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Page 12          The Antique Shoppe            October, 2018
                          Disney’s                “  DUMBO                              ”  Long a Favorite




        by Roy Nuhn                                                                                                      Except for the Superluxe set, postcards
                                                                                                                       of Dumbo are  far less plentiful  than
                                                                                                                       those  for  the  other  Disney  films  and
               umbo, the cute little elephant with                                                                     characters.  Great Britain’s  Valentine
           Dthe  big,  big  ears  first  flew  into                                                                    & Sons, publishers for 30 years of a
        America’s heart more than 75 years ago.                                                                        colossal length series of Disney postcards
        And he’s been there ever since.                                                                                beginning in the 1930s, marketed only a
           Disney’s shortest animated full-length                                                                      few of Dumbo. One of these, “Having a
        feature (64 minutes), “Dumbo” premiered                                                                        High Old Time,” Number 1909, depicts
        on October 31, 1941. Costing less than $1                                                                      Mickey Mouse atop a smiling Dumbo in
        million to make - “Bambi,” five minutes                                                                        a circus ring.
        longer, released the following year,                                                                             Most of the large continental  size
        was nearly  three  times  more  expensive.                                                                     chrome  publishers,  like  Italy’s  Grafiche
        “Dumbo” was in production for only 18                                                                          Biondetti  and Mondiacolor, of the mid-
        months.                                                                                                        1960s to 1980 era, chose to concentrate
           The simple but heartwarming  tale,                                                                          their efforts in Disney postcards on sets
        based on a story by Helen Aberson, was                                                                         about Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and
        enthusiastically  received  by moviegoers                                                                      Pluto;  newly released,  fully animated
        of all ages.                                                                     ↑ No. 10 of Superluxe set; Timothy   features;  and  the  old  big-name  classics,
           To Americans, tottering on the brink of                                       consoles a sad Dumbo.         such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
        World War II, films like “Dumbo” were                                            ← Board book (1992) by Western   and Cinderella.
        pleasant, momentary diversions from the                                          Publishing Co. Inside are scenes   Dumbo does, however, show up
        march of events being reported daily from                                        from the movie.               on  at  least  one  of  Grafiche  Biondetti’s
        war-torn Europe and Asia.                                                                                      postcards, in Series Number 124, where
           The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,                                          ↓ Picture-tilt novelty postcard,   he is seen playing with Chip an’ Dale and
        less than six weeks away, would come all                                         printed by Vari-Value Card Co.,   the kittens from “The Aristocats.”
        too quickly.                                                                     Tuckahoe, N.Y. (chrome, 1950s).  But there  are  a few really  good
                   Dumbo’s Story                                                                                       chromes  of him to  be  found among the
           The film begins with the stork making                                                                       earliest cards published for Disneyland
        one of his special deliveries, this time to                                                                    (Anaheim, California) in 1955 and 1956.
        the  menagerie  at  the  circus. Among  the                                                                    There  are  artist  renditions  and,  while
        animals receiving little bundles of Joy is                                                                     once plentiful, are now hard to find. The
        Mrs.  Jumbo, one of the elephants, who                                                                         Art Corner at Disneyland, a gift shop
        is thrilled with her new son. Her friends   That same night the little elephant with                           inside the gates, produced a series of tilt-
        come calling to visit and admire the new   the big ears surprises the audience and                             change  chromes, at least  one of which
        arrival. Suddenly, the little guy sneezes!   circus people by soaring around under the                         showcases Dumbo in flight. Another, an
        Giant,  oversized ears  unceremoniously   Big Top.                                                             advertisement by the amusement park for
        unfold like the opening of a parachute,   All  ends happily  with  Dumbo  an                                   its “Dumbo Ride,” portrays Huey, Louie
        and  the  ladies  pull  back  in  horror.   overnight superstar and he and his mother                          and Dewey flying atop Dumbo.
