Welcome back to Disney Stuff. As you can see by the title of today’s article, I’m prepared to make a bold statement. What could be considered the “ultimate Disney collectible?” A ticket from Disneyland’s opening day? That would be nice. An original sketch of Mickey, signed by Walt? That’s too much to ask. How about visiting the guys from the old Mouse Surplus shop in Orlando and buying a monorail car for the backyard, or that life size wax figure of Walt for the family room? I like my marriage just the way it is, thank you. No, the ultimate Disney collectible for a guy like me is something I just received this past Christmas from my mother and father.
The phone call came one day and my mom asked, “My friend at work has a son just like you, a Disney nut. What would be a unique gift for her to give him this Christmas?” I thought for a moment and said, “You know what I think is a really great thing to do for a Disney fan, buy them one share of Disney stock. There’s a place on the web that will sell you a real paper stock certificate and frame it up real nice called Oneshare.com.” “Perfect,“ she replied.
Now, it’s all too true that I can be pretty oblivious sometimes. I knew my mom’s friend at work went to Walt Disney World with her son frequently, and I thought nothing of my mom’s question. People are always asking me for Disney related info, bits of trivia or gift ideas. Little did I realize, of course, that she was so cleverly fishing for a gift idea for her own son. I was truly surprised on Christmas Day when I opened up that large flat package in the pile and found my own share of The Walt Disney Company.
It can be said that given all the money that I’ve spent on Disney merchandise, movies, park tickets, hotel rooms and Mickey ice cream bars that I should own a small piece of the Magic Kingdom already. At least a bench with my name on it, or a brick somewhere on Main Street would be nice. I’m sure many of you feel the same way, but it doesn’t work that way. I expect nothing more in return from my well spent money than a little magic and some great memories and Disney has certainly delivered on that investment. That being said though, why shouldn’t I own a small piece of this company that means so much to me and takes up so much drawer space in the file cabinet of my brain? I think I should. I think it’s the ultimate piece of Disney Stuff, part ownership in the whole enchilada.
I only wish I thought of the Oneshare.com idea myself. People are very passionate about certain companies and the products that take over their lives, and becoming a shareholder is certainly the ultimate way to embrace that dedication. When you look at the names of some of the stock certificates available… Disney, Harley Davidson, Apple Computer, Volkswagen…they elicit strong feelings from their devotees. What better way to celebrate your devotion to a company than feeling like you own a stake in them? The site does a nice job of framing and matting the certificate and they can be customized with an engraved message. My parents chose a suitable Walt quote for mine.