Did You Know...The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid  was released to theaters November 14, 1989, and is considered the first movie of the Disney Renaissance.  It earned $84 million at North American theaters in it's original release, to date it has earned $211 million in total box office revenues.

Walt Disney had planned on bringing The Little Mermaid to life as one of his early feature films following the success of Snow White in the 1930's.  While in production in the 1980s, the staff found the original story and visual work done by Kay Neilsen for Disney's proposed 1930s version. - many of the changes made in the 80's were the same as those made by the Disney writers in the '30s.

Howard Ashman became involved in The Little Mermaid after he contributed a song to Oliver & Company. We can thank him for suggesting that the role of Clarence (the English-butler crab) be changed to a Jamaican Rastafarian crab - Sebastian.  This change set the tone for the music throughout the movie, in fact it is considered by many the "film that brought Broadway into cartoons."  Thank goodness!!  Under The Sea is on of my absolute favorite Disney songs!!

Glen Keane, one of the two animators assigned to Ariel, swears his wife looks exactly like Ariel "without the fins."   But the true role model for Ariel's personality and body type was Alyssa Milano, who was starring in Who's the Boss? at the time.  Another interesting fact - the inspiration for Ariel's underwater hair effects was footage of Sally Ride while she was in space.

Ursula, the Sea Witch, was based on the drag queen Divine.  Pat Carroll was not the first choice to voice Ursula, in fact the role was written for Bea Arthur of Maude and The Golden Girls - but she turned the part down.

It is estimated that over a million bubbles were drawn for The Little Mermaid, most of which were created by Pacific Rim Productions.

The Little Mermaid is the last Disney feature film to use traditional hand-painted cels.

Hope you have enjoyed my little tid bits about The Little Mermaid, and I'm (a little) sorry for making you have Under The Sea stuck in your head all day.

Have a Magical Day!!
Donna Kay

Did You Know...A Very Merry Birthday Alice In Wonderland

A Very Merry Birthday is in order today, July 29, 1951 Alice In Wonderland premiered at the Leicester Theatre in London.  I thought we would celebrate with some interesting facts about Disney's 13th animated classic.

• Kathryn Beaumont was just 10 years old when she was hired by Walt to play Alice.  According to Beaumont Walt was looking for a voice that "would be English enough to satisfy British audiences, not so English that it would put off American Audiences."  Walt must have been happy with his choice, Ms Beaumont went on to play Wendy in Peter Pan.
• Kathryn not only did voice for Alice, she also filmed each scene - dressed in Alice's famous blue dress of course.  Animators referred to the footage to bring the animated Alice to life.
• Prior to Snow White, Walt had considered an Alice In Wonderland feature film with a live action Alice in an animated Wonderland.  In 1933 he even did a screen test with Mary Pickford in the role of Alice. 
• Wanting to keep some of Lewis Carroll's verses and poems, Walt commissioned top songwriters to write songs around them.  In all, 30 songs were written, many of the making their way into the film.  In fact, Alice In Wonderland has more songs than any Disney film.
• Alice In Wonderland was nominated for a Best Score Academy Award, but lost to An American In Paris.
• Alice In Wonderland was the first Disney animated film to give credit to the voice actors.  This would not happen again until The Jungle Book in 1967.
• The Door Knob does not appear in the Lewis Carroll books, the character was created by Disney animators.
• The time on the White Rabbit's pocket watch is 12:25.
• The card in the Mad Hatter's hat reads "This style is 10/6" which means the cost of the hat was ten shillings and six pence.  
• Watch for a Hidden Mickey in the scene when Alice grows and gets stuck in the White Rabbit's house.  It is in the flame as the DoDo bird lights his pipe.
• Alice In Wonderland was Disney's first theatrical release to be shown on television.  The television version was only an hour long and had several scenes cut.
• Grossing only $2.4 million in 1951, Alice In Wonderland was considered a flop.  It gained renewed interest in the 1960's, on college campuses in particular.

I am going to leave you with a great scene from the movie, hope you enjoy!!

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did You Know...Mickey Mouse Watch

June 1, 1933
The first Mickey Mouse watch wass sold by Ingersoll-Waterbury - a Connecticut clock maker on the verge of bankruptcy.  The sale of Mickey Mouse watches saved the company!

The first watch was sold at the Chicago Exposition 'Century of Progress.'    The original price of the watch was $3.25, but was lowered to $2.95.

