Celebration – The Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwanhee Hotel

Posted on December 16, 2014 by barbara

The Bracebridge Dinner is a lovely holiday tradition that is held annually in Yosemite National Park every Christmas season. The first Bracebridge took place back in 1927 and is still currently being held over 85 years later in the Yosemite Valley at the world renowned Ahwahnee Hotel. Every year the grand dining room of the Ahwahnee is transformed into an 18^th century English manor that is inspired by a 1822 Washington Irving story, “Bracebridge Hall” as told in his book “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent”. (Irving is also famous for another story called “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, and please click on the link for more information about that classic tale about the headless horseman)

The Bracebridge Dinner is a three hour pageant of theatrical and musical performances that includes a seven-course formal dinner. The tradition was started by Don Tresidder, president of the Yosemite Park and Curry Company, to celebrate the first Christmas after the majestic Ahwahnee Hotel was opened in 1927. The character of the Squire Bracebridge was played by Tresidder himself, the character of Lady Bracebridge was played by his wife Mary Curry and Ansel Adams (the famous photographer) played the court jester.

The Bracebridge was been held annually since 1927 with the exception of the years during World War II when the Ahwahnee Hotel was commissioned by the United States government for use as a Naval Hospital. When the tradition resumed in 1946 several new chorale musical performances were added. Then shortly after the 1948 Bracebridge, Don Tresidder died of a sudden heart attack. Heartbroken at the loss of the prominent Yosemite resident there was much debate over whether the show would even continue or the possibly of eliminating the role of the Squire since the part had always been played by Tresidder. It was finally determined that the character of the Squire would remain in the show but over the years the part of the Squire as narrator was eventually reduced to a smaller role.

Throughout the years, Ansel Adams went on to serve as the production’s musical director and later the part of Major Domo, the head of the Bracebridge household, was created especially for him and the part of the housekeeper was played by his wife Virginia Best Adams. Adams also served as the musical director and official photographer and he still continued performing in the Bracebridge until his retirement in 1973. Eugene Fulton, who had been a member of the male chorus since 1934, took over as musical director in 1946 and after Adams retirement he became the producer of the show. Sadly, Fulton died suddenly on Christmas Eve in 1978. His wife, Anna Marie and his daughter, Andrea took over the production of the Bracebridge for the remaining performances that year. Eventually Andrea went onto to become the show’s director as well as playing the role of the housekeeper. Finally, in 2013 the lottery process which had been previously used to obtain tickets for the popular Bracebridge Dinner was eliminated and now reservations are accepted in the order in which they are received.

The history of the Ahwanhee Hotel

The Ahwahneechee Native Americans had long settled in the area when the Mariposa Battalion, a California militia group, entered the Yosemite Valley in 1851 to fight in the Mariposa War caused by the 1849 California Gold Rush. Shortly after, white settlers arrived to build homes and visitors came to enjoy spectacular views of El Captain, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a federal bill in 1864 granting the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to State of California. John Muir, a local naturalist with concerns for the protection of the environment, eventually lobbied for the creation of the Yosemite National Park which happened in 1890.

Visitors continued to be drawn to the beauty of Yosemite National Park and the demand for tourist accommodations steadily increased throughout the years. In 1899 David and Jennie Curry arrived in the Yosemite Valley and soon developed several rustic cabins and campsites that became known as Curry Village. Then, in 1917, the Yosemite Lodge was built near the base of Yosemite Falls and was the first of the Park’s traditional hotel style accommodations.

By the early 1920s, there was a need for more luxurious accommodations for the more wealthy and affluent tourists. The Ahwanhee Hotel took eleven months to construct, cost over one million dollars to build and opened in July 1927. It is a wonderful example of rustic elegance built in an Arts & Craft style of architecture which was very popular at the time. It is constructed of 5,000 tons of granite, 1,000 tons of steel and 30,000 feet of wood and furnished with a unique blend of Art Deco and Native American decorating styles.

The Great Lounge of the Ahwanhee is 77 feet long and 51 feet wide with 24 foot high ceilings. Other features of the room include 10 floor-to-ceiling windows topped by beautiful stained glass panels and there is also a massive stone fireplace with couches, chairs and tables that offers an inviting place for visitors to gather. The room is decorated with Native American hand-woven baskets and massive wrought iron chandeliers.

