Complete Your Back to School List

 

Main Street, USA eraser

Complete your back to school supply shopping list with these early WDW erasers.  Although it looks like a child drew the logo, the sketches are great!  My collection is missing just one of the lands.  Can you tell which one is missing in action?  It was probably used to erase a young child's doodle on their notebook... "I wish I was back at Disney."

WDW Souvenir Catalog 3

Gift Catalog, pg 6
1976

Page 7 of this 1976 gift catalog has some great park souvenirs.  The Country Bear Jamboree record and the Super 8 home movies feature the Big D logo on their covers.  I still need to get my hands on those to add to my collection.

School Supplies

Adventureland eraser

It's back to school time, at least here in the US.  Do you have all of your WDW school supplies?  Here are 3 rubber erasers featuring individual lands of the Magic Kingdom.  They measure 1 1/2" X 2" and are about 1/4" thick.  The printers in Japan need to go back to school apparently with typos like ADVENT_URELAND and FRONTIERLANDOD.

Bunny, Bubbles & Beulah

The Country Bear Jamboree postcard
01110218

Ok, so I said that last week was the end of the focus on the Country Bear Jamboree BUT this postcard just happens to be next in the 0111 series.  Plus, how can you pass on the Sun Bonnet Trio.  Notice this postcard was printed both with and without the Florida Flag logo.

A Grizzly Puzzler

Walt Disney World Frame-Tray Puzzle
Whitman, No. 4583

To end our month of celebrating the Country Bear Jamboree, here is a an early 70's Whitman Frame-Tray puzzle featuring the Bear Band and the lovely Teddi Barra.  This 14 1/2" X 11 1/2" puzzle joins the similar Main Street, USA one from this collection.  Both use the early Florida Flag logo.

Wood or Knot?

Country Bear Jamboree faux wooden mug

I was thrilled to find this early WDW mug on a recent antiquing trip on the dollar shelf!  I have a few pieces in this faux wood design but had never seen this one featuring the Bear Band.  The mug measures about 4 1/4" high and 5" across its knotty handle.  I particularly like the 'stamped' logo effect.

Banking on Big Al

Big Al bank

Based on the popularity of last week's post, Big Al is clearly a fan favorite.  So he is back for another week.  In fact, lets dedicate January to the WDW original, Country Bear Jamboree.  This time Big Al is in piggy bank form.  He measures 7" high and his guitar is 4 1/2" long. 

Big Al - A WDW Original

The Country Bear Jamboree postcard
01110217

Big Al is a WDW original.  So it is no surprise that he was in the first set of postcards in the early 70's.  If there were a list of Top 10 'mascots' for WDW, he would certainly be there.  Not bad for a character whose only claim to fame is a song about a bloody saddle.

Turn and Learn About the Walt Disney World That Never Was

Mickey Mouse and his Friends in Walt Disney World
Ideal Toy Corp., 1971

This unique pre-school 'Turn and Learn Storybook' was produced by the Ideal Toy Corp. in 1971.  It measures 11.5" x 9.5" when closed. The wheels turn and create images that correspond to the story when the numbers are lined up in the center picture frame.

The story follows Donald and his nephews thru WDW.  But Huey and his new balloon gets whisked up by a gust of wind.  Peter Pan, in order to find him, flys over "The Old Caribbean Village, The North African Market Place, Persia and Italy," locations that were planned but never completed.

Ideal clearly anticipated the completion of these planned resorts, although they were not expected in Phase One.  Based on this oversight and the early Bay Lake logo on the front, I assume this item was developed in early 1971 before WDW opened to the public.

Before the World Began

Walt Disney World Preview Edition
1970

I am celebrating my 100th blog post with the quintessential piece of early Walt Disney World memorabilia:  The Preview Edition of Walt Disney World "The Vacation Kingdom of the World" printed in 1970.

This 20 page, full color booklet measures 11" X 8.5".  The cover features an architectural rendering of Bay Lake, the five 'planned' resorts that would surround it, and part of the Magic Kingdom.  (notice the lack of color and detail in the upper left corner and the multi-spired Space Mountain)

The booklet describes 'a new concept in vactionlands...' where 'visitors will not only play - they will also stay....'  There is a mixture of pen and ink drawings and artists sketches from many aspects of the park and a few photos of Imagineers working on Audio-Animatronic figures.

The first several pages are dedicated to The Magic Kingdom and its lands, '...each an individual, thematic realm unto itself.'  The headings for each land include an early icon that can also be found on the back of postcards from the DP series such as this one from Main Street, USA or from Adventureland.
  
More to come from this piece and other items from my collection in my next 100 posts!  Thanks for reading.

Drinks for Six

Walt Disney World Metal Drink Tray

This early Walt Disney World metal drink tray serves six.  It measures approximately 10.5 inches in diameter.  The six recessed glass holes are about 2.5 inches in diameter and about .25 inch deep.

Each of the glass holders features a different scene from the Magic Kingdom.  I find the vultures from The Jungle Cruise a very appealing choice for a beverage tray.

I do not know the exact age of this piece but would assume that it is early 1970's because of the artist renderings instead of real photos and the lady's daisy dress in the Main Street, USA picture.