Walt Disney's Donald Duck And Mickey Mouse Club Projector (Stephens Products Co.)

Walt Disney's Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse Club Projector
Stephens Products Co.
1946

We're heading way back this time. All the way back to the forties to an era before home videos. A day and age where if you wanted to see a movie at home, it would have been on a projector, typically owned by the rich and famous, or in a kids toy version. That's where we meet up with the really cool Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse Club Projector from Stephens Products Co. These things are designed for fans young and old, making it a fun toy for kids of all ages. I'm not lying. That's what is says on the box.

Opening up the package, you're greeted by a folding open show curtain, which reveals the projector inside. It's here you'll also see the words, "Auto-Magic Theater. It was in digging in further to these words that I found further information, pinpointing the year 1946, as printed on the side of the film reel box. I also learned that Stephens Products Co. initially released what they called the Auto-Magic Picture Gun, a pistol shaped image projector.

I was able to find two different Disney themed versions of the toy gun, one branded as Disneyland, and the other based on Davy Crockett. 

The box for the Disneyland version would fold open into a theater for kids to project their films on. Of course, being a cardboard box, they are few and far between these days, having not survived use and abuse.

The latter Crockett version is definitely odd, as this certainly isn't the type of pistol that would have existed in his day and age. This also pinpoints this particular gun to around 1956, as that's when the show aired on television.

How it works can get a little convoluted, so rather then blindly explain it, take a look at the instruction sheet.

Basically, load the gun, looping the real around the inner body of the chamber. The bulb rest in between the film loop, and when you pull the trigger, two AA batteries required in the handle of the gun, the bulb turns on, transmitting the images through the barrel. Speaking of the barrel, it's able to be pulled in, and pushed out, serving as the projector's focuser.

I was able to trace all the way back to a version of the auto-gun released in 1936. In addition to the various releases of it throughout the following decades, Stephens Products Co. would make several film strips cross compatible with both the guns and projectors. They also produced several different packages and licensed versions of the gun, but all of the exterior designs remained the same, sometimes receiving upgrades to the mechanisms inside to improve functionality.

Now knowing the origin of the projectors, we fast forward back to the Donald Duck version.

Unlike the gun version, the projector runs off of a power cable. However, this only serves to provide power to the bulb. Much like the gun, the film strips are loaded inside the unit. However, instead of pulling the trigger to advance the film, one would need to manually crank the knob located on the outside of the machine.

What's interesting about the projector is that it has a standard reel molded into the top of the unit, but this is not functional or usable. It serves no other purpose than to sell the effect that it's an actual reel fed projector, even though it's not.

The below image is an example of the packaging that the film strips come in, and the roll of film itself. As I mentioned above, there were several different strips released, which packaging varied for. This particular version is the one included in with the Donald Duck projector.

Stephens Products Co. also released a Mickey Mouse Club version of the projector. The design was the same as the above Donald version, simply with a new sticker adhered. Both a grey and light blue version were released.

Overall, it's a pretty cool concept. Considering it was a day and age where home video wasn't a thing, this was a great way for kids to watch them at home. Granted, without sound. Still, from a child's perspective, this would be just as good as seeing it in a theater. Imagine the hours of fun spent hosting a movie show with the neighborhood kids as you go from film strip to film strip. What a blast!

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Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Sodas, Water and Oga's Cantina (Coca-Cola / Dasani / Disney)

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Sodas, Water and Oga's Cantina
Coca-Cola / Dasani / Disney
2019

If you're making your way to Disney World any time soon, don't forget to check out Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It's an all new attraction where you can live out your own Star Wars stories. Board the Millennium Falcon and explore the remote frontier outpost from the planet Batuu.

During your visit, you're bound to get thirsty. To quench yourself, head to Oga's Cantina where you can try an ensemble of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks from a galaxy far far away.

The location will feature two separate menus. One for the morning hours (below), and one for mid afternoon / evening (above).

