Dopey Dime Bank Pin

In 2004, Walt Disney World Resort released a Pin of the Month series that celebrated vintage Disney collectibles including toys, games and posters. The Limited Edition pins were made available on the 15th of each month.

The April release featured the 1939 Dopey Dime Register Bank. Heavier than other pins this size, it even has a slot to deposit up to eight real dimes. Measures 1.875" x 1.875". Backside reads, "Limited Edition of 2500, Vintage Toys Collection 4 of 12, © Disney, Made in China" and has the 2004 Mickey Pin Trading logo. Original retail price $10.50 (USD).

Images via Our Little Red Dinosaur.

May 31, 2012 - Last Day for Snow White's Scary Adventures

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Walt Disney World has just announced the official closing date of Snow White's Scary Adventures. Thursday May 31st will be the last day of operation for this WDW opening-day attraction.

Ephemera "Blurbs" (50th Anniversary - 1987)

In the February 5, 1987 issue of Eyes and Ears (the WDW cast member newspaper), it was announced that the shops in the Walt Disney World Village (now Downtown Disney) would be having a "Gem of a Sale" to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Snow White. The sale was scheduled to run from February 15th through the 22nd.

Eyes and Ears image courtesy of George Taylor at Imaginerding. Used with permission.

The piece reads, "To make the event even more sparkling, the Captain's Tower will be decked out as a diamond mine." The Captain's Tower was a free-standing hexagonal store (where Disney Pin Traders is today) with a tower above that served as focal point of the shopping district.

Bonus pic of the Captain's Tower on a postcard from a decade earlier in 1977...

On the back of the postcard, it's pretty funny what the original owner wrote to his folks back home about WDW: "This is your kind of place. Except for some high class idiots, this place is alright..."

Postcard via The Postcard Dude.

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Another short blub mentioning Snow White's "50th birthday" appeared in the "Coming Attractions" section of Muppet Magazine (Summer 1987). Other films coming to theaters included The Princess Bride, Adventures in Babysitting, and Spaceballs. What a year for movies!

Muppets Magazine image courtesy of the Dan Alexander Collection at Dizenmentia. Used with permission.

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In the Disneyland Line (the cast member newsletter) from July 16th, 1987, we find a short write-up about Snow White's Walk of Fame debut and how it was "the largest turnout for anyone receiving their star." There's also a sidebar on the restoration of the film. [Note: the cancelled stamp from the next day's 50th Anniversary festivities at the park.]

Disneyland Line 7-16-1987, p.6. Image courtesy of Toms Collectibles n More. Used with permission.

Snow White Cast Member Reunion (50th Anniversary - 1987)

On Friday the 5th of June, 1987, a never before event occurred at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In celebration of the film's Golden Anniversary, a reunion was held for all the past performers who had ever played Disney's first princess in the theme parks.

Disneyland Reunion - Video Screen Capture

By 1987, over one hundred women had portrayed the Snow White character.

In Orlando, 24 former princesses returned to WDW where the day included a parade down Main Street and a feast at the Crystal Palace. Officials at Tokyo Disneyland had hoped for a reunion too. The park had been open for four and half years, but unfortunately, all 17 of the former cast members were American. The affair had to be cancelled as they could not attend.

The largest reunion occurred in California The Anaheim park being the oldest, of course, drew the greatest number with around 70 royal ladies showing up. Here's a short television news piece on the Disneyland event...

Video posted by Hetchel.

One of the charming stories to come out of the reunion was that of JoAnn Killingsworth, who at age 31, was picked to portray the first Snow White at Disneyland in 1955. It was she who appeared on opening day in the 90-minute ABC television special, Dateline Disneyland. JoAnn is seen riding on a float in the Main Street parade, again during the Fantasyland opening ceremony, and finally a little later at her "Adventures" dark ride.

Parade...

JoAnn rides on the Snow White float with the Seven Dwarfs.

video excerpt

Fantasyland Grand Opening...

Snow White performs with Alice, Sleeping Beauty, and Petr Pan.

 video excerpt

Dark Ride...

A dash to the Snow White's Adventures ride.

video excerpt

The original ABC Dateline: Disneyland program can be seen on the Disneyland USA disc from the Walt Disney Treasures DVD collection. Learn more at Ultimate Disney.

The park organizers for the reunion especially wanted to locate this cast member who portrayed the first Snow White. Problem was...she wasn't a cast member. Her name wasn’t in the Disney personnel records so no one seemed to know who she was. Unbeknownst to JoAnn, she suddenly became the subject of a nationwide search, a quest to find the very first "first princess."

