Little Golden Book Monday #184

 Mickey's Walt Disney World Adventure has been repurposed 25 years later as Walt Disney World celebrates its 50th anniversary. 25 years ago in 1997, Little Golden Books released Mickey's Walt Disney World Adventure in conjunction with WDW's 25th Anniversary.  Although most of the book has remained the same, some things in the park have changed in the past 25 years, and those changes are reflected in updated artwork as you will see below.

Cover to the 1997 Little Golden Book release

Cover to the 2022 Little Golden Book release

Inside cover of the 1997 release

Inside cover of the 2022 release

1997 artwork showing the new entrance to Tomorrowland

2022 showing the Tomorrowland Transit Authority

1997 artwork showing an arial view of Fantasyland from the defunct Skyway

2022 artwork highlighting the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Original 1997 artwork 

2022 slightly altered artwork altering the Main Street Cinema marquee

Little Golden Book Monday #183

Here is the most recent Disney related Little Golden Book. It is It's a Small World! adapted by Lauren Clauss, illustrated by Steph Lew and designed by Winnie Ho, with a publication date of 2021. I love seeing Disneyland attractions being adapted into Little Golden Books, and am excited about the upcoming Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion books coming out later in the year. Shown here are the front and back covers, along with a few of the wonderful interior illustrations.

Mickey Through the Years

 I saw this poster of Mickey Mouse through the years, and thought it needed just a little tweak.

David Letterman - The Morning Show Episode

I've been watching my old Beta episodes of Late Night with David Letterman that I recorded back in the early 80's and into the early 90's. So far, I've seen the "International Night" episode, "The Reverse Episode", the "Build Your own Episode", the "Monkey-Cam" Episode and last night I watched "The Morning Show" episode. And how about throwing stuff off of a 5 story building or crushing stuff with a steam roller, the suit of magnets, the suit of Alka-Seltzer, the Top 10 List, Larry "Bud" Melman, and the Guy under the Seats... they don't make television like that anymore!

Here are a few screen grabs from The Morning Show episode with Dave and Tawny.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Special Edition 2007

Back in my post on June 6, 2009, I showed two photos of Oswald items created by Kevin Kidney, and said how much I wanted both! Last month, I was finally able to add this amazing 2007 Disney Store exclusive Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hand finished soft microfiber figure to my collection. The box is 17 inches tall and Oswald's ears stick out of the top of the box, so this is a fairly large figure. Part of me wants to pull him out of the box and display him, but the box is really cool, and I love that his ears stick out the top, so he will probably stay in the box. I love the look of the Oswald, but its a bit distracting that there is a line just above his nose and below his eyes where the top and bottom part of his face is joined. It would have been so much better if they could have done it without this right thought the centre of his face. But, other than that, he looks awesome! 

There was a mini big fig (is that a thing?) for sale at Disneyland back on my last trip in 2015 that I didn't buy because I didn't have room to bring it home in my luggage. Been kicking myself ever since. But that one was more similar to the image that Disney is using for Oswald now, and I much prefer the vintage looking one that Kevin created. so, I'll keep my fingers crossed for an Oswald big fig based on the sculpt Kevin did back in early 2000. 

Awesome Glowing HareWolves Logo

I'm a fan of The Clink Room and all the cool logos their users create. I recently saw this Harewolves logo by Jason Villanti. I love the logo and it's the best uses of glow in the dark in a logo I've ever seen. Very Creative! I thought it would be fun to make an animated gif out the logo, showing its cool glow in dark alter ego!

Little Golden Book Monday #182

Here is a Faux Little Golden Book cover that I saw years ago and came across again today while cleaning out my old iMac. I was surprised to see that I never shared this in the past, as I love the artwork and title so much that I really want to add this book to me collection! Here is Incredibly, Undeniably BORED by Stacy Curtis. You can find it over on the Three Men in a Tub blog.

Mandrake, the Magician... Artwork project

The other day while I was at the local thrift shop, I found this really cool looking frame that was priced just right! I wasn't sure what I was going to put in it, but I knew I could find something really cool to replace the purple plant art that was in it currently. Once I was home, I had a look at all the things I had printed recently, looking for just the right image to put into this frame. The frame looked to me to be 'old' and had a certain retro style that made me think of something that would be hanging in a study, Hall, Billiard Room or Conservatory [yeah, I just played Clue a few days ago] of some cool old home. I decided on the Mandrake, The Magician theatrical poster from the 1939 Columbia Pictures theatrical serial because I love old magic posters, am a fan of Mandrake, and it looked like something that should be in this cool old frame.

There is a shadow box in the centre of the frame, and its height was not as tall as the 11 x 17 poster I had originally printed, so I had to go into photoshop and remove some of the top and bottom of the poster to make it fit.

It took way longer than I had thought to open the frame, as it was never meant to be taken apart. It was nailed and glued together very tightly. After pulling it apart, I was able to remove the flower picture and add a sheet of black construction paper to the back of the shadow box and then affix the newly printed Mandrake poster, before putting the whole thing back together.

