“Yes it is…it’s a magic number.”
So goes the old Schoolhouse Rock song that I used to sing along with on Saturday mornings. And so goes my third year of writing for this wonderful cyber celestial body known as MousePlanet. It’s amazing that three years have passed since my first article, but so it has and things never seemed to slow down.
Is it fantastic or scary that I’ve been able to write about different collections or accumulations of Disney Stuff in my possession for three whole years? Or is it just simply frightening that I still have more stuff to write about? I always thought that once I finished writing about my personal stuff, I would move on to the Disney collectibles world en masse and write about stuff that I don’t actually own.
Well, it’s three years later and I haven’t finished writing about all of my own stuff, so please indulge me for a few more years. I’m just not done yet, and I may never be. I always return to that phone call from my dear friend Robert. Robert and his wife, Paula were in Orlando and paid a visit to MouseSurplus. He called me as he was walking through the warehouse full of Wilderness Lodge furniture and old ride vehicles and made a comment like, “Would we finally drive our wives out of the house if we brought home a life sized wax figure of Walt?” We had a good laugh out of that, but as I hung up, I envisioned Robert trying to buy a seat on the plane for Wax Walt. I half wondered if I would walk into their house a week later and be greeted by the ultimate Disney collectible staring at me, along with Paula’s glaring eyes as she was dusting the old Mousetro now occupying a corner of her living room.
That said, Walt stayed at MouseSurplus and I haven’t chased my wife out of here with all of my Disney stuff. I think she’s sticking around and she does actually enjoy my collections. There’s no ride vehicle on my front lawn…yet.
Here’s some of the great Disney Stuff that I shared with you great readers this third year of my tenure at MousePlanet.
I started the year with these fantastic “Vintage Postcards.”
The cover of the postcard photo album. © Walt Disney Productions.
Then I moved into my kitchen for some “Disney Kitchen Stuff.”
Yummy waffles! Photo by Chris Barry.
Many of you liked seeing “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” get some exposure.
Oswald, no longer mint in box. Photo by Chris Barry
Summer found me outdoors with our “Disney Garden Stuff.”
A Tink birdbath in the backyard. Photo by Chris Barry.
You readers were definitely split when it came to the love them or hate them “Vinylmations.”
Astro Orbiter, Disney Cruise Line Smokestack and Small World Leopard from Park Series #4. Photo by Chris Barry.
At least one reader out there had the same experiences I have always had with their “Wow…You Climbed Mt. Everest?” jacket.
A close-up of the back of the jacket. Photo by Chris Barry.
The holidays were all about “My Other Disney Christmas Houses.”
Minnie’s Christmas House. Photo by Chris Barry.
I’m still waiting for someone out there to track me down some more of these “Disney Porcelain Figures.”
My collection of Disney porcelain figurines. Photo by Chris Barry.
I enjoy writing about all of this Disney Stuff almost as much as I enjoy collecting it. My goal was always to show how these things make us smile, take us back to our childhood and remind us of the memories that we create when we visit the Happiest Places on Earth.
The other half of my time spent on MousePlanet is devoted to the Top 5 lists. This series of articles has been a pleasure to write since the beginning and this year was no exception. I love trying to come up with new things to list and it’s great to have my wife, daughter and you readers to bounce things off of. We all love thinking and talking about Walt Disney World and these lists just keep that going when we can’t be there.
This past year we started off with the “Top 5 Topiaries at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival.”
Chris and Diane…I mean Prince Charming and Cinderella topiaries on the bridge between the U.K. and France. Photo by Chris Barry.
I reported on the first adult’s only trip my wife and I took with the “Top 5 Things I Did On My Kid-Free Trip to Walt Disney World,” which was so amazing it definitely won’t be the last.
Diane and Chris and some friends. Photo by Chris Barry.
My whole family got involved choosing the “Top 5 Character Experiences at Walt Disney World.”
Samantha and Mary Poppins at Cinderella’s Royal Table.
This article elicited my favorite response of the year. A friend of the Cast Member in the above photo read my article, immediately recognized her friend as Mary Poppins and forwarded it to her. “Mary” emailed me and was so gracious that the brief moments she spent with my child meant so much to us so many years later. I made sure she knew that we Guests are always tremendously thankful for the amazing work the cast does each day. I assured her just how much these memories mean to our children and to us, even several years later. Thanks again “Mary!” We were all thrilled to hear from you. You can read the letter from that Cast Member, whose name—ironically—is Julie, in the “MousePlanet Mailbag (August 31, 2010)”
We dared to venture off Disney property and spent four fun days at Universal Orlando. That trip sparked the “Top 5 Ways We Were Pleasantly Surprised with the Universal Orlando Resort.”
The other castle in Orlando. Photo by Chris Barry.
I talked about detail in the parks with the “Top 5 Attraction Signs at Walt Disney World” and the “Top 5 Attraction Rooms at Walt Disney World.”
Peter Pan’s Flight at the Magic Kingdom. Photo by Samantha Barry.
My daughter’s favorite doll and room from “it’s a small world.” Photo by Chris Barry.
As it closed forever, we wished for the “Top 5 Souvenirs I’d Like From Mickey’s Toontown Fair.”
Donald “The Thinker” Duck. Photo by Chris Barry.
Most recently I went on and on about our new favorite resort in the “Top 5 Things I Love About Disney’s Polynesian Resort.”
The empty beach at the Polynesian. Photo by Chris Barry.
The year was full of Top 5 lists and the upcoming year will be full of more. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. MousePlanet has the best readership out there and we here at MousePlanet do what we do for all of you. Trust me when I say that there is an amazing group of people working the magic behind the MousePlanet curtain and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of them for three years. I’m more than happy, as we all are, to provide you with thoughts and memories, facts and opinions and so much more about this entity started by a mouse that we are all so drawn to.
Disney certainly isn’t going anywhere and as long as you’ll have me, I’ll keep bringing you more lists, more collectibles and we’ll keep sharing the magic together for more years to come.
Thanks for reading for three years now and I’ll see you all next time with another Disney Top 5 and some more of that great Disney Stuff.