Of course if you're eager to keep seeing the sites and hearing the sounds, stop by any of the local shops or carts for a specialize bottle of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite or Water.

Being a theme park, and a Disney one at that, all food related items are naturally way over priced. A single 13.5 ounce bottle of soda or a 20 ounce bottle of water will set you back $5.50 (plus tax) each. As for the Cantina drinks, you can see the varying prices on the menu. However, if you were to add a special collector's mug, cocktail drinks can cost as much as $42.00. Additionally, you can get a flight of beers for $75.00. However, if you're looking for a one of a kind experience, it may be worth the price.

While there, don't forget to check out The Black Spire Outpost for all kinds of Star Wars and exclusive Galaxy's Edge themed merchandise. Build your own lightsabers, get a souvenir for your friends, or make everyone jealous by bringing home your very own life size electronic R2-D2 for a whopping $25,000.00!

Galaxy's Edge is sure to be a destination many family's are heading to this summer, so make sure you start charting your course now!

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Peter Pan (Sears)

Peter Pan
Sears
1988

LOL! Dig that fro on Peter Pan! Can you see him busting into Wendy's bedroom window in the 70's? First, he kicks in the window with his massive six inch platform shoes and bell bottoms. As Wendy springs up in her bed to a sitting position, he quickly snaps to a John Travolta / Saturday Night Fever pose - Finger pointing straight up in the air. He then says, "Hey groovy mama, I'm the Pan, can ya dig?" Followed by a snort of coke off his excessively long pinky finger nail, and the line, "I'm off to Neverland, baby."

Okay, maybe that's far out in left field, but this is certainly the image that pops into our heads when looking at this 1988 line of Peter Pan dolls released exclusively through Sears. Really the only stand out here in terms of not being laughable is Captain Hook. As for Tinkerbell, when did she grow into a four foot tall emo? Wendy could easily be mistaken as generic / random girl doll number 6,429...And again, that hair on Peter! Yikes!

This is definitely one of those lines which stands out as the perfect example of how not to do it. We've seen plenty of lines prior to this one which has won this award, and it definitely wasn't the last. However, for 1988, it's definitely the winner!

Okay, it's not all bad. The packaging is actually pretty good for a Pan doll line. The use of artwork from the original Disney animated film is a nice touch on the green background...But it really only stands to accentuate what these figures should have looked like.

Sigh...We just can't say anything further about this line because we're trying so hard to not just blast it for being so comical.

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The Black Hole (Mego)

The Black Hole
Mego
1979 - 1980

Hello, and welcome to 2018! This marks a special time for us here at The Toy Box as we begin our tenth year! Who would have thought that a post on a whim pertaining to 1982's G.I. Joe line would spawn into the decade long archive we've accumulated? It's been a lot of fun, and yes there were even times when hiatus's were due. However, we always came back. Thank you to all our reads who have joined us over the years. We hope to continue to entertain you with post after post each week...With maybe another hiatus here and there.

The Black Hole was Disney's attempt at cashing in on Star Wars - Which of course these days if they want to do this they just make a Star Wars movie. However, back in 1979 Disney was 30+ years away from that privilege, and had to suffice for their poorly received science fiction immersion into the abyss of space.

Visually the film was stunning for its time. However, the story was found to be too boring and convoluted for the average movie goer who perhaps was expecting an action packed adventure rivaling that of Star Wars. The end result while successful at the box office financial was a flop critically.

Anticipating success, Mego backed the film big time with its release of 3 3/4 inch figures as well as dolls. We won't be taking a look at the dolls today, but instead the miniature figures which Mego hoped would bring them the success that Star Wars bringing Kenner at the time. Needless to say, it didn't.

Mego launched with nine figures, each carded on a fantastic card back. If you look closely at the overall design of the figures, you'll see they more so resemble what would become the 1982 G.I. Joe line from Hasbro than the limited articulated Star Wars figures of the era. In fact, Mego was producing numerous 3 3/4 inch figure lines which could be considered far superior in quality to Kenners. Unfortunately they just never found the right license to catapult them to the success of their competitor.

