Fleas! (part II)
Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 10:54PM 
Mid-to-late 70's lunch box (tin)
It's spring time (finally!), and it's also the time of year for fleas and other insects. If you have pets or kids, you know that fleas are awful and quite annoying. For me, however, fleas are how I spend my free time and it's probably appropo to continue a series I started in January.
The lunch box above was released in line with a parade featured at Disneyland and Walt Disney World around the Bicentennial. My understanding is that this box was available for about a five year span and featured the fab five celebrating the event. Here is a quick bit on the America on Parade celebration at the parks.
Roger Rabbit Rebate Sign 1990-ish (Sorry, this rebate is no longer available)
Remember these? Yeah, this sign was associated with the release of the critically acclaimed Disney classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I know this isn't something that you might collect, but I loved this movie and I remember how popular it was on VHS in 1990 and 1991. I've seen this sign at multiple fleas over the last year so it was probably featured at several retail marts.
World Showcase Glass (circa early 90's) featuring Germany
In the 1990's, collectibles remained the rage at WDW and sets of glasses were very popular. The Disney Co. offered a set of glasses for all of the World Showcase pavilions (with Mickey dressed in traditional garb for each country), but were sold invidividually pavillion-to-pavillion. I found the one above with a France glass at a flea and would have purchased more if they had any (Norway, anyone?)
American Film Magazine - August 1982
I was so jazzed when I found this magazine because it was chocked full of information on Disney's plan for live action films in the 1980's (pre-Eisner). Obviously, most of the emphasis was on the upcoming release of Tron, but the article hammered Disney's attempt at attracting teens and tweens. The focus was on movies like "Tex" and other authentic live action films that were moving away from the style of live action pictures of the past like The Love Bug and The Parent Trap.
Obviously, American Film Magazine (and Disney, for that matter) whiffed on the upcoming success for Disney films in the early to mid-80's, but it was very interesting to read the editorial from film insiders who believed they were on the right track.
Have a great week!
- Matt: Wedway Radio Team
Reader Comments (4)
Awesome flea market finds. I keep a casual lookout for the Walt Disney World lunchbox that I carried in elementary school. It had Mickey, Donald and Pluto riding what looked like Casey, Jr. (even though Casey, Jr. was never in Walt Disney World) and stylized artwork of some of the early WDW attractions. I've seen a fee on eBay but they were either in really bad shape or out of my price range.
Nice, Chris!
I will also keep a look out for that one for you. I'll let you know if I find one in good condition. To date I've found a few Disneylandia-esque items but I continue to find a lot of collectibles from McDonalds and other fast food restaurants. I found an original EPCOT Center jacket but I didn't buy it, and of course it was gone when I went back to secure it.
This is one of my favorite blogpost ideas because I think we all have a really soft spot for nostalgia. I know I still get amped when I find McNugget Buddies, circa 1987, from McDonalds. I loved those things. I love eBay but it's always fun to find something interesting when I'm not looking for anything in particular.
My ILs live locally to WDW and are avid attendees at a local auction house. Knowing my love of all things Disney, my birthday and Christmas gifts are often finds they have come across.
Over the years my MIL has managed to find an old school Mickey Mouse telephone (with a dial!), some amazing posters that have been mounted on boards (not sure where they were used originally but they are really nice), and my most recent gift... a set of about 30 postcards of WDW through the years, some dating back to the 70's!
Not all the gifts have been as nice or as interesting (the well used/dirty plastic mugs or broken plastic Christmas ornaments come to mind) but there are more good things than odd!
Christine
Holy cow, that's awesome!
I have been looking for vintage WDW and Disneyland postcards forever. Again, I realize you can find whatever you want on eBay and Etsy, but that sucks the discovery right out of the situation.
You should email a few pictures of your favorite flea market "finds" and I'll dedicate a blogpost to your stuff. Just send the pic with a description to podcast@wedwayradio.com and I'll get to work.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad to know there are other flea junkees out there!