Disney World Snow White News

Disney Parks Blog announced that Artists Point at the Wilderness Lodge is scheduled to become a Snow White themed character meal this winter!  Guests will get to meet Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey and the Evil Queen.   While finding Snow White is not that hard in a Disney Park, finding the dwarfs is not easy and usually requires a special event.  This is a great opportunity for Snow White fans!  No word on actually dates yet, but be sure to keep an eye out!

Disney Park Pin Pack

Shop Disney sells a monthly subscription box featuring Disney Pins.  The May 2018 edition featured Snow White pins.  Check it out here.

Box Lunch Gifts

Box Lunch gifts is one of my favorite pop culture stores.  They always have such a great array of Disney items.  I went into one of the stores earlier this month and saw the best evil queen purse I've seen in awhile:

I had to go home and see what else they had on the website.  I was pleasantly surprised at all the Snow White merchandise available!

Getting Ready for the Holidays with the Disney Store

November has flown by and we are now well into December.  I have been putting up the tree this weekend and that got me to thinking about the fabulous Snow White ornaments available from Disney Store online (many of which are currently on sale).  Check them out:

Isn't Dopey too cute?  Love that he moves.

Dopey is thinking about making those jewel eyes he is so famous for...

The queens robe looks so regal - even on a hangar.

This one is on my list!!

Snow White - so lovely.

All images Disney

Updates from Month of October

Wow, it's hard to believe that October is coming to a close.  What are you going to be for Halloween?  There have been a lot of great things out there about Snow White this month - check it out:

Lou Mongello on WDW Radio discussed moments in Disney history they wish they were a part of and I totally agree with one of them (being a huge Snow White fan and all).

Filmic Light had some fantastic posts about fabulous Snow White items that I must scour e-bay for now:
Vintage Italian Cuccu books by Salani
1990's Wrist Watches (I knew Disney Store was trying to bankrupt me in the 90's with the sheer volume of collectibles)
Spanish Sticker Collectors Album
A really interseting Montreal Newspaper article
A beautiful Bertelli Calendar
If Doc Brown ever stops by with a time machine I'm going back in time and ordering all the jewelry in this catalog!
These Snow White Aluminium sets are fantastic
These Post Toastie masks do show up on ebay from time to time
This snow globe is fascinating - I would have never guessed Disney would make merchandise of this scene - the one that terrified children in the movie theater.
Check out the special box made for the exhibit at the Walt Disney family museum.

I mentioned there might be an upcoming Snow White book a while ago - Didier Ghez posted about his upcoming projects which include Snow White interviews Volume 1.

WDW Fan Zone asked which Disney character you'd pick for president - Snow White was one of the ones suggested but I might vote for a package deal on the dwarfs!

This Fairy Tale Life had a look at the new 2017 Princess bridal gowns - including the updated Snow White.

Steve Thompson posted an adorable Snow White for #inkober

Disney Visa by Chase posted an article on where to meet our favorite princess in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney Style felt that Snow White's wishing well is a great place for instagram photos.  I love that spot in the park - it might be one of my favorite spots in Disneyland.

Long before there was instagram, people have been snapping photos there - here is a vintage shot of the Snow White wishing well area.

Check out this vintage theme park Sleepy!

If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said there was no way I'd be a Hot Topic regular costumer - check out these shirts though - how can I not be?

Still trying to figure out what to do with your squad for Halloween?  Check out this post by Disney Style.

Or if you are going solo for Halloween - find your costume according to your sign here.

Disney Parks Blog posted pictures of dogs in costumes - that's just awesome in of itself - but check out the evil queen and Snow White - so cute!

Ashley Taylor drew a fabulous Disney Doodle of the evil queen.

You have to get over to Wonderground Gallery next month to check out Gregg Visintainer Poison Apple art.  It is amazing!  I love how the designs are actually hidden images.  I've bought quite a few of his pieces.

I recently was very excited about the Snow White Jamberry nail wraps - well now there are Evil Queen wraps!

Feeling crafty?  How about making this poison apple card?

