Hey everyone. Welcome back to Disney Stuff. This time I’m going to talk about something that I bet each and every one of you have, something that has permeated every level of society since 1933. There are probably millions of them out there. It may be the most popular Disney collectible ever: the Mickey Mouse watch. I have many and I’m sure most of you out there can say that a Mouse watch has graced your wrist at some point in time.
In 1932 an enterprising advertising executive named Kay Kamen placed a call to Walt Disney and expressed his desire to market Mickey Mouse in a more effective way. After meeting with Walt and his brother Roy, Kay was brought on as the company’s licensing representative. The very first watch to feature Mickey’s image on its face was released by the Ingersoll-Waterbury Clock Company of Connecticut in 1933. It single-handedly saved the clock maker from bankruptcy, selling an astounding 11,000 units in one day at Macy’s.
Along with the timepieces, Disney characters began to find there way onto just about everything, all under Kay’s supervision and guidance. He invented Disney merchandising as we know it. He is the grandfather of all the Disney “Stuff” that exists out there. 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'” Walt’s dream of a full-length animated feature, was essentially funded by Mickey merchandise and we have Kay Kamen and his Mickey watches to thank for that.
So as any good Disney fan should, I have several Mickey Mouse watches. I’m pretty sure I had one as a kid as well. I’m sure it’s worth a small fortune now, which of course means that it’s gone. As an adult, I started collecting my Mickey watches in, where else, Walt Disney World. I’ve done quite well there over the years. The rest of my collection has been amassed from The Disney Store, eBay, and GoAntiques.com. Each trip to Walt Disney World, I pick up a new one, and there’s always a new one to be had. Over the years, I’ve found some real bargain watches while visiting The Happiest Place on Earth. Several times they have offered a great watch for $10 or $12 with a $40 purchase. Let’s face it; I’m spending $40 in a Disney gift shop. That’s a given, so I get to add to my collection at an extremely reasonable rate.
Here are some of my favorites:
Here’s last years $10 watch…