        Throwing nasty barbs as they stomp off   now enjoying their own special  private                                 The Disneyland and  Walt Disney
        in disgust, they sneeringly call the baby   car on the circus train.                                           World chromes from the last several
        Dumbo instead of Jumbo.                       Dumbo Collectibles                                               decades regularly include Dumbo among
           Ostracized by the elephants and other   Like all of  Walt Disney’s cartoon                                  the many “live” characters that roam the
        animals of the circus, the sad, lonely calf   features, “Dumbo” inspired a considerable                        parks entertaining visitors.
        has only his adoring, affectionate mother   amount  of merchandising  during  its                                Dumbo, now well over a half-century
        for companionship. Even this ends,   initial 1941-1942 run and subsequent re-                                  old, has long been a favorite with Disney
        a few weeks later, when some circus   releases.                                                                fans. No doubt he will  continue  to be
        roustabouts mistreat Dumbo, causing the   More than  a  dozen  children’s books,                               popular for years to come,
        infuriated Mrs. Jumbo to come charging   including the original Dumbo, the Flying                              as will the many postcards
        to her son’s defense. Labeled mad, she is   Elephant story by  Aberson and  Pearl,   late 1940s to the mid 1950s.  The two   of the  little  elephant  who
        ordered locked up by the ringmaster.  were published from 1941 to 1950 and   may well  have been the  same company   could fly.
           Now totally  alone  and miserable,   reprinted ever since.  There have been   operating under different names.
        Dumbo finally finds a friend, Timothy, a   several  comic  books (1941-1963),  six   The  sets were sold complete, each
        wiseacre, street-wise mouse who takes the   different pieces of sheet music of songs   inside thin plastic  envelopes imprinted
        lad under his tutelage. The two become   from  the  film  (1941),  a  set  of  records   with the title  and number of postcards.
        inseparable buddies.                 narrated  by Shirley  Temple  four years   Superluxe’s and Sepheriades’ cards   Figurine of
           When he becomes a bit older, but still   later, some character figurines (1946) and   were  not  chromes  but  color  scenes  on   Dumbo,
        little more than a baby, Dumbo is forced   inflatable dolls (1949).       regular  postcard  cardboard  stock. Many   3” high
        to become part of the circus’s clown act.     Dumbo Postcards             American G.I.’s stationed in Europe after   and 4”long
           Though  Dumbo is embarrassed  and   “Dumbo” was re-released  in 1945   the war purchased these sets and brought   1950s→
        ashamed,  the  act is a success, and he’s   and shown  in Europe and the British   them home as souvenirs.
        sucked into it seemingly forever.    Commonwealth  the  following year,
           One night  he and  Timothy  suddenly   its  first  overseas  distribution.  The  best           OF NOTABLE INTEREST:
        get drunk, and he dreams his famous pink   postcards of the movie were made at this   Dumbo is scheduled to be re-released in March 2019 in a Hollywood adaptation. The upcoming
        elephant  nightmare. Upon awakening,   time by the French publisher Superluxe,   American fantasy adventure film is directed by Tim Burton, with a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger.
                                                                                  The movie is based on a story written by Helen Aberson, and is loosely inspired by Walt Disney’s 1941
        they  find  themselves  high  up  in  a  tree   under authorization of the Disney studio.   animated version.
        where the crows are just as confused as   Printed in French, this 25-card set used   The film stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton & Alan Arkin. Colin Farrell as Holt Farrier, a one-armed
        the new arrivals.  After much thought,   cels  from  the  film  to    retell  the  story   war veteran and former circus star from Kentucky who is hired by Medici to care for the newborn
        Timothy finally figures it out: Dumbo flew   from beginning to end. Superluxe and E.   elephant, whom his two children befriend. Michael Keaton as V. A. Vandevere, a ruthless and
        them there! He coaxes the scared elephant   Sepheriades were two firms who marketed   enigmatic entrepreneur who acquires a circus to exploit Dumbo. Danny DeVito as Max Medici, the
                                                                                  circus owner who runs a small circus that gets acquired by Vandevere.
        into jumping from their aerial perch and   exact duplicate printings of many 25-card
        to everyone’s amazement, Dumbo flies!  sets of Disney cartoon movies from the   Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.orgiwiki/Dumbo (2019 film)
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