Other public rooms of the Ahwanhee include the Solarium which has massive windows on three sides of the room that have lovely views across the valley with Glacier Point in the distance. (This area room is often used for wedding ceremonies and receptions as well as other special events) The Mural Room is beautifully decorated with an impressive mural showing the various flowers and plants of Yosemite Valley. The room is elegantly paneled in wood with a copper-hooded fireplace and French doors that open onto a patio and the nicely landscaped grounds.

One of the most impressive rooms of the Ahwanhee is the grand Dining Room which is 130 feet long, 51 feet wide and features a 34 foot ceiling supported by wooden beams made from sugar pine and supported by large granite stone columns, there are also floor-to-ceiling windows framed with stained glass panels. The Ahwanhee Dining Room offers visitors the finest dining within Yosemite National Park and a more formal dress code is required. (This room is where the annual Bracebridge Dinners are held during the Christmas season)

During World War II, the Ahwahnee Hotel was commissioned by the United States government for use as a Naval Hospital. The famous Bracebridge Dinner was not held during that time and eventually the tradition resumed in 1946. Over the years, the Ahwanhee added an outdoor swimming pool and modernized the hotel with elevators and a fire alarm system including smoke detectors and a sprinkler system.

For more information regarding the Ahwanhee Hotel and to make reservations, please see their website www.yosemitepark.com. For information about planning a visit to Yosemite National Park, please see their website www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Decor – My Christmas Decorations from Past Years (Part Two)

Posted on December 3, 2014 by barbara

As previously mentioned in Part One of My Christmas Decorations From Past Years series, I like to challenge myself every holiday season by using my Christmas decorations in different ways and sometimes in different rooms of our house every year. Shown in the photos below are a variety of decorations from several years of Christmas past.

Pine Garlands –

Some of my favorite Christmas decorations start with simple artificial pine garlands and at our home in California I frequently used them to decorate the entertainment center in the living room, the china cabinet in the dining room, the fireplace mantel in the family room and even above the bay window in the kitchen. Every year I used different Christmas items to decorate the garlands, such as a variety of glass ornaments, artificial poinsettias, holly leaves with red berries in the living room and dining room, and one year I used artificial “sugared” fruit in the dining and wonderful artificial candy decorations for the kitchen for a fun and whimsical look. (For more information about these decorated pine garlands, please click on the link to Part One of the “My Christmas Decorations From Past Years” series)

Besides using pine garlands in the interior rooms of the house, I also used them to decorate the front door of our home in California. To start the display, I hammered in several nails above the front door which I used to hang an artificial pine garland which I decorated with several artificial red poinsettias and sprays of red berries. I also hung a large artificial pine garland decorated with more red poinsettias, sprays of red berries and real pine cones.

Pine Sprays –

Artificial pine sprays are also a versatile Christmas decorating accessory that can be used to create wonderful displays in a home. During the holiday season I use several pine sprays that I place behind the picture frames of several pictures in the family room, library and dining room throughout the years in both our former California and our new home in the Midwest. Some of these pine sprays that I have used are plain and others have pine cones attached to them, I have also added red berry sprays for additional decorations.

I have also used artificial pine sprays to decorate the tops of tables, curio cabinets, fireplace mantels and even kitchen cabinets. One year I decorated the pine sprays on the top of the tall cabinet in the dining room with the artificial “sugared” fruits that matched the pine garland I used above the china cabinet, the photo above shows the display.

When we moved to the Midwest, I decided to use the gingerbread and candy decorations from the previous year’s pine garland in a different way than I had previously used above the bay window in the kitchen of our California home. In our new home there was a space above the kitchen cabinets that was the perfect spot to create a new holiday display that used several pine sprays decorated with the gingerbread and candy decorations and finished with the gingerbread train from a previous year’s display. (Please click on the link, Christmas Home Decorations, to see a photo of this display)

Also on the fireplace mantel in our Midwest family room, I decided to use several artificial pine sprays instead of a pine garland. Below are two photos that show how I decorated the pine sprays in three different years. The first year, I used two sets of pine sprays place on either side of the picture above the mantel. I decorated them with red berries, real pine cones and I also placed two sets of candles on the mantel. The next year, I placed the four pine sprays across the mantel below the picture which I decorated with red berries. I also set several family Christmas photos on either side to complete the display. (Please click on the link, Christmas Stockings/Fireplace, to see photos of these displays in another Décor post)

Finally, the following year I decided to do something a little more elaborate to include a special Christmas sign that I had recently made. In previous years I had usually displayed my Dept. 56 North Pole Village in the built-in bookshelf to the side of the fireplace but this time I set up the North Pole display on the mantel.