I think the final result is pretty awesome, don't you! I can't wait to find a spot to hang this gem on my study wall - that's the fancy name I'm giving my living room.

Happy 14th Birthday Big Pile of Stuff!

Happy 14th Birthday to my blog, Ronn's Big Pile of Stuff! When I started it, it was mostly a joke to see if I could put something on the internet every day for a year. Then, once I started it, I kinda liked it! Hopefully there is someone out there also enjoying it, but if its just me, that's fine because I'm having fun!

Pluto and the 37th Recon Co.

I saw this logo online featuring Pluto for the 37th Recon Co. created by the Walt Disney Company during World War II. I really liked the logo but wished there was a better version online. After looking around, I didn't find any that looked much better, so I decided to make one myself which now pops up every now and again in my iMac's screen saver. Along with the logo I made, I decided to make a second one that looks older and distressed as if it was actually used. The bottom logo is the original and the other two are the ones I created in Photoshop.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in "Ye Olden Days"

Here is another faux Oswald the Lucky Rabbit poster I made for myself. I always liked the poster for Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in "Ye Olden Days", so I decided it would be fun to re imagine the image as an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit animated film. Here is my faux Oswald poster, along with the original poster. I hope you enjoy!

Hey look... I'm in a Captain Canuck comic!

Captain Canuck #6 from 1979 was one of my first comic books and the one that really got me into collecting comics! The original series ran just 14 issues, from 1975 until its end in 1981. Many years later a limited edition #15 was released. Then 23 years later, a new Captain Canuck mini series titled Unholy War was released. When I saw it solicited in Previews I was so excited! I quickly wrote and mailed off a letter to Richard Comely telling him how excited I was that after so many years of waiting, there was finally going to be some new Captain Canuck comic books. To my surprise, when issue #1 was released in October 2004, right there in the back of the book, was my letter!

So far, I have had letters printed in two of my three favourite comic books, Captain Canuck, and Groo the Wanderer. Now I just have to wait for them to start printing letters in Batman again, and I can try to make it three for three!

I did make one mistake in my letter, when I wrote that I was member #6 in the Captain Canuck Club. I am actually #13. Sorry I lied in my letter. At the time I wrote my letter, I could not find my membership card, and for some reason I remembered being member #6. I'm so glad I can correct my error 16 years later. Feels good to get that off my chest.

Sergio Aragones custom artwork

Back in 1994 I had the pleasure of meeting Sergio Aragones for the first time at the Vancouver Comic Con. It was my first comic con and I had heard that when you meet artists etc, you were usually allowed to get one item signed and a photo and then sent on your way. I brought one issue of Groo the Wanderer to get signed and expected that would be it. When I went to his booth, he was sitting there working on artwork for an upcoming issue of Groo. He was really nice and signed my comic and showed me what he was working on. He said that he had spilled coffee on some pages he was drawing on the plane, so was doing them again (I guess thats ok when you are the worlds fastest cartoonist). I also asked him if he would do a drawing of Groo as a fireman for my KISS magazine, Firehouse Magazine. He said sure, but that he would do Alfred E Neuman. I'm not sure why he didn't want to do Groo (I would have been so much more excited for drawing of my favourite comic book character Groo), but I walked away with a really cool addition to my collection.

Mighty Mouse The New Adventures

In 1987, the animated television series, Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures debuted on Fox Kids. It was a revival of the mighty Mouse cartoon character from the 1940's. This version aired on CBS on Saturday mornings rom fall 1987 through the 1988-89 season. I loved this show back then, and would get up early every Saturday morning to record the show on VHS (which I still have). As was the norm with new cartoon series at the time, Wendy's offered kids toys for their kids meals based on the characters from Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures. I just found the cards that came with three of my favourites, Bat-Bat, Petey Pate and The Cow. I also managed to get the window cling from my local Wendy's that advertised the kids meal toys. Its still stuck on the piece of glass I stuck it to back in 1989.
Here are the fronts and backs of three of the cards that came with the toys.

KING-TVs famed mascot designed by Walt Disney studios

I recently saw a picture of Walt Disney with a drawing of KING TVs mascot King Mike, and it reminded me that in 1998 when KING TV celebrated their 50th anniversary, I wrote to the station asking for anything with King Mike on it. I don't remember if I actually new at the time that it was designed by Disney, I think I just thought it was a rally cool retro looking character. They were nice enough to send me a 50th Anniversary mouse pad with King Mike on it. More recently I found that he was actually created by Disney.
King Mike, the first KING-TV employee and mascot, was created by Walt Disney's studios in 1951. When Dorothy Bullitt created Channel 5 in 1948, she changed the call letters to KING. And soon after, she reached out to her good friend Walt Disney who lent his artistic flair to help her get the station off the ground by created King Mike.
The Disney company confirms, although Walt Disney himself was involved in the design, that it was one of his artists who actually made the rendering. The cost of the design and work: $75.
It's believed that King Mike is the only word that Walt Disney commissioned outside of the Disney studios.
To this day, KING Mike has been used in promotions and logos.