When, in 1980, after more than two decades of dreaming, I finally managed to visit my first ever Disney theme park (The Magic Kingdom at WDW), I came back with a suitcase stuffed with souvenirs. It took a couple more visits before I realised the simple, basic truth: the Disneyana collector can never hope to own everything!
I confess that I have forgotten this lesson a couple of times: when, for example, I (briefly) began collecting pins and stopped when I was hounded round EPCOT by an almost hysterical collector tearfully offering me handfuls of dollars for a pin that had been given to the media and which wasn't on sale in the park!
I also admit that I made a substantial commitment to the Disney Classics Collection, until the number of pieces appearing were emptying my bank account and turning one room in my home into a depository for green boxes!
But, by and large, my principle has been DO NOT EVER buy something because you "have to have it to complete the set", because a set, by definition, is a finite thing and (in the merchandise-driven Disney-world) sets are always potentially infinite!
So, I do my best only buy those things that give me pleasure like this porcelain figure (purchased many years ago) of Fire Chief MM, loosely inspired by the shorts The Fire Fighters (b&w, 1930) and Mickey's Fire Brigade (colour, 1935)...
I confess that I have forgotten this lesson a couple of times: when, for example, I (briefly) began collecting pins and stopped when I was hounded round EPCOT by an almost hysterical collector tearfully offering me handfuls of dollars for a pin that had been given to the media and which wasn't on sale in the park!
I also admit that I made a substantial commitment to the Disney Classics Collection, until the number of pieces appearing were emptying my bank account and turning one room in my home into a depository for green boxes!
But, by and large, my principle has been DO NOT EVER buy something because you "have to have it to complete the set", because a set, by definition, is a finite thing and (in the merchandise-driven Disney-world) sets are always potentially infinite!
So, I do my best only buy those things that give me pleasure like this porcelain figure (purchased many years ago) of Fire Chief MM, loosely inspired by the shorts The Fire Fighters (b&w, 1930) and Mickey's Fire Brigade (colour, 1935)...
It's a cheap and cheerful piece (certainly when compared with the Classics Collection version), but I love the cross-eyed expression of Mickey unaware that the reason there is no water coming out of the hose is because there is a knot in it!
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4 comments:
I share your desired for Disney stuff Brian, although I can never get my head around the American fascination with "wobble-head" figurines!
It happens to me too, and now thanks to the Internet it's even worse!!! i.e. to continue with the previous posts about Mrs Travers, I've just received my signed copy of Mary Poppins! (waiting in my drawer to be open after work) and now I ordered a copy of "A Lively Oracle" on Amazon, a couple of biddings on Ebay and so on...
Brian, I think every collector would smile knowingly after reading your comments. I too have fallen into the "complete the set" trap, finding myself buying Classics Collection Pinocchio pieces I don't even like! And feeling like we have to save those darn boxes. I've loved your Poppins pieces, by the way. After I posted comments re Pinocchio, I tried to email you (using two different addresses from your profile) but have no idea if they ever reached you. Regardless, thank you for all of the delightful, insightful Disney postings. I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
Andy – Nor I! And, let me reassure you, I do not have a single "wobble-head" in my collection! :)
Ado – I hope you enjoy A Lively Oracle: it is an odd book, but it does have Julie's letter to PLT and you really don't have to read my rather overblown essay on The Fox at the Manger!
Bryan – Oh, my! I am so sorry: I've now found you – at last – languishing in Trash with a nasty little SPAM sticker on you! Oh, the indignity of it! I will answer you in the proper fashion and, thus, we can train my computer to treat you as a namesake (even with a variant spelling) should be treated! :)
I so know what you mean about buing pieces you don't even much like... The thing that finally finished me off with the Classics Collection was that I started out buying all the pieces from my favourite films: Snow White, Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland, thinking there would be one piece for each character... Then they started new sets with the same characters but in different poses from other scenes. Once I'd lost count of how many Jiminy Crickets I owned I just stopped...
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