Tabletop Christmas Trees –

Small tabletop Christmas trees are also a very versatile accessory that I use frequently in my holiday decorating throughout our house. As previously mentioned in another Décor post entitled Christmas Trees, during the season every year I set-up several special and unique trees for family members. My husband has a Star Trek tree placed on the deck in his home office and my son has a Star Trek for his room. My daughter has another small tabletop Christmas tree for her room that I have decorated with Barbie ornaments one year, Disney princess ornaments for another year and Snowbabies miniature figurines for a different year. (For more information about decorating with Department 56 Snowbabies, please click on the link)

Even more tabletop Christmas trees have decorated the various rooms of our house throughout the years. In the entry way on a wooden bench I have displayed a Santa in a beautiful white embroidered cloak with two elves. In another room is another tree placed on the fireplace hearth with an old fashioned Santa dressed in lovely red velvet cloak with two reindeer. In the dining room on the chest of drawers is a porcelain dark-haired doll dressed in a red wool coat, hat and black fur muff and displayed with a reindeer and a wooden sled. Even in the bathroom there is woodland small Santa dressed in a green corduroy coat with a fishing creel with a small Christmas decorated with red berries and a gold star on top.

I have also repurposed my holiday decorations from other displays from previous years to use as decorations for several more tabletop trees. Above the refrigerator in our California home I decorated a small Christmas tree with chocolate candy ornaments that I had used the year before in the pine garland over the kitchen window and finished the display bay placing a gingerbread train in front of the tree.

Another tabletop Christmas tree is decorated with the Boyd’s Bears ornaments that I had previously used on the fireplace mantel in our California home. In keeping with the bear theme, the next year I decorated another Christmas tree with small stuffed teddy bears.

Decor – Department 56 Snowbabies

Posted on November 25, 2014 by barbara

Several years ago I started collecting the Department 56 Snowbabies miniatures; I had already been collecting the Department 56 North Pole Village. Initially I started using these charming figurines to decorate our daughter’s bedroom during the Christmas season. But as my blog readers will know from previous posts, I am always changing my holiday decorations and using seasonal items in different ways from year to year.

Snowbabies are perfect for decorating a home for Christmas and shown below are some examples of how I have used them in a variety of different ways:

Snowbabies on a pedestal

For Christmas 2013 I used one Snowbabies figurine from my collection to create a special display which I used in my china cabinet in our dining room. I started the display using a silver pedestal which was the perfect size for the Snowbabies miniature figurine, “Jack Frost – A Touch of Winter’s Magic”. I used three ivory resin pine trees and arranged them toward the back of the pedestal and placed the Snowbabies figurine toward the front. To complete the display, I sprinkled artificial snowflakes around the pedestal.

Snowbabies under glass

For Christmas 2006 I decided to use small glass containers to display my collection of Snowbabies miniature figurines in my daughter’s bedroom. I started the display by covering the plastic liner with a layer of artificial snow, then I arranged the Snowbabies in the container and finished by adding several small resin Christmas trees that I had found in my local craft store.

Since I always like to change my holiday decorations from year to year, for Christmas 2008 I used the same long glass container. I started the display by covering the plastic liner with white velvet material. I had recently purchased a larger Snowbabies figurine and centered it in the container. Next I arranged several additional Snowbabies figurines to the right and the left and scattered several small resin Christmas trees. To finish the display, I added three larger ivory resin Christmas trees.

