Mickey Mouse Comic Book by Gladstone

May 16, 2017 by Lee Beatens

As a teenager, I collected hundreds of comic books, most from the Marvel comics company (now owned by Disney). Although I dabbled a little in DC titles I never did pick up any Disney or other cartoon comics. So the Gladstone company is a new name in comic books to me.

The Mickey Mouse comic book I am featuring here is from 1989 and contains reprinted stories by Floyd Gottfredson. The main story is from 1941 and is entitled The Land of Long Ago:

Front Cover

Monetarily valueless but rich in content these reprints are a wonderful way to see and read old strips that are out of print and too expensive to buy in original editions.

This issue has some interesting features:

Letters Page

I always used to love the letters page of a comic book. Reading what other readers had to say about the characters and the stories made me feel more a part of the comic book community. The above edition contains a complaint against Carl Barks (of Donald Duck fame) for being anti-German. Yikes!

Subscribe or Buy an Album

An integral part of any comic book are the advertisements for more comic books! The original up-sell.

More Stories by Floyd Gottfredson & Carl Barks

Now let’s start our story:

The Land of Long Ago: Chapter 3

Suffice to say that Mickey, Goofy, and a professor have landed in a world of cavemen and have been captured. It’s up to Mickey to free everyone, which he does!

I found Mickey to be a bit more aggressive and callous than he is today, which wasn’t uncommon in Mickey’s earlier days.

The Goof in a Loincloth

And how did Mickey get his loincloth? He rigged up a trap and stripped it off a passing caveman, leaving him naked behind a bush! You see, I told you Mickey was a bit more aggressive back in the 1940’s.

This reprinted edition also had a two-page strip with Mickey and Minnie and this one-page strip starring Pluto:

Foiled Again!

The advertising doesn’t stop with the inner ads, but continues on the back cover:

Bonus Donald Duck Strip

I hope you enjoyed viewing this great old comic book!

Gladstone Publishing was an American company that published Disney comics from 1986 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. Reprints of classic Donald Duck stories by Carl Barks and Mickey Mouse stories by Floyd Gottfredson were the foundation of their output. Although Gladstone is no longer an active publisher, it continues to offer its back issues through its website.

Top Five List: How to Make Each Day Disney-ish

December 29, 2016 by Lee Beatens

When a Disney Princess gets up in the morning, she just knows she is going to have a Disney day. I think it’s in her contract. She doesn’t need a top five list to help her achieve this goal. But we do!

We may not be Disney Royalty, but we all deserve to enjoy the fun and magic that comes along with a Disney day! So here is my top five list of things you and I would need to do to ensure that each and every day we have is just a little more Disney-ish:

NEED-TO-DO NUMBER ONE

DRESS THE SAME WAY EVERY DAY

Ever notice that every main Disney character never changes his or her clothes? Well, rarely anyway. One can only hope this single-minded fashion statement doesn’t extend to undergarments!

But just think of how much time you would save each morning not having to decide what to wear. And most important is the instant recognition you would receive everywhere you go!

Yes, dressing in the same clothes… forever… is the first step towards having a truly Disney day.

NEED-TO-DO NUMBER TWO

BURST INTO SONG UNEXPECTEDLY

Before you can amaze and startle everyone around you with your gifted warbling, you will need to pick a theme song that encapsulates your goals and spirit. Every Disney character is known for belting out a jaunty tune about themselves whether anyone wants to hear it or not.

So be sure to wait for the right moment. Perhaps while waiting in line at the grocery store. Or while seated in a crowded medical office (let’s be honest, sick people need to hear a good song!). Or perhaps in a packed elevator where no one can leave.

To make this a true part of your Disney-ish day, why not include some impromptu dance choreography? Be sure to add some pivots, turns, and lots of arm waving!

NEED-TO-DO NUMBER THREE

CHOOSE AN ANIMAL MASCOT

After years of selection, most of the cute little critters are already spoken for. Birds especially. Man, what’s up with Princesses and birds?

Being Canadian, I’ll pick a moose. Or a beaver. See what I’m doing here? Try to pick something that people in your region will identify with. Then travel with it everywhere!

Nothing says “This person is special and different” in quite the same way as walking down Main Street America with a bald eagle on your shoulder!

NEED-TO-DO NUMBER FOUR

IDENTIFY YOUR NEMESIS

We all have people in our lives that we don’t necessarily like. So why not pick one and elevate them to Nemesis status!

Perhaps that girl at the office who’s always hogging the copier. Or that guy at the gym who never wipes off the equipment when he’s done using it. Or how about that old lady in the grocery line who has a dozen expired coupons and then forgets where her wallet is only to find it in time to decide she needs 500 lottery tickets!!!

Yeah. She’s my Nemesis.

NEED-TO-DO NUMBER FIVE

DREAM BIG

Instead of taking the Worry Turnpike or staying on the Downer Highway be sure to swerve your hypothetical vehicle onto the Dreams Exit Ramp each and every day!

