In the days before The Disney Store or The Disney Catalog, there was The Disney Family Showcase catalog from the Magic Kingdom Club. I received this catalog in the mail in 1984 and never received another one after that, so it may be the only time that Disney did something like this under that name. I had a subscription to Disney News Magazine at the time, so I'm assuming that is how I got on their mailing list.
There are more than 30 pages, but I've scanned each and every one of them and included them below. Some of the photos in the catalog were taken at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Epcot Center.
The intro talks about Walt and his "Family of Corporate Participants" that helped finance the construction of Disneyland.
See's candy at $6.00 a pound! Wow! Today See's candy is over $19.00 a pound and the price goes up every year after the holidays, like clockwork.
The photo below is from Disneyland's "Festival Japan" parade, which makes me wonder what ever happened to Festival Japan, Viva Mexico Days, and Canada Days at Disneyland?
Epcot Center's Germany Pavilion is pictured on the page below. I had no idea that Goebel manufactured Hummel figurines. I thought Hummels were made by a company named Hummel.
The page below includes a picture taken at Epcot's Italy Pavilion. Epcot would have only been 2 years old at the time this catalog came out.
Only $65 for a Disneyland adult Annual Pass! This was before there were different "levels" of annual passes, so every pass was a "premium" pass. Passes had only been available for a year and a half at this point. Wikipedia (and many other sites) state that the first annual passes were offered to the public in 1984. I have my very first annual pass and it is dated June 20, 1983. I guess it is possible that they were only available to Magic Kingdom Club members that first year since these sites are specifically stating "to the public". However the sites I have been on that supposedly have comprehensive info about annual passes and the prices over the years, fail to mention that they were available in 1983....even if it was something that wasn't offered to the "general" public. I remember they first became available shortly after the New Fantasyland opened in May of 1983. The cost of an adult annual pass at that time was $60.
Disney gift certificates were available, but Disney Dollars would not debut until 1987.
This was the only item that I ordered from the catalog. A Disneyland attraction poster for only $12.50! I still have mine rolled up in the original shipping tube....I never did anything with it. I wonder what it would sell for today?
My brother and I both had Mickey Mouse watches when we were kids. As a matter of fact, we still have them. I remember the girl that sat next to me in 4th grade used to gripe at me about the ticking of my Mickey Mouse watch being too loud!
Arribas Brothers opened their first shop at Disneyland in 1967. Today they have two locations in the park, one on Main St. and the other in New Orleans Square. There used to be a Fantasyland location (inside the Castle) and another over at the Disneyland Hotel. That location was demolished five years ago along with the hotel waterfalls. :-(
The Pendleton Shop (pictured below) was located in Disneyland's Frontierland from opening day in 1955 until 1990.
Disc cameras took horrible, "grainy" photos. I'm glad I never bought one!
I believe that's Betty Taylor in the Golden Horseshoe photo (wearing the black dress). She performed in the Golden Horseshoe Revue from 1956 until 1986!
Who knew that slide projectors were so expensive back in the day?
I have Mickey's Christmas Carol on video and it's still in that same gift box shown on the lower right. I've gotten rid of most of my Disney videos, but I've kept that particular one because it was a gift from my dad.
The Disney Channel had just debuted one year earlier. Only $5.95 for a Disney T-shirt? I don't think you can get a T-shirt at Disneyland today for less than $30.
I wonder who would answer if you called the number below? Don't do it! I'm willing to bet that it's no longer a Disney number.
I hope everyone enjoyed this little shopping trip back to 1984! Happy Holidays to you all!
What a neat bit of Disney ephemera, from the beginning of neat era in the Disney Company when Disney was starting to become mainstream again but hadn't yet joined forces with the Reptilians to take over the world. Oh...perhaps I've said too much...
ReplyDeleteI think your one and only purchase was a good one. As far as value is concerned, I'll happily take it off your hands for $13.50. That's more than you paid for it, and it's just taking up space at your place anyway. I'll even throw in postage to sweeten the deal.
While the slide projector price was interesting, what jumped out at me was the Ektaflex 8 kit. I'd never even heard of the Ektaflex system before, but it was apparently a 35mm film, processing & printing system that used a dye process derived from the Kodak instant film process. While more expensive per print when compared to most other 35mm film processes, it was extremely useful for photojournalists away from reliable color film processing as it could be used in temperatures from about 60-100°F. Although it fit a different niche and used a different concept than Kodak's instant film cameras, the system was discontinued after Kodak lost the Polaroid lawsuit.
