From: Rich_Koster@agwbbs.new-orleans.LA.US (Rich Koster)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Disneyana - What It Is
Distribution: world
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:24:18 CST
Organization: The Amiga GateWay BBS * New Orleans, La.

(From my wife Carol)
 
Some people have asked us via private mail about Disneyana, what it
is and how to "get involved."
 
Primarily it's about collecting the old toys, movie memorabilia
(film promotional posters, theatre lobby displays), Disney park
window displays, signs, artifacts, animation cels and set ups.
In other words, anything about Disney that you can put your hands on!
In addition to having investment value, some people accumulate
these things because of childhood nostalgia or because they want to
own a piece of memorabilia from a favorite film or depicting a
favorite character.  Secondly it's about being a Disney enthusiast,
enjoying the parks and entertainment the company provides so much that
you want to learn more about it, and pursuing that knowledge becomes
your pastime.
 
Here's a good test:  The next time you go browsing in a major mass
market book store (B. Dalton Booksellers, Waldenbooks, etc.) go to the
section about collecting or antiques and look for a book titled "The
Collector's Encyclopedia of Disneyana, A Value & Identification Guide"
by David Longest and Michael Stern, published by Collector Books, A
Division of Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc., published out of Paducah,
Kentucky in 1992.  The very back of the book contains prices.  If you
get off on what's shown and described in in the book, you would have
enjoyed that portion of the 1st Disneyana Convention in Orlando.
 
Here's another test:  Would you consider your domicile impeccably
decorated if you had Disney posters and cels on the walls, Disney linen
on the beds and in the bath, Disney clocks everywhere, Disney dishes
and utensils, Disney ice cube trays and Disney ice cream snacks in the
freezer, Disney clothes in the closet, book cases filled with old
Disney toys, etc, etc., and you spent your free time hunting for more
of this stuff (Disney meaning anything Disney or your favorite Disney
characters)?
 
Here's another test:  Which would you rather do if given the choice of
only one of the following:  1) Spend all day and all night at one of
the WDW Theme Parks, OR 2) Sit in a convention center ballroom
listening to highly placed executives of the Disney Company describe
in detail remembrances of Walt Disney, how the theme parks were built
and designed, the construction challenges they met and overcame, sneak
preview tidbits of what to expect in the future, or sitting for a two
hour auction, or attending a coat-and-tie banquet and listening to the
Director of Retail Marketing bounce off the walls and kid around with
fellow execs, or getting the autographs of three of the original
Mouseketeers or the engineers and animators (in their 80s and 90s) who
actually knew and worked with Walt?  Oh yeah, with #2 you can also
go to the theme parks that day during the break times! ;-)
 
If you want to get started with collecting, read up on the subject and
talk to those who do it before you spend anything.  Someone appeared
on cable channel CNBC a few months ago and discussed cel collecting,
and most of what the man brought was Disney cels and set ups.  He said
to read about it, go to cel galleries (The Cricket Gallery in Atlanta
is one, there's another in the French Quarter in New Orleans) and meet
up with other collectors, learn when the auctions are and what the
current prices are.  The serigraph cels are least expensive (a couple
of hundred bucks, the type you see in a Disney Store on the wall
behind the cash register station) while other types of cels,
especially authenticated cels which were actually used in films, will
cost in the thousands of dollars.  You want 1) the backgrounds which
set the scene for the action of the characters, and/or 2) as many of
the character cels belonging to that scene as possible, preferably
frontal views, 3) all in excellent condition (not torn, creased, paint
missing, stained or faded), 4) authenticated by Disney.
 
With the artifacts, you want them to be in good working condition,
like-new appearance, inside of or with original container or box is
nice.  The Disney Archivist Dave Smith found a Donald Duck toy in
terrific condition, would fetch thousands of dollars today, at a
garage sale in 1972.  The lady selling it wanted $20 for it, and he
dickered her down to $18.  Bo Boyd, President of Disney Consumer
Products, discussed some currently available merchandise which has
the potential to be collectible and appreciate in value:  The
Beauty and the Beast play set (has 2 dolls (Beauty & the Beast)
with color cardboard scenes from the movie), a talking Ariel doll
the size of a Barbie doll [I wonder if Ariel likes math ;-)],
ceramics depicting Mrs. Potts and Chip, to name a few things you
can get at a Disney Store.
 
The Disneyana book mentioned above refers you to sources for more
information about the collectibles.  You'll find there's a lot of
books on the book store and library shelves about Walt Disney, the
history of the company, the "gray years" (Chairman of Walt Disney
Attractions Dick Nunis' words) between when Walt died and Michael
Eisner revitalized the company, even a biography of Eisner.  Some
of these titles are in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list
that's posted here sometimes.  The local Disney Store in your town
may know of local collectors and enthusiasts.  Check at antique
stores, estate sales, rummage shops, garage and yard sales, flea
markets.
 
During the last week of September we posted how to contact the
National Fantasy Fan Club for Disneyana Collectors and the World
Chapter (meaning Walt Disney World) of N.F.F.C. in Orlando.  Both of
these clubs are for collectors as well as Disney enthusiasts.  They
have newsletters and sponsor auctions and events where Disney people
come to speak.  There are chapters of N.F.F.C. all overthe country
and they can give you further information (how to research, what to
look for, what has value, networking with other collectors).
 
One of the World Chapter's late 1991 newsletters published such little
known news as:  A fifteen year old girl hd to be hospitalized after
being badly injured in the Haunted Mansion attraction at WDW.  She got
out of her car while it was in motion and tried to go around scaring
her friends in other cars during the course of the ride.  In the dark
she got caught on he tracks and got dragged 50 feet before the ride
could be stopped.  The blurb quoted Disney spokespeople as saying the
ride is safe provided it's ridden the way it was designed to be
ridden.  If that kind of news interests you, you might find N.F.F.C.
and its chapters interesting.  They also publish about memorabilia,
auctions, stores carrying old toys or galleries carrying cels.
 
The World Chapter supports the Disneymania section of the Florida
Forum n Compuserve, posts the current menus of all the WDW
restaurants, holds real-time Disney trivia contests on Tuesday nights,
and they'll advise you how to get signed up with Compuserve.
(Compuserve has monthly charges and hourly rates, plus I think you
have to pay extra if you want access to any of the forums.  Sounds
like fun, but it can cost you some money.  That's why some people
refer to it as "ompu$rve! -- That's with a cent sign and a dollar
sign if this doesn't come through your computer like it does ours!)
 
There were young couples and professional people and retirees in
attendance, a diverse group with the love of Disney in common.  The
N.F.F.C World Chapter representatives at the Convention were young
(college age through 20s-30s).
 
Hope this info assists those of you who were wondering.  If anyone
wants the contact information again for N.F.F.C. or the World Chapter
of N.F.F.C., send E-mail, unless it's wanted back on rec.arts.disney
again so everyone can see it.
 
--Carol Koster, Rich Koster's wife

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