There was also a pocket watch version which sold for $1.50.

Ingersoll made Mickey Mouse watches throughout the 30's, 40's and 50's. In the 60's Ingersoll became US Time which later became Timex.

You can still buy a replica of the original Mickey Mouse watch today for under $300.

I guess it's time for me to go...

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did You Know...Plane Crazy

May 15, 1928
Plane Crazy  premiered as a sneak preview at a theater on Sunset Boulevard in LA.  

• First silent short to feature Mickey & Minnie.
• First appearance of  Carolyn whose name was later changed to Clarabelle Cow.
• Parody of the Charles Lindbergh craze.
• Co-directed by Walt Disney & Ub Iwerks.
• Iwerks was the main animator for Plane Crazy, he worked on the animation for six weeks.
• Hugh Harman & Rudolf Ising were animation assistants. They will go on to start Warner Bros. and MGM animation studios.
• First animated film to use a camera move.
• Sound was added to Plane Crazy and it was officially released March 17, 1929 - four months after Steamboat Willie.
• On Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,  Mickey regularly flies the plane from Plane Crazy, which he calls the  "Toonplane".

Hope you enjoyed these fun facts about Plane Crazy!

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did You Know...Donald Duck

May 1, 1942
Donald Gets Drafted is released.  It is the first of many cartoon shorts featuring Donald that were released during World War II.

Donald's impact during WWII was huge, in fact it is worthy of it's own post.  Be watching for one soon.

May 1, 1947
Walt Disney Productions grants the University of Oregon the rights to use Donald Duck as their official Mascot.

Following Walt's death in 1966, it became known that there was no written contract allowing the university the rights to use Donald's image.  This was corrected in 1973, when a contracts was signed by the two parties.  1984 was a big year for Donald, he turned 50 and became an honorary alumnus of the University of Oregon.

Donald Duck Details

• His full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck.
• He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2004).
• His footprints can be found in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater (1984).
• His first film The Little Wise Hen was released on June 9, 1934.
• In the 1940's Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse.
•  Donald came to be when Walt overheard Clarence "Ducky" Nash  reciting Mary Had A Little Lamb using his duck voice.
• Clarence was the voice of Donald from 1934 to 1983, he personally coached Tony Anselmo to take his place.
• Here in the states we know Donald for his work in cartoons, in Europe he is famous for his comic books.
• Donald's cartoon short -  Der Feuhrer's Face - won an Academy Award in 1942.

We love Donald Duck, in fact he's Dakota's favorite!!

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did You Know...Mickey & MLB

April 19, 2010
Major League Baseball partnered with Disney Consumer Products and 36 fabulous Mickey statues were created to honor baseball's All-Star Game coming to Anaheim.

"Mickey Mantle, Mickey Cochrane, Mickey Lolich, Mickey Rivers, Mickey Owen, Mickey Harris, Mickey Morandini, Mickey Tettleton and Mickey Vernon all were All-Stars during their Major League careers.

Now one more can be added: Mickey Mouse is going to the All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball Properties and Disney Consumer Products unveiled on Monday 36 designs of MLB-themed Mickey Mouse collectible statuettes and related apparel and merchandise in celebration of the 2010 MLB All-Star Week festivities taking place July 9-13 in Anaheim as part of a new collaboration between the organizations."

You already know my love of Mickey Mouse, and yes Auburn Tiger Football holds my heart, but you may not know I love me some MLB - especially the Atlanta Braves!! I cannot tell you how jealous I was of Beth from A Disney Mom's Thoughts when she posted this picture:

Had Chipper Jones been in the picture Beth may have had a bounty on her head!! 

Sorry, back to the story at hand.  All 30 MLB teams had their own themed Mickey's and 6 additional Mickey's were designed, one for the American League, one for the National League and four specially designed for the 2010 All-Star Game.  Since the statues were 7-1/2 feet tall and weighed 989 pounds, they weren't exactly souvenir's baseball fans could take home. However, the MLB All-Star Mickey Mouse Collection at just 7-1/2 inches tall, starting at $25 was the perfect souvenir for Disney loving baseball fans.

Here are a few of my favorites...with the Braves being the BEST.  Let me know which MLB Mickey is your fav!!

