MouseStation Thanksgiving Bonus – Robert Olszewski
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Show run time 0:22:08
In our Thanksiving bonus audio, Steven Ng talks with Robert Olszewski.
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Bonus Audio Feature: Robert Olszewski
Steven Ng and Bob discussed several pieces again this time out.
Bob has about a dozen pieces in his Gallery of Light series out now, and Enesco is distributing his pieces internationally, so the pieces should be available at your local collectibles dealers. More information about the individual Gallery of Light boxes is available at the Olszewski Studios Web site. Additional pieces can be seen at the Disney Gallery Web site.
Heirloom boxes have a wood texture. Their lids lift and there are secret compartments, including Tinker Bell inside her lantern. In the Mad Tea Party box, you can remove the entire top of the tea party.
Pokit Pals are resin boxes that have hidden catches. Bob showed Steven the Tiki box and the Jack Skellington box (which Bob’s wife uses for her headache pills).
Bob also showed Steven a piece with the fountain from the Tiki Room.
Bob’s passion is the Electric Light Parade. He showed Steven the first set of five that’s already out, and he’s working on the Alice section next. It’s designed to go into the Main Street model, and will eventually run the entire length of Main Street.
The Main Street Miniatures site has wonderful displays of the miniatures on the pages.
Bob thinks that he may have done over 1,000 different pieces in his career.
Bob gave a look at the process of designing a model and getting it approved. He starts with the architectural plans, and builds paper models to get them approved by Disney. After getting approval, he builds it in clay. The Haunted Mansion took 18 months from start to finish. It took 5 people, 12 months and $125,000 to create the Castle model, which has 147 separate pieces that had to be put together to create the model.
Bob would love to do “it’s a small world,” but will work his way over to that. He’s also looking forward to doing the mountains, though he needs the support of the big collectors to get the approval. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is the next piece coming out, some time this fall.
The Monsanto House of the Future model was on display, and Bob talked about how the late Bruce Gordon influenced the location and design of the piece. Bob expects that it will take another year and a half to come to market.
Bob had been hoping that the monorail piece would be ready for the NFFC show, but it wasn’t ready yet.
Several collectors have modified their collections. Bob mentioned collector Bruce Reynolds, who motorized his Astro Orbiter model so that it would spin. Bruce also has two trains running around his model.
While Bob is only allowed to sign pieces bought at Disneyland signings, he is happy to sign anything that people bring to his other shows.
Bob loves what he is doing and will keep doing them as much as he can. He doesn’t expect any collectors to try to buy everything, because there’s too much to buy. He is cutting back the number of shows that he’s doing, though. That lets him focus on the work because he’s not traveling as much.
Bob’s studio Web site is here (including videos!), and the new retail store Web site is here. The Olszewski Miniatures Store is here, and the Artist Blog is here. There’s even a special Pokit Pals Web site here, and a Pokit Pals blog here.
Have you seen any of the Olszewski pieces? What do you think about them? Let us know by sending an email or calling our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278) and let us know what your favorites are!
Help a fellow podcaster who has lost everything
Doug Price, co-creator of the Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd (and the voice of Dr. Floyd himself) lost his brand new house in Sylmar, CA and pretty much everything else in the Sylmar/Sayer fire on November 14. You may remember that Steven Ng interviewed Doug and Grant Baciocco on Episode 257, which ran on October 30. Doug is OK, but he lost all of his possessions except for the clothes on his back and the contents of his truck. This happened as Doug’s work outlook has just become unstable. Grant has asked supporters of the show to help Doug through this tough time while he waits for the insurance company to sort everything out and eventually get his money to him. For more information, go to doctorfloyd.com/doug.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Mike is again joining Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS Gypsy of the Year online fundraising campaign. This year, he has aligned himself with The Lion King Gazelle Tour team. For more information or to donate, go to his fundraising page. Note that Mark has said that he wants to change his Facebook avatar to a red ribbon for World AIDS Day as many have urged him, but he’ll only do it if Mike hits his $500 goal. Mike upped the ante and said that, if contributions hit $700, he’ll change his Facebook avatar to Nemo for an entire month! Ray Mercer has offered to provide a backstage tour at The Lion King on Broadway to any MouseStation listener who donates to the cause. Please donate now!
We’re now on Facebook! Join the MousePlanet and MouseStation groups. You can also become a fan of MousePlanet or the MouseStation. If you join the club and use Pieces of Flair, you can get your MousePlanet and MouseStation flair from Mark (though you have to friend him first).
MouseFest
Registration is now open for MouseFest! You can sign up now, and check out the many meets being hosted by MousePlanet as you plan your trip.
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Wrapping up
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Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