Small Snowbabies Christmas tree

For Christmas 2010, I once again changed the way I display my Snowbabies collection. For this year’s display I started by using a small tabletop Christmas tree which I placed in a small container/vase. Next, I decorated the tree with ¼” wide gold ribbon and small miniature gold Christmas ball ornaments. The tricky part in using the Snowbabies miniatures for this display was that the core of the figurine is made of pewter and can be rather heavy considering their small size. I decided to use very thin wire to attach the Snowbabies and evenly spaced them around the small tabletop tree to complete the display. More importantly, by using the wire for attaching the Snowbabies to the tabletop tree I was able to avoid damaging the figurine. To complete the display I used the Snowbabies figurine, “Star on the Top” as a tree topper. (Special Note: Unfortunately I do not have a photo of that year’s display but there is a photo taken a few years before of the same tree decorated in the same way but minus the Snowbabies figurines which were being used in another display that year)

Snowbabies Christmas wreath

For Christmas 2012, I decided to try something a little different. I started by using a smaller Christmas wreath that was only 12” in diameter. Next, I used the same gold ribbon and gold Christmas balls from the tabletop tree display from a previous year to decorate that year’s Christmas wreath. Then, using the same method that I used to attach the Snowbabies on the tabletop tree, I used thin wire to attach them to the Christmas wreath. (Special note: Unfortunately I do not have a photo of that year’s display)

The history of Snowbabies

Snowbabies are a Christmas tradition that is believed to have started in Europe in the 17^th century. In England there is a celebration known as Twelfth Night which was when the three wisemen arrived in Bethlehem after the birth of Christ bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Snowbaby figurines were used as cake decorations that represented the Christ child and were made of marzipan and sprinkled with “snow” sugar. Around the same time in Germany, Christmas shoppers were traditionally given small sugar biscuits depicting the infant Jesus. These snowbabies were originally intended as a sweet treat to eat but eventually customers started to use them instead as decorations for their Christmas trees.

By the late 1900s, these snowbabies gained in popularity and manufacturers began to produce fine porcelain figurines depicting small childern usually dressed in a snowsuit shown riding sleds, skiing or otherwise frolicking in the snow. The manufacturing process involved pouring bisque into molds and then finishing the piece with a sprinkling of finely ground bisque to give the impression that the figurines had received a special dusting of “snow”. The snowbabies usually had delicately painted faces and sometimes the figurines were decorated in soft pastel colors.

Just as the snowbabies popularity started to wane before the turn of the century there was an unexpected boost that would increase their sales. In 1893, an Artic explorer named Robert Perry was on a quest to discover the North Pole and a figurine is said to have been created showing Admiral Perry and his fellow explorer, Dr. Frederick Cook, dressed in snowsuits and grasping a world globe between them. To further the story, while Perry was on his famous expedition into the Artic his wife, Josephine, gave birth to their daughter Marie. She was the first Caucasian child to be born that far north and the native Eskimos in the region remarked about her pale white skin and she became known as Ah-poo-Mic- kaninny or the “snow baby”. With newspaper accounts of the birth and later Perry’s discovery of the North Pole in April 6, 1909, snowbabies once again became popular this time with American buyers.

Then, during World War I manufacturing of snowbabies stopped and unfortunately when production resumed afterwards the quality of the figurines was greatly compromised. Over the next few years the sales of snowbabies continued to decrease and finally with the start of World War II and the loss of European and Asian manufacturers the production of snowbabies was discontinued.

Then in 1986 a Minnesota based company named Department 56 started a new line aptly named Snowbabies which featured 11 figurines designed and inspired by the original antique and vintage snowbabies. Over the years the Department 56 Snowbabies line had proved to be very popular with collectors. Kristi Jensen Pierro, a Department 56 designer, usually starts with a drawing. Those first drawing were inspired by her children and later they were designed and created for specific themes or special celebrations. Once the sketches are approved they are then made into a clay figure and further refined. When the final design is determined a mold is made of the clay figure and then sent into production. The Snowbabies line includes full sized figurines, water globes, picture frames, ornaments and even miniature figurines. Over the past decades licensed pieces have also been produced incorporating Disney and Sesame Street characters.