Have a Magical Day - especially if you're lucky enough to be at the ballpark!!
Donna Kay

Did You Know...This Week In Disney History

April 1st


1960 - Reader's Digest article "Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom" hits newsstands.  Thanks to DLD History you can read the entire article.  Here's a small snippet from the article

"Now Walt has created his own park, to satisfy - in parents as in children - the profound human hunger to wonder, be amazed and make believe. With that incomparable Disney sorcery he has combined fantasy and history, adventure and learning in a way that sets every tendril of the imagination to tingling."

 1995 - Blizzard Beach opens.  You don't expect to find a Ski Lodge in Central Florida, do you? Here's how it all came to be according to the Disney website.

(Disney Map of Blizzard Beach)

"After a freak snow storm blanketed Florida in white, a ski resort sprang up with slalom courses, toboggan slides and iceberg walkways. When the weather shifted back to hot, the whole resort started to melt. What to do?

An enterprising alligator saw an opportunity. Clad in a scarf and hat, the gator slid down the ski jump, shouting "Yahoooo!" all the way. With a big splash he landed in a pool of melted snow below the mountain, and the slushy, slippery slopes became an exhilarating water park like no other in the world."

April 2nd

1928 - The Oswald The Lucky Rabbit short Sagebrush Sadie is released. Pegleg Pete is the villain in this black & white silent animated film.  Pete is the oldest continuing Disney character, he first appeared in Alice Solves The Puzzle in 1925.  In this clip, Pete is a bear but over time he has morphed into a cat, and for Goof Troop a dog.

(

1930 - Clarabelle Cow makes her first appearance in a Mickey Mouse Comic Strip.

1982 - Fantasia is released in theaters for the 8th time.  It is the first motion picture with digital stereo sound.

(Poster from the 1956 re-release of Fantasia)

April 5th

1965 - Julie Andrews wins a Best Actress Oscar for her role in Mary Poppins.  Here is a clip of the award presentation.

2006 - Much to the delight of little princesses and pirates The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique opens in Downtown Disney.  Be sure to check out our Bibbidid Bobbidi Birthday Bash is you're a fan of the salon.

April 6th

1931 - Mickey Mouse stars in The Castaway.  Alone on a raft Mickey washes up on a deserted  island.  Luckily there is plenty of food an  a piano for entertainment.

1947 - Pixar's "Good Luck Charm" is born in Bridgeport Connecut - John Ratzenberger.  He has appeared in every Disney/Pixar film made.

• Yeti - Monsters Inc.
• Hamm - Toy Story I, II, III
• Underminer - The Incredibles
• Mack - Cars
• Mustafa - Ratatouille
• John - Wall-e
• Construction Foreman Tom - UP

2006 - Walt Disney World's only Railroad Foreman - George Britton - works his last day.  He was hired in 1969 to refurbish the turn-of-the-century steam engines, he had them in pristine condition when the park opened in 1971.  He was honored with a window to be put up on Main Street.

(This photo is part of a great article about the WDW Railroad on Mouse Planet.)

 

April 7th

1939 - The Academy Award winning Ugly Duckling is released. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, it is a color remake of a 1931 black and white Disney cartoon short.

1995 - Walt & Roy's younger sister Ruth passed away.

2006 - Expedition Everest officially opens in Animal Kingdom.  The roller coaster set inside a snowy mountain is Florida's highest peak, and is made of 1,800 tons of steel and covering more than 6 acres.  

Hope you enjoyed this week's Disney history.  

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did You Know...Walt's Easter Eggs

I am excited about Easter next weekend, it will be the first year we get to color and hide Easter Eggs with Lexi.  This got me to thinking about Disney and Easter.  You already know I love to visit the early days of Disney and here are a few of the things I found.

This fabulous Walt Disney's Comics cover featuring Donald disguised as the Easter Bunny is #32 from May 1943.  You can read all about it at Golden Age Comics.

How great is this vintage Mickey Mouse Paas display I found at Vintage Disney Collectibles!  I love the name "Transfer-o-s"!!

I love watching all of the old Silly Symphony cartoons.  This one is Funny Little Bunnies from 1934.

Thanks to Brian Sibley at decidedly disney I found this studio photo advertising the 1985 Walt Disney World Easter Parade.