D23 had three articles this month - all of which are in a member only area and I can't link them for you here:
* Get a Wildly Wicked Look inside Disney Villains
* 13 Characters that Makes our Spine Tingle
* 13 Classically Creepy Disney Park Attractions

Disney's Mickey Mouse Shorts

I was watching Mickey Mouse shorts (Season 3 Episode 15 - Sock Burglar) the other day when I noticed this scene:

Basically, Minnie Mouse is trying to solve a series crime in town and for one scene she is interrogating all of Mickey's foes (Pete, the Blot...) when the Evil Queen appears.  Such a fun moment.

A while back I bought the season one DVD of these cartoons and posted about the Snow White reference I saw.

Additionally, if you haven't seen Mickey Mouse's Wish Upon a Coin (season 3 episode 3) - watch it now!  Any Snow White fan will appreciate the zany world where Mickey collides with this not so classic tale.

My summer project will be to watch all of season two and three to find any other Snow White references!

Happy Almost Halloween!

It's hard to believe that the end of October is here!  If you are looking for some Snow White related ways to celebrate - be sure to check out the following:

* Carve a Snow White pumpkin with a template from Disney Family

* Download an Evil Queen wallpaper for your laptop, tablet, phone...from Disney Parks Blog (there are a few different ones including a new one for Disneyland's 60th)

* Put together a Villains party with lots of ideas from Disney Family

* Play a game of Dig for Apples

* Create some Evil Queen inspired Apple treats or cookies

* Make some paper projects: Evil Queen Mask, 3D queen, or Snow White's crown

Walgreens Villians Make-up

I was up in beautiful Big Bear this weekend when I saw this in the local Walgreens:

 

So cool!  I picked up some of the make-up remover wipes that had all three girls (Queen, Maleficent, and Ursula) on the bag.  They also had blush, lipstick, eye shadows and a beauty book that featured the Evil Queen.  There was also some hair accessories by Scruncci.  Being on vacation, I didn't think to snap any pictures of the other items.  I already visited my local Walgreens with no luck finding this Fall 2015 line.  I am on the hunt for an Evil Queen make-up bag and brushes. Apparently, these starting popping up in stores in late August.

Disney Parks Blog Wallpapers

Merry Christmas from Whistle While We Blog!

Check out these downloadable holiday wallpapers from D23!

Disney Parks blog also has a whole page of downloadable wallpapers.

Paper crafts

Looking for a project to do?  Check out these Snow White inspired paper crafts:
Disney's family website features a variety of crafts and recipes for each film.  There are several very cute paper projects featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Snow White, The Evil Queen, and an Evil Queen mask.
Paper crafts square also has two Disney inspired paper crafts: a mini Evil Queen and Snow White's Wishing Well.

They Made the Magic: Joe Grant

Joseph Clarence Grant was born May 15, 1908.  When he was two, the family moved to Los Angeles.  His career began with The Los Angeles Record where he drew caricatures of famous people weekly.  These caught the eye of Walt Disney and Grant was asked to draw for Mickey's Gala Premier.  A few years later, he joined the studio full time.  He briefly worked on Who Killed Cock Robin? and then began work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Grant related in an interview that he based the concept art on the queen on a woman who lived across the street from him who picked persimmons and carried a basket.  He didn't like people to know that and only shared in when he was confident she had passed on.

During work on "Snow White" in 1933, Walt Disney came up to Grant in a hallway of the Hyperion studio in Loz Feliz and asked, "What are we going to do for an encore?" That question led to the establishment of the Character Model Department  He oversaw the people who worked with character design and models.  He was also important to the studio as a writer and gagman.  When the character Model Department was dismantled in 1949, Grant left to work on his own ventures (ceramics and greeting cards).  In 1989, he was asked to return to the studio where he became creative director.  

The only artist to have worked on Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.
Grant became a Disney Legend in 1992.  He won an Academy Award for best short (Lorenzo) and passed away a few months later in 2005.  Two Guys Named Joe is a book written by John Canemaker that features the lives of two important animators:

Tomart's Disneyana Update

Tomart's Disneyana Update is a wonderful resource to all Disney collectors.  This resource features articles on new collectables as well as spotlights on older collectables.  Everything from Vinylmations and Pins to Celluloid toys from the 20's and 30's.
The newest issue features eFx Collectibles Evil Queen, Hag, and the fabulous Heart Box.  These beautiful pieces are available at a discount to D23 members.