Miscellaneous – Edwin Hubble’s Birthday

Posted on November 20, 2014 by jeff0006

It’s Jeff again, here as a guest writer about another “science guy”! This time it is about one of the greatest astronomers of the 20th century, Edwin Hubble. Before researching Edwin I didn’t know much about him other than he was an astronomer and had the Hubble Space Telescope named after him. The Hubble Space Telescope is one of my favorite satellites so while Hubble didn’t have much to do with it other than lending his name to it and I will talk about it later in this post. But first …

Edwin Hubble was born on November 20, 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri to Virginia Lee James and John Powell Hubble. His father was an insurance executive who had very specific thoughts as to how his son should live his life. Edwin was interested in astronomy from an early age. His grandfather had built a telescope and on his 8th birthday Edwin was allowed to stay up all night to gaze at the sky. Edwin was a local sports hero, playing just about every kind of sport and setting state records in Illinois. Edwin also did well in school and his father insisted that his son should become a lawyer. I think that the discipline he gained learning to become the best in his sports endeavors carried him through the rest of his life. When he went to the University of Chicago in 1906 he had a couple of goals. First, he took enough law classes to satisfy his father. Second, he set his sights on the Rhodes scholarship, something that had never been awarded to a University of Chicago student, and finally one of his last goals was to focuse a fair amount of time on the sciences; mathematics, astronomy, physics and other scientific classes. Edwin studied the guidelines of the Rhodes scholarship and started taking classes in the classics, Greek, Latin, French, Politics and economics. He knew these classes would give him an edge. He ran unopposed for vice president of his senior class so he could add it to his resume and continued to play basketball as the Rhodes committees not only looked at academics, but character, “the instincts to lead and take an interest in his schoolmates” and a “fondness for and success in manly outdoor sports such as cricket, football and the like.” His work paid off and he was awarded the 1910 Rhodes scholarship for Illinois. In the fall of 1910 he went to Oxford to study law. Edwin earned a law degree from Oxford in 1913 just before returning home to his family in Kentucky after his father died. His heart wasn’t into law so he became a teacher and taught in the local high school for a bit until he finally decided at age 25 to go back to school to become an astronomer. He received his PhD in 1917 from the University of Chicago after rushing to finish his dissertation to enlist in the Army. He went to Europe, but never saw combat. After the war he spent about a year at Cambridge until he was offered a job at the Mount Wilson observatory in California. He accepted the job and worked there for the remainder of his life.

So what did Edwin Hubble do that got one of the coolest satellites ever named after him? His first big discovery was that the fuzzy nebulae dotted throughout the sky were not gas clouds, but other galaxies. Second, he determined the rate of expansion of the universe, a value now called the Hubble Constant. He did a considerable amount of work on Redshifts (how the spectrum of an object changes with respect to the direction it is traveling) and he discovered a comet. Despite all of his amazing discoveries, Hubble never won a Nobel Prize. Up until the time of his death on September 28, 1953 (he died of a stroke) astronomers were not eligible for the Nobel Prize. Subsequently the Nobel committee has changed its rules, but they never award the prize posthumously.

Edwin was by all accounts a very interesting person. He was extremely handsome and well spoken. He was quite taken by his time in England and the rest of his life he spoke with a British accent. He was a famous astronomer and rubbed elbows with movie stars, politicians and other famous scientists. After marrying into money he never let his wife meet his family and it seems he had a tendency to exaggerate his history to fit what the current audience would like to hear. All in all, was an extremely interesting, driven and brilliant person who I think would have been interesting to meet.

Hubble Space Telescope

Now that you know why the Hubble Space Telescope was named after Edwin, why do I find it so interesting? Well first of all, I’m amazed at the images it has produced. While some huge ground based telescopes are now rivaling Hubble’s quality, it was the best telescope around for the longest time. Here is a collage of some of its images:

Secondly, the telescope is HUGE! It is the size of a school bus. I spent countless hours watching the last servicing mission live. There were points when two fully suited astronauts were INSIDE the telescope working on it. It was awesome!

An then of course there are the IMAGES. Yes, I know that was my first point, but the pictures from the Hubble are truly amazing. If you are interested in astronomy at all, check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day web site. It has been around since June of 1995 and frequently features Hubble pictures.

Mickey Mouse’s Birthday

Posted on November 18, 2014 by barbara

In honor of Mickey Mouse’s birthday (November 18, 1928), in this post I will discuss the history of the most famous of the Disney characters. At the time that Mickey Mouse was created, Walt Disney’s fledgling company was at a critical low point in its development. Walt had been in New York trying to negotiate higher fees with Universal Picture the distributor of their animated short films and he ended up losing not only the contract but also the rights to the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt was devastated about this business setback but Lillian, his always supportive wife, encouraged him to keep trying and not be discouraged. So, on the long train ride back to California Walt started to sketch ideas for a new mouse character and Lillian suggested the name of Mickey Mouse. Mickey went on star in a series of successful animated shorts and this would be a turning point for the newly formed Walt Disney Studios. As a result the company would eventually be able to finance their first full-length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Let me quote a famous line frequently used by the Disney Studios that sums it up perfectly, “… and it all started with a mouse”.

