Welcome back to another installment of Disney Stuff. It’s a little scary how after almost 2 years I can keep coming up with more pieces of Disney stuff in this house to talk about. You wouldn’t believe me if I said that when you walk into our home, you’re actually not smacked over the head with Disney. It would seem obvious, given how many articles I’ve written about my accumulation of Disneyana, that it’s all over the house. That’s not exactly the case. It’s there. You just have to seek it out; and we like it that way.
My wonderful wife isn’t quite the rabid collector that I am. She has a few things that she likes to collect, like her vintage milk bottles in the kitchen and her collection of antique McCoy Pottery. When it comes to Disney, she has a handful of Tinker Bell things here and there; not too much, really. There’s her amazing collection of blue crystal from the Kunstarbeit in Kristall shop in Epcot’s Germany pavilion:
Just a few pieces of the crystal collection. Photo by Chris Barry.
Each trip she splurges on a new piece for the mantle in our living room. They’re beautiful and certainly from Walt Disney World, but she doesn’t accumulate the specific Disney stuff the way I do.
Her one big collection in the house is something that represents her German ancestry, and that’s her collection of Hummel figurines. She has a really fine collection of Hummels. Some are from her parents and are very old. Some are newer. Some I have bought for her on birthdays and holidays. Many of them she gets as gifts from her mother. I was never such a big Hummel fan until I met Diane, and through her I’ve grown to appreciate their artistry and value over the years.
Berta Hummel was born in Bavaria in 1909, and soon developed her remarkable artistic skills at Munich’s Academy of Applied Arts. Soon after entering the Convent of Siessen and changing her name to Maria Innocentia, her drawings of children began to be published in a series of postcards. Franz Goebel, owner of W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, was looking for some inspiration for a new line of porcelain figurines and found it in Sister Hummel’s drawings. The first line of M.I. Hummel figurines debuted in 1935 and have been popular ever since. Sister Maria died in 1946, but her terms for the creation of Hummel figurines were very strict. They had to be true to her drawings, had to be of the highest quality, and each piece had to bear the signature of M.I. Hummel. These terms are still intact today.
In 2009, the Goebel Company sold ownership of the M.I. Hummel brand and Manufaktur Rodental took over the creation of the figurines. Before they parted ways, the Goebel Company created several figurines with Disney, paying tribute to some of M.I. Hummel’s most famous and most loved figures. Some were made exclusively for Disneyana Conventions in the 1990’s and featured a classic Hummel figurine paired with Mickey or Donald in the same pose and garb. These are highly sought after, as they were signed limited editions of up to 1500.
The “Two Merry Wanderers” limited edition. Photo courtesy Google Images.
The Goebel/Disney “For Father” limited edition. Photo courtesy Google Images.
My wife adores her Hummels. They’re meticulously crafted, and for her they represent a piece of her proud German heritage. Was it any wonder that I had to combine her love of Hummels with my love of Disney? One of her favorites and one of the true classic Hummel figurines is called Stormy Weather:
The original “Stormy Weather.” Photo by Chris Barry.
I was thrilled to find the Mickey and Minnie version of Stormy Weather several years ago and got it for her as a Christmas present. It’s a pretty close representation of the original and is really well done.
The Mickey and Minnie version of “Stormy Weather.” Photo by Chris Barry.
It’s one of those great examples of hidden Disney in our house. It co-exists in a display case with her other prized Hummels. Like I said before, it’s there; you just have to look for it amongst the other Hummels.
Mickey and Minnie in the Hummel case. Photo by Chris Barry.
Just so I don’t get in trouble with the purists, I should point out that this Mickey and Minnie Stormy Weather figurine is not technically a Hummel. It’s a Goebel. Only the figurines that are based on Sister Hummel’s drawings and bear the M.I. Hummel signature can truly be referred to as Hummels. The Disney figurines are all Goebels.
Both versions of “Stormy Weather.” Photo by Chris Barry.
That doesn’t devalue the figurine any though. The Goebel Disney figurines still command a high price on the second hand market, and are pretty pricey when purchased new. They can be found all over the Internet. There are even some Goebels right now on DisneyStore.com.
Perhaps my favorite place to view them was the now defunct Hummel/Goebel shop in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion. I suppose I’m looking forward to homemade caramel in the new Karamelle-Kuche shop that has since replaced it, but I know we’ll miss the Glas und Porzellan shop. If you lucked out, you could find a German artist hand painting the Hummel and Goebel figurines right there in front of you.
The former Glas und Porzellan shop in Epcot. Photo by Tina Delaney.
I hope to add another Disney Goebel figurine to her collection in the future. They’re a nice pairing of our passions and represent us well on the shelves of our home. Until then, I enjoy catching a glimpse of Mickey and Minnie decked-out in their Hummel outfits each time I pass the display case in our kitchen. It always reminds me of that other great pairing in our home.
That would, of course, be my amazing wife Diane and me.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time with more of that great Disney Stuff.