New Chocolate!

How could you not love it!  It's mood cholate.  On last night's trip to Disneyland I found these two boxes of candy at Marceline's Confectionery. 

They also had a mousekeeter, monrail, and Pinochicco themed boxes.  All are really quite fun.  The are priced at 3.95 and show pictures of the contents on the side of the boxes.  They are labled DisneyPark Authentic thus keeping up the Disney tradition of non-park specific merchandise. 

Oh, and one little thing - Disney it is the Evil Queen on the box - not Maleficent as the cash register receipt indicates - honestly!

The Piece that Started it All

As a collector I often am asked how did this all begin?   I don't have a great answer to this.  I suppose that because both my parents collected things (although never to the scale I do) it was just part of my life.  I had gone to train shows with my dad and Shirley Temple conventions with my mom.  (for a few years my brother got into Star Wars, but after discovering that he couldn't get EVERYTHING his enthusiasm waned.)  That being said I do remember the first piece I bought myself.

There was a great little toy shop in a local shopping center, you know, one of those shops that have toys you couldn't find anywhere else but were so far out of your allowance pocket change price range.  Well, the toy store was going out of business.  My kid brother was going to buy some Playmobile toy or maybe one of those Thomas toys; the wooden, magnetic ones.  Anyway, I was waking around in this toy store, and I ran across this:

Now, I had stopped playing with my Barbie dolls by then.  I was still a kid but my interests were more toward makeup and music.  But I saw this Evil Queen costume and I just wanted it.  You know the feeling, you look at the thing and think - what do I need this for? what am I going to do with it? - and yet you still decide to buy it.

When it was time to check out, my mother was confused by my purchase.  I had been saving to go the the record store next store to buy some popular band's tape, and yet I had decided to spend the money on this.  To this day I'm not sure that I knew I was starting a collection, but I did know I had no intentions of opening the package.

I wish I had a better 'Why I Collect' story.  I met someone at a Disney gathering who collected Pete's Dragon.  You see after the Northridge earthquake he found that everything had been destroyed.  It was a traumatic time for all of us in living in the area, and many of us learned the importance of QuakeHold.  So he went on to say that he had quite a few figurines he had amassed over time, not exactly a collection, but they were dear to him.  All were destroyed; except one.  Peter Pan.  The figure was sitting safely cradled in his childhood Pete Dragon toy.  See - that's a great story: natural disaster, destruction, and a thankful and hopeful tear running down the cheek. 

So no great story for me.  No family heirloom that centers the collection.  No childhood memory I bringing back.  I just stubbornly bought one toy I knew I wasn't going to play with and off it went.  All my family members continued to support my collection through birthday, Christmas, and even graduation presents.  I often look at everything I have and think - how did it get so big?  But I suppose that is true of many of us.

So, do you have a collection story?  How did it all begin for you?

Sunday Funny

From The Orange County Register: Friday January 14, 2005

Disney Fine Art

Disney Fine Art

Halloween Time at Disneyland

It's Halloween time at Disneyland Resort and I am proud to report that the Queen and Hag are a central part of the theme. The two banners pictured here are around the Downtown Disney area and are featured on the billboards around Southern California. Additionally, the ladies are also featured on the park maps - the Hag on Disneyland and the Queen on Disney's California Adventure.
I went last night to view the Halloween Spooktaular Firework Show. After a period of indecision (due to winds at higher elevations) the fireworks went off. Zero flies above the castle and the music features "This is Halloween," "What's This?" "Grim Grinning Ghosts," "Poor Unfortunate Souls," "Trust in Me," "Cruella De Ville," as well as music from Hook, Chernabog's Theme Song, and Frollo's song From Hunchback. All in all a very fun show - not scary - but just right theming for Disney. More to come about Halloween time.

Fairest of All

Disney Publishing has released Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino. The book is for young adults and follows the Evil Queen's journey. I haven't read the book yet, but the cover art is fabulous. The Evil Queen is on the dust jacket and on the hardcover book is the Hag. Can't wait to read it.