The nine figures released were split into two series, with the second series being far more scarce these days on secondary markets. Additionally, Canada and Italy markets received a handful of figures which were never released in the US. Due to the rare nature of these foreign exclusives we don't have them to showcase them. These figures were; Humanoid, Old B.O.B. and S.T.A.R. Additionally, all the figures released in the US were released in foreign markets.

If someone would like to share photos of the foreign releases (specifically the ones not available in the USA), please leave a message in the comment section with your e-mail address, and we will reach out to you. Please note your e-mail address will not be published or distributed. It will only be used for the purpose of coordinating receiving the photos from you. We will of course give you credit in the post for your contribution.

In addition to the figures noted above, foreign markets also received the one and only vehicle produced for the series, the Astronave. Unlike the figures, we actually do have a photo of this one. 

Fans of Mego's Buck Roger's line will notice this vehicle is the exact same as the Laserscope Fighter - Only with a Black Hole sticker on it. The reuse of this design for The Black Hole will come as no surprise to Mego fans as this was actually quite common for the company to often reuse molds from various toy line to toy line to create "new" products.

Due to the various figures available both in US and foreign markets, it would be difficult to quote any values for this line. Prices are all over the map. Naturally the foreign carded versions are highly sought after by North America fans, making them far more pricey. The perfect example of this is Old B.O.B. which can easily set you back upwards of $600.00 loose. Suffice to say if this is a line you're interest in, bring a pile of cash with you on your search.

We're not saying Disney's The Black Hole doesn't have its fans of the movie. However, we think it would be a far safe bet to say the toy line probably has a larger fan base than the film.

We'll come back around to The Black Hole at a future date to take a look at the 12 inch dolls, but unfortunately this is not likely to be any time soon. The dolls are proving to be slightly difficult to track down.

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Disney Animated Classic Movie Posters (Disney)

Today would have been Walt Disney's 115th birthday were he to still be with us - Which he is if you believe the urban legend that he's cryogenically (apparently not a real word) frozen somewhere underneath Disneyland. In celebration of the day, we've compiled all the posters from the famous library of Disney Animated Classics.

Mind you, this list is heavily disputed among Disney fans. Go to one web site, and you'll see a list of 52 movies. Head to another, and that person will profess there are 58, and so on, and so on. We'd be lying if we said that we honestly knew which list was right. Suffice to say, ours comes from IMDB - Which like all the others is also disputed in the comments section. We're sure if someone finds this post online that it too will be disputed.

Since we're going chronologically, it's fairly safe to say that the list is accurate from Snow White, which was Disney's first animated classic film, through The Aristocats, which was the last classic to be approved by Disney prior to his death. From there, all bets are off. However, we're fairly positive that the list is accurate at least up until 1999's Fantasia 2000. It seems at this point is where most lists are disputed. Some claim Dinosaurs is a Disney Animated Classic, while others swear it isn't....We don't honestly care know. Suffice to say if you like the movie, and want to consider it one - Knock yourself out.

So, for what it's worth, here's what we have - Again, based on IMDB;

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)*Pinocchio (1940)

Fantasia (1940)*Dumbo (1941)

Bambi (1942)*Saludos Amigos (1942)

The Three Caballeros (1944)*Make Mine Music! (1946)

We, like all other Disney fans out there have our favorites, and our dislikes.The 1942 period beginning with Saludos Amigos, and leading through the 1948 released Melody Time definitely falls under the dislikes category. These films, while a fine piece of animation (and live action), simply don't hold up well for us in terms of general story telling. They rely too heavily on skits, and music to drive the films. More importantly - They're just so boring - Again, personally speaking.

