Disneyana Collectibles

By Christina VanGinkel

Collecting anything can be a fun hobby, but when you have a love of something, it makes it all the much more fun. Maybe you have fond memories of an era when Disney was what you looked forward to all week, in anticipation of their show each Sunday. On the other hand, possibly after making a trip to Disney World, or Disney Land, you realize just how fun the whole world of Disney really is. It could even be that after you saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Bambi a dozen times, you cannot get enough of them, and out of the blue find yourself in the midst of a Disney themed collection.

For whatever reason you have decided to begin or add to a collection of Disneyana, one of the greatest aspects of collecting Disney and Disney related items, is that many other people also collect it. Finding someone or even a group to discuss it is usually easy, not to mention that around nearly every corner in life, there is possibly another item waiting to be discovered. From gift shops to rummage sales, to thousands of online outlets, there is a continual supply of places to discover new and vintage Disney collectibles. Books, magazines, collectible guides and more are also available to help you expand either your collection, or possibly help you define it and narrow it down to a specific character or time.

My prized Disney items include a Snow White figurine along with one of the Seven Dwarfs. They do not match and are from two different designers, yet are a close enough match in size, with the dwarf being smaller than the Snow White figurine, that they have complemented each other quite well through the years. I owned them as a young girl, and they made the move with me to my first home after I married nearly twenty-five years ago. These were soon joined by several more select Disney items, including a vintage Snow White sign in full color. The sign advertised the movie coming to a small theater in the Chicago area. I also recall with great fondness a Donald Duck bank that I was fortunate enough to receive on the Christmas when I turned nine. It came filled to the brim with chocolate kisses that my parents put there. Sadly, somewhere through the years, this bank was lost. It is the one piece of Disney that I have continued to look for to this day.

Even the current trend of scrapbooking has embraced the Disney world, and it is possible to find everything from complete albums, to paper, to embellishments, all in the various creations of Disney.

Some Disney collectibles that I have encountered throughout the years have included pieces such as lunch boxes, sand pails, figurines, dolls, teapots and various other pieces of china, banks both made of ceramic, glass, and plastic, watches, books, radios, clocks, games, even tools.

When I recall all of the various items that have been created with the Disney theme in mind, it reminds me why it is such a favored collectible by so many people. Even if you do not collect Disneyana in particular, chances are, that if you are a collector of something else, anything else for that matter, there is a very good chance that you own a piece of Disneyana. For instance, if you happen to collect vintage lunchboxes, do you have any that have Disney characters decorating them? I collect teapots, and I have several that are decorated with various Disney themes, though I consider them part of my teapot collection and not my Disney collection. I also have several comic books in my comic book collection that are about Disney cartoons.

Collecting is an enjoyable hobby. Combine it with something as far reaching and as fun as Disney, and you will soon be able to say that you are addicted to the hobby of collecting along with millions of other people. If you are not sure where to begin, check online at Ebay or via one of the many major search engines by looking for Disneyana or Disney Collectibles. You will discover a whole world of items just waiting for you to bring home.