Old Minnie Mouse Figurine

Beneath all this wear is a 1930s Minnie Mouse lead figurine, just 2 1/2 inches tall. She's clearly been through a lot, but is still smiling.

Fisher Price Donald Duck Toys

Fisher Price made an incredible variety of lithographed paper and wood pull toys in its first few decades, and Donald Duck was one of its most popular licensed characters.

My earliest such toy was made between 1936 and 1938: Dapper Donald Duck. Eight inches tall, it features "flapping" wings held in place by a piece of rubber. Dapper Donald was one of Fisher Price's earliest bestsellers, and it's easy to see why.

One in a series of character driven train engines, 1940-1942's Donald Choo Choo was a fun entry in the line, measuring 9 1/2 inches long.

Next, from 1946-1948 comes Donald Duck Drum Major, 10 inches tall. The baton spins as the toy is pulled.

The Donald Duck Xylophone from 1946-1953 is one of my favorites. At a whopping 13 inches tall, this was a big pull toy. As it is pulled, Donald actually plays the xylophone.

 Lastly, from 1949-1951, the 8 inch Donald Duck Drummer cheerfully pounds away on his tin drum as he's pulled along. What a difference in style between this and the 1936 Dapper Donald, with his long bill and manic expression!

1930s Mickey Mouse Tea Set

The yard sale and outdoor antique show season is almost over in my part of the world, where the temperatures are already dropping into the 40s (Farenheit) at night. But last weekend I gathered up my spare change, braved the weather, and saled away, finding great bargains like the mod Barbie clothes and Flagg dollhouse dolls mentioned in the previous two posts.

I had decided to pack it in and head home, as the weather was turning decidedly blustery, when I spotted a final sale. It didn't look like much, but I thought I spotted the gleam of vintage lustrewear. I decided to check, and good thing too, because tucked away in a corner of a table was part of a 1930s Mickey Mouse children's tea set, Made in Japan, in the rarer blue lustre variation (when found, these pieces are usually in gold lustre.) Even though it's just a partial set, it's a treasure: one of the earliest licensed Mickey Mouse items ever made!

The find included a little creamer, four saucers, and two plates. For a sense of scale, the largest plates measure about 3 1/4 inches in diameter.

Mickey and Minnie on a nautical outing decorate
a saucer and the creamer.

An artist Mickey features in the center of a plate.

Mickey presents Minnie with a white rabbit, presumably pulled
from a magic hat, on this tiny saucer.

Mickey waters some flowers. He's probably going to give them
to Minnie later.

My favorite piece of all was this one, a little plate with the image of Mickey standing in front of a fantastic vintage microphone. He looks so confident and self-assured, doesn't he? What a cute little guy.

Now I just need to find the matching cups, teapot, and sugar bowl...

Fisher Price Donald Duck Cart

For its Easter toy lines from the 1930s - 1960s, Fisher Price featured pull carts with various spring themes (bunnies, ducks, chicks) and Donald Duck toys. In 1954, it combined the two to create the Donald Duck Cart, a lithoed wooden pull toy consisting of a cart that could be loaded up with Easter goodies, pulled by a cut-out Donald with acetate plastic feet. As the cart was pulled, Donald's feet flapped realistically.

Fisher Price Donald Duck Drum Major

In 1939, Fisher Price released the Donald Duck Drum Major as part of its new Easter line. The 10 inch tall wooden lithoed pull toy sported a separate arm with an attached baton. When pulled, the arm moved jauntily up and down, and the baton swung around and around. Just a fantastic early Disney toy with lots of color and movement!

Fisher Price Dapper Donald Duck

Dapper Donald Duck was the star of the first Easter season toy line from Fisher Price, back in 1936. Measuring just under 8 inches tall, the little wooden toy featured colorful paper lithography with separate wings attached by a piece of rubber. When pulled, the wings flapped wildly. Dapper Donald was phenomenally popular, with thousands sold over its run. For all its popularity, however, it's hard to find today, precisely because of those wings. The rubber disintegrated over the years, and once wingless, the toy was typically discarded. My example happily escaped the rubbish bin, and has lovingly made replacement wings.

Vintage Disney Haunted Mansion Game

If I had to choose one vintage board game as my most favorite of all time, this would be it: the classic Disney Haunted Mansion Game made by Lakeside in the 1970s. Based on the beloved attraction at Walt Disney World, the game beautifully recreated its scenes and specters.

I had this game as a child, and my sister, cousins, and I played it over and over, until the game literally disintegrated. Last year, I finally decided my nostalgic yearning was strong enough to justify paying the steep asking price for a decent example. Now, we play it again, but very, very carefully!