As it turns out, JoAnn, now 63 in 1987, was found only 15 miles away living in Newport Beach.

I worked for ABC, not Disneyland, so there was no record of me in the park. I didn’t know they were hunting for me until a friend read about it in the paper and told me. I really didn’t realize Disney was looking for me. If I had, I would have called somebody and said, ‘Here I am. Here’s Snow White!’

JoAnn Killingsworth at the 1987 reunion.

Blurbs about the Snow White homecoming made it into US newspapers from coast-to-coast.

Lakeland Ledger:

Clippings from June 5, 1987, Lakeland Ledger

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Los Angeles Times

Originally printed June 6, 1987, LA Times.

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Wilmington Morning Star:

 AP article, June 6, 1987, Wilmington Morning Star.

The reunion was kind of a unique occurrence in that Disney does not often encourage cast members, current or past, to publicly share their experiences of working for the Mouse. But put a bunch of Snows in the same space and they're gonna talk.

Suzanne Sinclair Crosby of Denver, Dee Sinclair Lewis of Burbank, and Christine Sinclair Romberlin of Matthews, N.C., are sisters and each portrayed Snow White at Disneyland. The Snow White reunion was their first sibling reunion in four years. Lewis recalled one 110-degree day in her velvet costume. “I fainted behind Dumbo, and one of the elephants took off his [costume] head and carried me to a rest area. It was not a great moment for Disneyland.”

Sharon Clarke Jones who lived in Honolulu was one of the Snow Whites who was a grandmother. She was a ticket taker at Disneyland in 1956 when “Walt Disney walked through the park one night and just picked me to be Snow White.”

Twin sisters Diane Abbott and Donna Housan each portrayed the princess in Florida and “love to get together and share our memories of playing Snow White.”

“No, it won’t be named Snow White or Snow Prince,” said Beth Bond-Sczempka of San Diego who married the man who played her prince when the pair greeted visitors at Disneyland in the summer of 1978. They were expecting their first child September 25. Edith Newberry, a former Snow White at Walt Disney World, also married a man who portrayed the Prince.*

* Anecdotes from published news pieces gathered together by Wade Sampson (aka Jim Korkis) in his 2009 Snow White Mouse Planet article.

1987 video screen-captures via Hetchel.

It will be interesting to see if Disney does something similar in 2012 for the 75th Anniversary. If so, we'll get 25 more years of anecdotes and another generation of Snow Whites to look forward to.

Snow White Parade (50th Anniversary - 1987)

Snow White's "Golden Anniversary Celebration" at Disneyland included a twice daily 12 minute royal parade that ran down Main Street USA from early summer until fall. The lineup began with banner-carriers on horseback followed by Donald Duck and a host of dancing lords and ladies.

Banner-Carriers (Screen capture via home video shot by haborhouse55)

Banner Float followed closely by Donald Duck (via haborhouse55)

Banner Float close-up. Image courtesy of the Raymond Collection. Used with permission. 

Riding alone atop a float of topiaries with a "Once upon a time" banner behind him, Goofy read the proclamation handbill from the previous post. In another video, Mickey and Minnie are on this float with Goofy. This addition to the lineup may have occurred later in the year. It appears that Mickey and Minnie were originally located near the end of the parade in their own horse-drawn carriage.

No mice...

Goofy (via Hetchel)

Mice...

Goofy with Mickey and Minnie (via haborhouse55)

Dancing mirror-carriers proceeded the Evil Queen's float where she conversed with the Magic Mirror. Dopey followed in a giant washtub.

Dancing Mirrors (via scottof83)

Evil Queen Float (via haborhouse55)

Dopey Float (via haborhouse55)

More dancers led the way for Chip and Dale with Daisy Duck who were busy cleaning a "cottage" float.

Cottage Float (via haborhouse55)

Three dancing wheelbarrow pushers came next, followed by the rest of the Dwarfs--either on or marching in front of a diamond mine float.

Wheelbarrows (via haborhouse55)

Dwarf Mine Float. Image courtesy of the Raymond Collection. Used with permission.

It's interesting that this section also included six dancing and spinning diamonds. However, after a couple of weeks, they were removed from the parade. Have not heard the reason why.

Dancing Diamonds (via Hetchel)

Accompanied by the Pinocchio gang, two cast members pulled a diamond cart behind the Dwarfs' float.

Diamond Cart (via scottof83)

Heel-Kicking Good Times (Photo copyright LBBear. Used with permission.)

Dancing crows pranced in front of the Old Witch and her smoking cauldron float.

Dancing Crows (via haborhouse55)

Witch's Cauldron Float (via haborhouse55)

If Mickey and Minnie weren't at the front of the parade with Goofy, they would be here in a horse-draw carriage. In close pursuit were additional dancing characters including Alice. Then more lords and ladies.