The character of Mickey Mouse was first drawn by animator Ub Iwerks for a silent animated short film called “Plane Crazy” but the Disney Studios had failed to find a distributor. Meanwhile the always optimistic Disney continued production on three additional animated short films featuring Mickey. Ultimately, “Steamboat Willie” was the first of those four black and white animated short films to be released and premiered on November 18, 1928 (and for this reason the date is officially used for Mickey Mouse’s birthday). Not only was it the debut of Mickey Mouse but it was also the first Disney animated film to use synchronized sound. Eventually, Mickey went on to appear in hundreds of animated films; most notably the 1929 short film “The Barn Dance” which is the first time Mickey speaks, the 1935 short film “The Band Concert” where Mickey appears for the first time in color and the 1940 full length animated film where he appears as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Originally Walt Disney provided the high falsetto voice of Mickey Mouse until 1946, but later Walt returned as the voice of Mickey for the original “Mickey Mouse Club” television series which was shown on ABC from 1955 to 1959.

As mentioned previously, Ub Iwerks was the first animator to draw the character of Mickey and he designed the figure simply by using several circles so that it would be easy to animate which was very important given the fact that literally hundreds of drawings are required to make an animated film. The most noticeable feature of the circular design was Mickey’s head and ears and this would prove to make the character instantly recognizable and eventually lead to the character’s trademark silhouette.

Later, with the approval of Walt, animator Fred Moore redesigned Mickey’s body and also changed his eyes from small black dots to small white eyes with black pupils and Mickey has generally been drawn the same way ever since then. This new Mickey redesign first appeared in the 1939 “The Pointer” animated short film. Also, Mickey’s hands originally were drawn with three fingers and a thumb but later in the 1929 “The Opry House” animated film Mickey was drawn wearing white gloves to provide contrast against his black body and this change in design was made permanent. Typically Mickey always drawn wearing red shorts with two large buttons and large yellow shoes but sometimes, depending on the animated short or full length film theme, Mickey can also be drawn wearing a different costume, such as the sorcerer’s robe in the 1940 “Fantasia” animated film or the 1983 “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” where he wears Victorian-style clothing for the character of Bob Cratchit in an animated film adaption of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”.

After the release of Fantasia, Mickey appeared in fewer Disney studio films and his popularity started to decline with the emergence of other Disney characters. Then, in 1955 Mickey was featured in the Disney television series, “The Mickey Mouse Club”, and Walt took the opportunity to re-release several of the Mickey Mouse animated shorts which allowed an entirely new generation of kids fell in love with the mouse!! (The idea of re-releasing “old” Disney films every decade has proven to be a very lucrative marketing tool for the Disney Studios because the initial cost was usually covered by the initial release and anything after that is usually pure profit. Another example of this idea was the re-release of Disney films on VHS and then later DVD)

Throughout the following years Mickey also appeared in several new Disney animated films, the 1983 “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and the 1990 “The Prince and the Pauper”. One notable Mickey appearance was in the 1988 “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” directed by Robert Zemeckis and this Disney/Amblin film uniquely featured animated characters appearing with live-action characters. (This concept of mixed media was not new to Disney and in the 1920s Laugh-O-Grams had made a series of “Alice” animated cartoons featuring a live-action Alice having adventures in an animated world) What makes “Roger Rabbit” interesting is that, in additional to numerous animated Disney characters, the film also includes several Warner Bros. animated characters. Warner Bros. had long been a direct competitor in animated films to the Disney Studios and an agreement was reached that in the scene in which Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny appear together that each of them would have the same amount of screen time including the exact number of frames used for each character in the final cut.