I know you said not to do it, but I called those 800 numbers anyway. The first is now the number for Tax 10,000, and when I called the second, after a few clicks on the line, I got a message that said it's not in service. Now there's a black sedan in my driveway and a couple of large gentlemen wearing dark suits, sunglasses, and earphones en route to my front door. I'll see what they want and be right back...
I remember that catalog very well. For some reason my grandparents got one but my family didn't which was odd because we were both subscribers to Disney News and Magic Kingdom Club Members. Anyway, I received my grandparents copy and I was so excited to see the Snow White Scary Adventures attraction poster art series.......well I THOUGHT is was going to be a series and I figured Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Disneyland Railroad, etc would follow........but they never did! I would check the Disneyanna Shop every visit and when a cast remember didn't have any information, I would come back later on and ask someone else... (just in case they knew some inside details about the other posters........)
ReplyDeleteAbout a year later in 1985 the park released a souvenir 1977 Disneyland Railroad poster in 18" x 24" which was actually a very nice quality reproduction for $2.98. Cast members said it was about time since they would get hundreds of requests a week from guests asking for copies of that 1977 Disneyland Railroad poster.
I agree that 1984 catalog was kind of the "jumping off point" for Disney merchandising..Eisner's obvious and forceful greed and not yet infected the company and Walt Disney Productions still had it's tradition, dignity and class.
Chuck? Chuck?? You said you'd be right back, but you left that comment over three hours ago. I hope you are okay!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually wondering about my poster. Since it's been in the original cardboard mailing tube for 31 years, I'm thinking it possibly could have "turned" color on the parts that have been touching the cardboard. I'm sure the mailing tube was not made with "acid free" material. I'm almost afraid to look at it now. If I were to sell it, I might have to sell it "as is" and $13.50 might just be all I could get for it!
Yeah, that home photo printing machine is pretty interesting. I remember that Polaroid lawsuit. My aunt and uncle had given me a Kodak Colorburst Camera and Kodak had to stop making the film for it since they lost that lawsuit. I still remember prying the Kodak nameplate off of the camera to send it in for a refund plus some free film coupons. I wish I could remember how much they sent me. I still have the camera though.
Mike, Wow...I wish I had known about that DL R.R. poster for $2.98. I would have bought one! And I had an annual pass in 1985 and was going to the park quite a bit.
And I agree with both of you that this was a time that was kind of the beginning of one era and the end of another for Disney. In my opinion, it was just the beginning of the end! :-(
Sorry to leave you in suspense, TokyoMagic! I'm fine. Turns out they were looking for directions to your house.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, thanks for scanning all 30+ pages! I love the odd selection of items… a surprising number of which are not theme park related at all. I need a big hunk of prosciutto (with lemons on top!). 4 to 6 pounds, $50… with my luck I would get a 4-pounder while my neighbor (Flanders) would get a 6-pounder.
ReplyDeleteI so wish I had done the annual passport thing way back then, when I would have actually enjoyed going to the park on a regular basis.
I wonder how much that poster is worth now! Probably a pretty good chunk of change. That definitely looks like Betty Taylor; and you are so right about those disc cameras… they took TERRIBLE pictures.
Thanks for sharing this blast to the past!
Major, that is an odd selection, isn't it? I didn't even really notice that chunk of prosciutto....or the price! That seems a little steep for 1984.
ReplyDeleteI've had an annual pass on and off ever since 1983 (1983-1985, 1994-1998 and 2005-2016), but yeah...it was more fun back in the early years of the pass....before they began to ruin the park. I always end up taking a break from having a pass at some point and this coming year is going to be the start of another break for me!
I want that Snow White attraction poster! And that satin Disney Channel jacket!
ReplyDeleteI would have ordered that poster too! Happy holidays Tokyo!
ReplyDeleteI know you would have, SWA!!!! Happy Holidays to you too!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, that was pretty amazing. So, right after I visited Walt Disney World in November, I discovered the Shop Disney Parks App (for Walt Disney World) which I guess is today's version of a catalog. It is quite interesting, as it seems very comprehensive---it tells which stores items can be found in, but I discovered it to be frequently wrong. The craziest thing is that it includes groceries (including things like A-1 Steak Sauce), and most of the time the groceries are marked "In-Store Purchase Only".
ReplyDeleteHi. I am a bit behind in reading your postings, but I wanted to mention that the print shop kiosk at Knott's had moved to the Barn in Ghost Town. It was tucked over in the corner. You might be able to get some of your posters replaced, but I don't know if it is still there, as they are converting the Barn again for the Boysenberry Festival and then with the horses for the 75th Celebration.
ReplyDeleteJazma, thank you so much for that information! Do you know if this was recent that it was in the Barn, or was this right after it's old location closed?
ReplyDelete