ONE | TWO

Sue continues: I think the selection of merchandise offered was not as varied as at the NFFC sales, but there certainly was something for everyone. A serious looker could take hours to peruse each table and still not see everything offered. Pins seemed to be the most popular item for sale as pin trading is at an all-time, high fever pitch right now. If you wanted it, you could probably find whatever pin your heart desired, for a price, of course.

Can you tell I'm a Nightmare fan? Well I am, really!

Since pin trading is of little interest to me, I ignored those tables and looked further. I am a big Nightmare Before Christmas fan and as such, was delighted to find a selection of merchandise from that film. There was a giant Jun Planning Company Oogie Boogie and the latest Nightmare pieces from Walt Disney Art Classics, The Mayor (complete with swiveling head) and, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

Don't you wish you had talked your mom into keeping these? I do!

The list of merchandise was endless. There were out- of- print books and E Ticket magazine. You could talk to Leon Janzen, the publisher of E Ticket, and purchase a subscription.

The Carolwood Society previewed some new model trains, and offered memberships.

Prefer trains? You could join the Carrolwood Pacific Historical Society and learn all about Walt Disney's love for trains. There were vintage posters, artwork, and animation cels.

Tokyo DisneySea opening day merchandise

One dealer offered a very limited selection of Tokyo DisneySea opening- day merchandise. Also available were Disney bean bag dolls and plush from every Disney park in the world.

And last but not least, what's an antiques and collectibles show without antiques? Although the selection was very limited – I truly expected to see more of the vintage items than what was offered – what was there was choice.

Some of those rare treasures...

My favorite piece, while not all that hard to find for vintage toy fans, was in exceptionally nice condition. It would make a big dent in you pocketbook, but wouldn't it be fun to own a toy tin wind-up Ferris wheel with Mickey's head in the middle of the wheel? Or how about a tin roller coaster? If you want to have a toy theme park, you surely need a roller coaster.

One dealer offered the tiny plastic Disneykin figurines made in the 1950s by the Marx Toy Company. Laid out in a tray in their original boxes, it was a treat to get to see them. There were vintage dolls and souvenir Disneyland flags, old ticket books and beautiful old tins.

Who's afraid of that big bad wolf?

One dealer had a particularly nice display housed in old general store display cases. My heart's desire from that dealer was a wonderful pitcher featuring the Big Bad Wolf on the handle surveying the Three Little Pigs on the body of the pitcher. Wouldn't it be fun to serve lemonade from that?

The charm of the Antiques and Collectibles portion of the Disneyana Convention was that it was a little like going to a museum; only with this museum, you could buy the items on display.

The host for the evening, giving directions to unruly "family members" before the photo.

Adrienne here again, ConventionEars were able to view the Animation Showcase, the Antiques and Collectibles show, and Walt's Garage until 6:00 Tuesday evening. Then they headed over to the lawn in front of the Sierra Tower for the annual group photo and welcome reception.

The Dapper Dans entertained the crowd while everyone gathered for the photo

Disneyland Resort Ambassadors

How do you take a photo of 1550 people? With a scissors lift, of course. ConventionEars posed in a 100-foot-long corridor, while the Disneyland photographer used a lift to get high enough above the crowd to capture them all in the image.

Disney Characters, including a few long-lost cousins like Clarabell, joined in the photo.

Alice Davis

The Disneyland Ambassadors, well- known Disney personalities like Alice Davis, plus a dozen Disney characters were on hand to welcome ConventionEars back to Disneyland. Once the photos was taken, visitors were invited next door for the "Disney Family Reunion Picnic."

Red and white tablecloths, strolling entertainment and traditional picnic fare made this party.

Guests munched on Three Little Pigs baked beans–sans pork, of course!–grilled burgers and hot dogs, and an array of picnic salads. Dessert included ice cream sundaes.

After dinner, people were invited to sign a wooden beam (above and below) that will be used in the construction of a replica of Walt's train barn in his hometown of Marceline.

Strolling entertainment made for a festive atmosphere. The characters were available for photo opportunities all evening, and ConventionEars had time to catch up on the happening of other "family" members in a relaxed setting.

And thus, the sun set on the first full day of the 2001 Official Disneyana Convention. But wait–there's still three more convention days to go, plus the Public Day! Check back next week, when Sue Kruse and I bring you coverage of the New Orleans Square party, the blind auction, Walt's Workshops, Lillians Library Seminars, even more merchandise, and a few previews of coming Disneyland events...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

BACK

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix is the super-shopper behind MouseShoppe, your personal and unofficial shopping service for the Disneyland Resort, and the owner of CharmingShoppe, a Disney collectibles store located in Anaheim.

In addition to scouring the park to find you the latest and greatest merchandise, she keeps you updated on all of the merchandise events happening in the parks.

If you want to talk to her about this column, merchandise, or events, contact her here.

Visit our other shopping service, MouseMemories.com.

Don't forget to take a gander at our Disney CD and book selections available from

Go to: Top | Section Contents | MousePlanet Main Page

Copyright © MousePlanet® Inc. | Legal Information & Privacy Policy | About/Contact MousePlanet | Link to us

MousePlanet® is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews, and guides primarily about the theme park resorts of the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please call destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.