed with and without the Florida Flag logo.

  

Cards, Anyone?

Playing Cards

Anyone want to play cards?  This deck features the original artist rendering of Cinderella Castle and the curved logo with the separated Big D/Globe Head.  This is similar to items like these early plates.  The cards are a standard bridge size (2.25 x 3.5).  The faces are not unique except for the two Jokers and the Ace of Spades which have the full logo.

it's a small....thimble

Pewter thimble

I must admit, other than seeing them used as household objects for mice in cartoons, I don't believe I've ever seen a thimble utilized other than as a collector's item.  And I doubt that this great piece from Walt Disney World was ever used by a mouse or a seamstress.
This little guy is 3/4" tall and 3/4" wide at the base.  Standard thimble size, I presume.  The top has an excellently detailed curved Big D/Globe Head logo over Cinderella Castle covered in a clear enamel.  The inside is stamped with Walt Disney Productions.

80's Retro Box

Walt Disney World gift box
1986

Every decade has its look back to a previous time.  Walt Disney World is experiencing a lot of that now with the return of the Big D logo.  Well the 80's at WDW saw a return of the retro 70's look with this gift box design from 1986.  The Big D logo in the oval, the three stripes, flowers, and Mickey are almost identical to a souvenir box design I shared from 1978.  Of course the 70s version did not show Spaceship Earth.
"Together at Disney: the World's Greatest Resort" is the tag line.  That is one that I have not seen used elsewhere.  The box is approximately 7 inches long, 3 1/2 inches wide, and 1 1/2 inches deep.  I'm not sure what its intended contents would be.  A watch, perhaps?  Regardless, the box itself is now just as priceless as the contents it was made to carry home from "the World's Greatest Resort."

What a Welcome to Walt Disney World

Welcome to Walt Disney World postcard
01110238

It has been awhile since I have shared a postcard.  So let's pick up the series where we left off.  Postcard 01110238 "Welcome to Walt Disney World" is quite the welcome, indeed.  This infamous photo is the opening day cast photo that was used as the cover of the October 15, 1971 edition of LIFE magazine.  Walt Disney World continued this tradition of cast photos such as this 2nd Anniversary photo in front of Cinderella Castle and this 3rd Anniversary photo in front of the newest attraction, Space Mountain.
The postcard was printed with both the original logo in black and the Florida Flag logo in brown.