"WALT DISNEY WORLD'S HAPPY EASTER PARADE--"Good Morning America's" Joan Lunden will join Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday night for the ABC-TV broadcast of "Walt Disney World's Happy Easter Parade." The hour-long special will run April 7 at 7p.m. EST and PST at 6p.m. CST. (Copyright WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS 1985)"

 My dream is to one day visit the Disney Family Museum, so naturally I love their blog - Storyboard.  Paul F. Anderson shared this April 13, 1935 clipping is from a local newspaper.  Walt had decorated a couple of duck eggs and contributed them to the William Rockwell Nelson Gallery of Art for their egg decorating and rolling contest.

Hope you enjoyed these tidbits of Disney Easter history.  I sure do wish I had some Transfer-o-s for my eggs next weekend...

Have a Magical Day!!
Donna Kay

Did You Know...

March 26, 1948
Steven Tyler is born Steven Victor Tallarico in Yonkers New York.  You can hear Tyler and his Aerosmith bandmates while riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Did you know that this is the second fastest ride in Walt Disney World (second to Test Track) and goes from 0 to 57 mph in just 2.8 seconds!!  I would wait to have the carrot cake cookie until after this attraction kids!!

 March 26, 1990
Under The Sea from Disney's The Little Mermaid wins the Oscar for Best Song during the 67th Academy Awards.  If you have been following my blog for very long you already know how much I LOVE this song!! A well deserved Oscar!! By the way Alan Menken also won for Best Original Score.

March 27, 1995
The Oscar for Best Song is awarded to Elton John and Tim Rice for Can You Feel The Love Tonight from Disney's The Lion King.  A song from the movie had a pretty good shot at winning, Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata were both nominees in the Best Song category too.

March 28, 1929
Mickey is seen wearing his famous white gloves for the first time in The Opry House.  Did you know that Mickey didn't appear in color until 1935's The Band Concert?  How about that nine of his cartoon shorts were nominated for Best Animated Short Oscars (Lend a Paw won in 1942) or that he became the first cartoon character to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in1978...

March 28, 1987

The first Disney Store opens in Glendale, CA.  It's the first Disney retail outlet outside of the parks or resorts. Now there are stores in the UK, Japan, Spain, Canada, France, Belgium, well let's just say all around the world!!

 March 30, 1992
Celine Dion sings Beauty and the Beast during the 64th Academy Awards telecast on her 24th birthday,  it  wins the Oscar for Best Song.  Although the movie doesn't win the award, it is the first animated feature film to be nominated for Best Picture, quite an achievement in itself.

March 31, 1944

Donald Duck and the Gorilla, a cartoon short featuring Huey, Dewey and Louie who dress up like a gorilla to scare Donald when they hear a gorilla has escaped from the zoo.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks look at Disney History!!

Have a Magical Day!!
Donna Kay

Did you know...This Week in Disney History

March 1, 1924 Alice's Day At Sea is released.  Walt (with help from Roy) created the live action animation combination film almost entirely by himself.  Virginia Davis played the role of Alice.

(sorry about the German Subtitles, I couldn't find it in English)

March 1, 1995  A Whole New World from Disney's Aladdin wins Grammy's for:

• Song of the Year
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
•  Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television

March 2, 1951 the Donald Duck short Dude Duck was released.  It's about Donalds's visit to a Dude Ranch where he meets with a very uncooperative horse.

March 2, 1976 Disney World welcomed it's 50 millionth guest - Susan Brummer.

March 4, 1955 Walt is on the cover of TV-Radio Life with Donald and Minnie.

March 4, 2003 Toy Story is voted #! Animated Film of all time by the Online Film Critics Society.

Just a little Disney History for you this first week of March.  Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did you know...Walt Disney and the Oscars

Since this Sunday is the Academy Awards, I thought I would share some interesting facts about Walt Disney and the Oscars with you.


With 59 nominations, Walt holds the record for receiving the most nominations.
Some of the nominations I am sure you will recognize are:

• Brave Little Tailor
• Toy Tinkers
• Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

Best Picture Nominee 

 His 32 wins is a record as well.
The winners include:

• Flowers and Trees
• Three Little Pigs
• The Ugly Duckling
• Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (this Oscar was awarded posthumously in 1968)

Flowers and Trees

 Best Short Subject: Cartoon 1932

Walt also won a special Oscar in 1932 for the creation of Mickey Mouse.  He even produced a special Mickey Mouse cartoon for the event, Mickey's Parade of Nominees.  It was the first time Mickey was seen in color.