Fun and Fancy Free (1947)*Melody Time (1948)

Though it's true that The Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad continues the tradition of building a film around skits, we actually really enjoy this one. Both main features of the film are strongly written, and are simply fun to watch. Fortunately Disney opted to return to fairy tales, and full length stories with its following entry, 1950's Cinderella.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad (1949)*Cinderella (1950)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)*Peter Pan (1953)

Here's a fun bit of history for you. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is actually in public domain. Yep, if you want to create your own Wonderland story, and ship it off to the local printing press, or big screen, you're in your legal rights to do so. Neat!

Lady and the Tramp (1955)*Sleeping Beauty (1959)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)*The Sword and the Stone (1963)

The Jungle Book and The Aristocats would be the last two films personally approved by Walt Disney. Walt passed away of lung cancer in 1966 at the age of 65 - A result of smoking pipes and unfiltered cigarettes for decades. Though it's true that Walt wouldn't be with us today as he would have been well over a hundred years old, it would have been amazing to see the direction he took the company had he stuck around for a few more decades - Not that we didn't get great films in his absence (Our personal favorite came out in 1977 starring a now famous yellow bear).

The Jungle Book (1967)*The Aristocats (1970)

Robin Hood (1973)*The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The Rescuers (1977)*The Fox and the Hound (1981)

The 1980's brought with it a new style of Disney film - The beginning of the computer age. The Black Cauldron is noted for being not only the first Disney Animated Classic to incorporate computer graphics, but also the first to be rated PG, and have no songs sung by anyone. It's a classic unto itself, but definitely threw parents for a loop when it debuted in 1985. Let's just say it wasn't the Disney film many people were expecting.

The Black Cauldron (1985)*The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Oliver and Company (1988)*The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)*Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The Rescuers Down Under is the first and only sequel to be allowed into the Disney Animated Classic lineup. All others to date have either been direct to video or made for TV under the Disney Movie Toons emblem.

Aladdin (1992)*The Lion King (1994)

Pocahontas (1995)*The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Hercules (1997)*Mulan (1998)

Tarzan (1999)*Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Not actually released in 2000, but rather December of 1999, Fantasia 2000 was a boast from Disney to remaster the original while adding in sequences that were intended for the original 1940's released film. It included new segues featuring the likes of Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury, Penn & Teller, James Earl Jones and more. Its biggest feature was that it was being presented in IMAX theaters. To many Disney purists, Fantasia 2000 ended up being what the Special Editions of Star Wars are to many - A horrible nightmare.

Now we come to that highly controversial Dinosaur from 2000. Mind you, it's not controversial for the film itself, but rather the point in Disney Animated Classic film history where the arguments of whether or not the various films belong in the lineup or not. We don't honestly know, so let the arguments begin in the comment section.

Dinosaur (2000)*The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)*Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Treasure Planet (2002)*Brother Bear (2003)

Home on the Range (2004)*Chicken Little (2005)

Meet the Robinson (2007)*Bolt (2008)

With three films in a row strictly focusing on computer animation, the world of traditional animation seemed bleak to return. That was until Disney announced The Princess and the Frog. Not only did this continue the popular hand animated style, but also introduced fans to its first non-white princess.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)*Tangled (2010)

Winne the Pooh (2013)*Wreck It Ralph (2012)

Sadly it was a short live victory as Disney would later gut its hand animation department in 2013, ceasing any plans to continue in the "outdated" style. Computers are simply faster, easier, and cost less.

Frozen (2013)*Big Hero 6 (2014)

Zootopia (2016)*Moana (2016)

Disney has announced two projects in the works which are speculated to be a part of the Disney Animated Classic cannon - Moana (2016) and Gigantic (2018). These films keep in time with the computer animated features we have been receiving over the past few years, and it's most likely safe to say that this is the way it will be until the next best thing in animation is developed.

Gigantic (2018)

As so many Disney films have said in the past, this is "The End". We hope that you enjoyed this look at all these classic posters. Whether or not they truly do fall into the Disney Animated Classic lineup is another question - One we're sure will be debated for years to come.

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