Mickey and Minnie (via Hetchel)

Dancing Alice (via scottof83)

Lords and Ladies (via haborhouse55)

This was of course way before the time of Jasmine, Tiana, and Rapunzel, and it even predates Ariel and Belle. So for the finale, the only other Disney princesses, Aurora and Cinderella, danced with their princes in front of Snow White and the Prince who waved from their float.

The Other Royal Couples (Photo copyright ThemeFabrication. Used with permission.)

Snow White Float (via haborhouse55)

Prince and Snow close-up (via scottof83)

The parade was shot on home video from the train station by haborhouse55 and is available on DVD from the LaughingPlace.com. At least two other videos exist online and can be seen below.

The first was posted in two parts by scottof83...

Videos posted by

The next video, posted by Hetchel, is in three parts and features the Dancing Diamonds that were taken out of parade after only a couple weeks...

Videos posted by

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While most of the Snow White hoopla seemed to occur at Disneyland, the first princess was included in some Florida celebrations too. Themed paper plates and cups were used at many of the food stops, and she and dwarfs did appear in the Walt Disney World 15 Years of Magic parade.

15 Years of Magic Parade (Screen capture via ProgressCityPublicTV)

Commemorating the theme park's Crystal Anniversary milestone, the parade began in October 1986 and continued until September 1987. In the new year, to kill two birds with one stone so to speak, Snow White was inserted near the front of the lineup as a way to commemorate the 50th year of the film too.

A blurb in the July/August 1987 issue of Tampa Bay Magazine mentions the new parade sequence and tells of a Wishing Well float that they would be riding on...

[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

July/August 1987 Tampa Bay Magazine, p.14

In my online search, I was able to locate video clips from both the 1986 pre-Snow White parade and also the 1987 version with the princess and dwarfs. However, there's no sign of the Wishing Well float. It's pictured in the publicity shot above, so it did exist at some point, but nothing has surfaced on video so far.

In the 1986 parade, you will see Mickey and Minnie start it off followed by a group of dancers. Next comes a giant birthday present, then a character float with Pluto, Chip and Dale and others. No Snow White.
 

Excerpt from video originally posted by mcrtnyfan.

In this April 1987 clip, Snow White and the Dwarfs have been inserted into the parade between the first Mickey/Minnie and the Pluto/Chip and Dale floats. But the princess and her seven friends are walking the route without a vehicle of their own...

Excerpt from video originally posted by drummerboy74.

Another short 1987 clip shows Snow White and the Dwarfs still walking "floatless" behind Mickey and Minnie...

Excerpt from video originally posted by awesoman.

So Snow White did make an appearance in the WDW parade, but it really felt like more of an afterthought. Without question, the Disneyland parade commemorated the 50th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in a much more authentic way.

My First Snow White Pin

I was not yet a collector of Snow White when I purchased this pin. I wasn't even a fan of the film as I'd never been able to watch the thing through without falling asleep in the middle.

So here it was, the end of a 5-day stay at Walt Disney World--my first visit ever. My head was spinning from--totally and unsuspectingly--catching the Disney fever. In particular, earlier in the week I'd had a unique experience while on the Snow White's Scary Adventures attraction. Now on our last morning, my wife and I were waiting to board the Disney Bus at the All Star Resort.

This was back in December of 2000. The pin trading craze was just exploding onto the scene, and they had a pin cart right outside the front door. We stopped to look and I purchased this pin--clueless that more than a decade later I'd be siting here writing about it. Funny where life will take you if you let it.

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The open edition pin, measuring 1 3/8" x 7/8", features Snow White holding a flower bouquet basket. Sold at Walt Disney World, it probably first appeared on pin racks early in 2000 and was still being seen on cast member lanyards in 2003. It has since been retired. I don't recall the actual individual retail price but around five bucks seems about right.

Images from personal collection unless otherwise noted. 

Being an open edition, the backstamps went through a number of slight alterations each time Disney released new runs. All the pins have "© Disney Made in China" (and that's all mine has). But the earliest ones included the "2000" logo and the tagline "Celebrate the future hand in hand" with the "Walt Disney World" logo.

"Celebrate" logo, WDW, May 2000.

My first pin, WDW, December 2000.

The next couple of years, the pin continued to have the "© Disney Made in China" stamp, but it also included the year stamp for "2001" or "2002" plus the "Official Pin Trading" logo.

"Pin Trading", 2001. 

Image courtesy of Dan at Audrey's Pin Magic via meeked100. Used with permission.