Mickey's Parade of Nominees 1932

A special Oscar was given to Walt in 1938:

"for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon."

It was presented to Walt by Shirley Temple who exclaimed:

"Isn't it great Mr. Disney? Aren't  you proud of it Mr. Disney?"  Walt's response was "I'm so proud I think I'll bust."

The Oscar itself was a regular size statue accompanied by seven "dwarf" Oscar figures.  It was only the second time that the Academy modified the statuette for a single award. If you would like to see it, it is on display at the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

In 1941 a certificate of merit was given to Walt along with William Garity, John N.A. Hawkins and the RCA Manufacturing Company by the Academy for 

"their outstanding contribution to the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia."

Walt was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1941 as well. The award is named for the legendary head of the Production Division of MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). The award is a bust of Thalberg rather than the Oscar statuette, it is given periodically during the Academy Awards ceremony to

"Creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production."

Walt accepting the Thalberg Award

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award has been awarded 39 time as of today, the last one being awarded to Francis Ford Coppola at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

One final tidbit I found interesting.  No one is exactly sure how the Academy Award came to be known as the "Oscar," the most popular version is that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick thought the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar, but there is little doubt as to who made the nickname famous.  In 1934, Walt accepted the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoon for Three Little Pigs.  In his acceptance speech Walt referred to the statue as "the Oscar," up until that time the term was well known within the industry, but not in the general public. 

Hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Walt's history with the Academy Awards.

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did you know...Silly Symphonies

On February 10, 1934 The Grasshopper and the Ants was released. 

Silly Symphony cartoons were distributed by Walt Disney Productions from 1929-1939, and included mostly nonrecurring characters. They did, however, start Donald Duck's career and featured Pluto in his first cartoon without Mickey Mouse.


The Three Little Pigs were the only characters to actually reappear in the Silly Symphonies cartoons, they had three sequels to their original cartoon.

The original Silly Symphony cartoon was The Skeleton Dance which premiered on April 29, 1929.  It was voted #18 in the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by animators.

Production on the Silly Symphony cartoons stopped in 1939, so that the studio could focus on feature length  films.


Have a Magical Day!!
Donna Kay

Did you know...

Hollywood staple, Hedda Hopper passed away on February 1, 1966.

Hedda was a former stage and screen actress who's very popular gossip column was published in the LA Times starting in 1938.  It was such a hit she got her own radio show, "Hedda Hopper's Hollwood" and ultimately had her own television specials of the same name.

She was an avid Disney fan who kept a vintage Mickey Mouse print in her office, a gift from Walt himself, signed "To Hedda From Walt." In fact, Walt was a guest on her 1960 special Hedda Hopper's Hollywood which aired on NBC on January 10. Other famous guest included Lucille Ball, James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds and Bob Hope.

Despite her death in 1966, the spirit of Hedda still lives on.  The next time you visit Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, keep an eye out for a Streetmosphere Character on Hollywood Boulevard who Hedda would have found very familiar.

 

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did you know...Sleeping Beauty Premiere

On January 29, 1959 Disney's Sleeping Beauty premiered at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles?

Sleeping Beauty was based upon the fairy tale "LaBelle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault and the musical score is an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky.  It would be the final fairy tale that Walt Disney would produce during his lifetime, mainly due to poor performance at the box office.  The film has more than made up for it's original disappointment in subsequent releases, making it the 2nd most successful film released in 1959, Ben Hur was first.

Did you know...

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was born on January 20, 1930.


What is Aldrin's connection to Disney? He was present for many space-related special events at the Disney Parks, including the 2003 opening of EPCOT'S Mission:  SPACE, and he "appeared" as himself on the "Space Cadet" episode of  Disney's Recess.  But his most impressive Disney connection is that he was the inspiration for Buzz Lightyear!!   What a cool thing to be able to tell your grandchildren!!

I love this quote by Aldrin:

"Mickey transcends being just a character; he's a symbol of the magnitude of the entire Disney dynasty. He could have faded with time, but he has been appropriately maintained.  That Disney has been able to keep the integrity of its legend, Mickey, throughout all these generations is a real achievement." - Space Traveler Buzz Aldrin

 Happy Birthday Buzz Aldrin!!

In honor of Buzz, I will end today with...