After the loss of the Oswald character in the late 1920s, Walt learned any important business lesson and that was to keep control of the rights of his animated characters. This control included the marketing and merchandising of all the Disney characters starting with Mickey Mouse in 1928. After the success of “Steamboat Willie”, Mickey became very popular and Walt wanted to take advantage of the situation by developing a line of Mickey merchandise. In 1933 the first Mickey Mouse watch was manufactured by the Ingersoll Watch Company and sold for $3.75. The watch featured an image of Mickey with his hands used to mark the hour and minutes. Throughout the years hundreds of different kinds of merchandise items were also produced and sold with the image of Mickey Mouse, such as plush toys, figurines, games and other toys. (The Disney marketing of their animated character images on a large variety of merchandise items proved to be very lucrative and they contracted several outside manufactures and companies to distribute these items, such as the Milton Bradley and Fisher-Price companies. Later a separate division within the company was eventually created specifically for merchandise sales that were exclusively sold in the Disney theme parks, then Disney retail stores and their website, disney.com) Please click on the link to see my Disney Memorabilia Collection.

Mickey Mouse also appeared in other forms of Disney-related print media. After the appearance of Mickey in the popular animated shorts of the late 1920s and 1930s, Walt entered into an agreement with the King Features Syndicate and a comic strip featuring Mickey and friends was created and first one appeared on January 13, 1930. So, throughout the following years the character of Mickey Mouse would be featured in other comic strips, later several comic book series and children books.

After Walt built Disneyland in 1955, Mickey Mouse became the mascot for all the Disney theme parks. His image appears in advertisement for the parks and, as previously mentioned, all types of Mickey merchandise is sold within the parks. Of course, one of the most exciting things for children (adults, too!) when visiting one the parks is seeing Mickey Mouse and long lines of guests form to have their photos taken with him. (Travel Note: In Disneyland park guests can step into Mickey’s House in ToonTown which opened in 1993. Guests will feel like they stepped into one of Disney’s animated cartoons as they walk through the house to meet Mickey who sometimes appears as Steamboat Willie or the Sorcerer’s Apprentice)

(Special Note: “Hidden Mickeys” can be found throughout the Disney theme parks. They are generally the combination of the three circles representing the head and ears of Mickey Mouse. On a personal note, looking for the “Hidden Mickeys” in Disneyland is one of our favorite things to do when we visit the park and it can be a lot of fun! There are entire websites and books dedicated to identifying these “Hidden Mickeys”, so check it out and next time you are in Disneyland or one of the other Disney theme parks and you can make a game of finding them!)

Over the years, Mickey Mouse has received ten Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Short film and has won only one for the 1941 “Lend a Paw”. In 1932 Walt Disney received an honorary Academy Award for his creation of Mickey Mouse and its contribution to the Hollywood movie industry. In 1978, to honor Mickey Mouse’s 50^th birthday, he received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame making him the first cartoon character to receive this distinctive honor. Mickey’s star is located near the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Blvd which is now owned by the Disney Company. Walt Disney’s star is also located nearby. In 2005 Mickey was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade and once again he was the first cartoon character to receive the honor and only the second fictional character after Kermit the Frog in 1996. Walt Disney had previously been Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade in 1966.

Mickey Mouse's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Special Blog Note: Finally, as many of readers of this blog know from previous posts, I grew up in Southern California. My family loved Disney and we made annual visits to Disneyland and always went to the movie theaters to see the latest Disney animated films. Throughout the years I became fascinated by Walt Disney who was the creative genius behind those wonderful animated films, television programs and Disneyland. One of my favorite books about Walt is the Bob Thomas book, “Walt Disney: An American Original”. The book covers the life of Walt from his birth in Chicago, IL to his early childhood in Marceline, MO and then follows him to Kansas City as he starts the Laugh-O-Gram Company and then finally to California as he created the Walt Disney Company and later built Disneyland. (I highly recommend the book!) Recently, after we had moved to the Midwest, I finally got a chance to visit Walt’s boyhood home in Marceline, MO and later on a road trip back to California we took a side trip to see the Walt Disney Family Museum located in the historic Presidio in San Francisco, CA. (For more information and travel reports about those two destinations, please click on the links. Also, for more detailed information about the Disneyland Park in Anaheim CA, please check out the five part series on this blog by clicking on the link)

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

Celebration – The Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwanhee Hotel

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Decor – My Christmas Decorations from Past Years (Part Two)

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Decor – Department 56 Snowbabies

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Miscellaneous – Edwin Hubble’s Birthday

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Mickey Mouse’s Birthday

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