To Infinity And Beyond!!
Donna Kay

Did you know...Disneyland's 35th Anniversary - January 11, 1990

When Disneyland opened July 17, 1955 it was unprecedented.  No one knew what to expect, and there was a lot of anticipation, so much so that ABC aired a special entitled "The Happiest Place On Earth."  The live special was hosted by Art Linkletter, who was joined by Ronald Reagan and Bob Cummings and of course, Walt Disney himself.

Clip from "The Happiest Place On Earth"

On January 11, 1990 Disneyland kicked off it's 35th Anniversary Celebration by bringing Linkletter, Reagan and Cummings together in front of  Main Street Station to be a part of  the Party Gras Parade. I think Walt would have been pleased that the three were brought back for this event.

Clip from "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special"

All three icons have since passed away. I like to think they gather with Walt to celebrate all of Disneyland's milestones while looking down on all of us celebrate at "The Happiest Place On Earth." 

Have a Magical Day!!

Donna Kay

Did you know...January 10, 1930 Roy Edward Disney is Born

On January 10, 1930 Edna and Roy O. Disney became proud parents of a baby boy whom they named Roy Edward Disney.  He practically grew up in the Disney Studios, starting  work at for his Uncle Walt right after graduating college in 1951 as an assistant director.  We all know that led to a longtime career as a Senior Executive for Disney, and it has often been said that Roy looked back to Disney's past to define the company's future.

"The thing that distinguishes us from everybody else, and always has and always will. is our past.  The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White and Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there, saying, 'Be this good.'  We shouldn't be intimidated by them; they're an arrow pointing someplace."   Roy E. Disney

Did you know...Walt Disney Postage Stamp - 1968

After finding the series of Saturday Evening Post articles I posted about yesterday, I went on a hunt to see if I could find the magazines.  While searching on Ebay I came across a Walt Disney postage stamp and bought it on a whim.

This framed copy of the Walt Disney stamp is in the Post Office in Marceline, Mo.

My curiosity was aroused, so I decided to research the story behind the stamp.  Most of my information, as well as the pictures in this post,  come from the blog Yesterland, and it's post by Edward Bergen, which was published on December 2, 2011.  

At that time the US Postal Service had a strict policy that no one, with the exception of a US President, shall be considered for a postal tribute until at least 10 years after their passing, Walt had passed away less that 2 years before this stamp was issued on September 11, 1968.  We have then California Governor, Ronald Reagan, and several US Congressmen and Senators to thank for convincing the Postmaster General at that time, Lawrence F. O'Brien, to issue the commemorative stamp.

The "First Day of Issue" Ceremony was held in Marceline, MO, which I am sure would have made Walt very happy. It was such a big event the Governor of Missouri, Warren E Hearnes, declared it "Walt Disney Day" in the entire state.  Roy, Lillian and Diane were all in attendance, as were the co-creator of the stamp - C. Robert Moore and Paul E. Wenzel.  

Lillian and Diane Disney with Lawrence O'Brien

Did you know...My Dad, Walt Disney by Diane Disney Miller January 5, 1957

On January 5, 1957 the Saturday Evening Post published the 8th and final installment of "My Dad, Walt Disney" as told to Pete Martin by Diane Disney Miller.  These articles were later compiled and expanded upon to be published later in 1957 as a book, The Story of Walt Disney by Henry Holt.

I first wrote about this article for the WDW Fan Zone, you can find the article here.

 Walt didn't like to talk about himself much, so he suggested the Saturday Evening Post interview Diane instead.  I am so glad they took his advice, it is wonderful to hear about Walt from the viewpoint of his daughter. She is very candid, and shares some wonderful family stories.

There are great pictures of the Disney family, one of my favorites has Walt in a hammock playing with one of the family dogs surrounded by Diane's husband, Ron Miller, Sharon, Diane holding her young daughter Joanna, and Lilly holding little Chris.  I particularly love the one of Walt with his grandson Chris by Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Did you know...Mickey's Polo Team January 4, 1936

Walt and Roy Disney loved to play polo, so did many Hollywood actors of that era.  It was the social networking choice of  Hollywood in the 1930's. Walt spent a lot of time playing at the Riviera Club with the likes of Spencer Tracy, Leslie Howard and Darryl Zanuck.  His love of the sport was the inspiration for Mickey's Polo Team, which was released January 4, 1936.