Even big dreams can be attainable. Remember, because you are having a Disney-ish day, all things are possible! And you probably have a cast of dozens there to help you. Every Disney dreamer does.

So what’s your Big Dream?

So there you have my top five list of things you and I would need to do to ensure that each and every day we have is just a little more Disney-ish.

Easter Egg: Finding Dory Swims with Herbie

December 1, 2016 by Lee Beatens

Disney/Pixar animators love to add little inside jokes to all of their theatrical releases and Finding Dory is no exception. Each of these inside jokes are called an ‘easter egg’ because you have to really look to find them!

So somewhere near the beginning of the movie and in the end credits of Finding Dory we see a little white Volkswagen who could be no other than the famous Herbie the Love Bug himself. First, we see him with Dory just while she is trying to find someone to help her:

And then we see Herbie being test driven by Hank:

But how did Herbie get there? If you remember the film Herbie Goes Bananas you’ll recall that Herbie is punished by the Captain of The Sun Princess cruise ship by being made to ‘walk the plank’, or in reality, by being tipped overboard. Re-live the sad moment by watching the video below:

FUN FACT: The car that “walks the plank” in the movie was never recovered from the sea. It was tossed overboard from the SS Cozumel ferry ship. The car is somewhere between La Paz and Baja California. The car thrown overboard was not a proper car and had many wooden parts.

But for the purpose of this easter egg, we’re saying it is actually Herbie himself chillin’ at the bottom of The Big Blue. And although his trademark stripes and number 54 are worn off by years under the sea, he looks like he is still ready for one last drive with Hank:

So is the initial pass in the night with Dory and this chance meeting between Hank the septapus and Herbie the Love Bug really possible? Would they end up in the same part of the Ocean? Well, consider the following map:

In Finding Dory, she, along with Marlin and Nemo, once again leave the Great Barrier Reef and would again need to use the East Australian Current (EAC, dude) as a highway. This time they would need to travel across the entire Pacific Ocean to a point just off the North-West tip of Africa where the EAC completes its circle and heads back to Australia. From there, they would have to swim up to California where the Marine Life Institute is located, in a picturesque Bay.

Now in the film, it is claimed that they simply use the California Current to make the entire trip, but this current doesn’t start over near Australia. And… it also flows South, so it would be going the wrong way to carry our characters up to California. But hey, it’s a movie, so lighten up!

As mentioned earlier, the cruise ship The Sun Princess dumped Herbie somewhere between La Paz and Baja California. So Hank and Herbie could definitely end up in the same part of the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of California.

Hypothesis: Proven! At least in my mind.

Mr Bean Tells Time with Mickey Mouse

September 17, 2016 by Lee Beatens

I recently purchased a DVD set of the complete Mr. Bean shorts. You’ll recognize this name as the mime-like character created by Rowan Atkinson. And of course I noticed immediately that there was a Disney tie-in!

In the very first episode, where Mr. Bean has to take a math test, he begins to empty his briefcase, bringing out three funny objects. One is (perhaps) an English Bobby, the second thing is a bendable Pink Panther figure, and the third is:

Well, hello Mickey!

Yes, even Mr. Bean is a Disney fan! He brings out a vintage Mickey Mouse alarm clock to time his test. Of course he messes up the whole affair but the alarm clock does go off right on time!

Top Five Indications You Are a Hopeless Disney Fan

September 13, 2016 by Lee Beatens

Well, I wouldn’t call myself hopeless. But others would! Since my first visit to Walt Disney World as an adult in 2006 I have been hooked on The Mouse. I don’t take it overboard (no, really) but I do enjoy the wholesome and oft-times folksy charm of the Disney brand.

But maybe you’re wondering if you are a hopeless Disney fan? If so, I think I can help you to answer that question. Here is my Top Five List of indications that you are indeed a hopeless Disney fan:

INDICATION FIVE

Your favorite movie is a Disney animated classic

From the Golden era to the modern renaissance to today’s instant classics everyone has a favorite Disney animated movie. But you: Your favorite movie of all time is a Disney animated movie! Citizen Kane? The Bodyguard? James Bond? Garbage compared to Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and Big Hero 6 as far as you’re concerned!

INDICATION FOUR

Your house looks like a Disney Store

You say you just collect a few things here and there, but your house guests get a different impression when they enter room after room of Disney merchandise. To steal a bit from Jeff Foxworthy: When The Disney Store calls you when they run low on stock… you may be a hopeless Disney fan!

INDICATION THREE

You visit a Disney Park at least yearly

Walt Disney World. Disneyland. Disney’s California Adventure. If it’s in North America, you’ve been there! And if you’ve been to a Disney park abroad? Man, you really are a hopeless Disney fan!

INDICATION TWO

You have a Disney Blog

Oh my goodness! I just realized… I really am a hopeless Disney fan! Yes, in my case, it all started with a blog called Disleelandia back in 2009. I then wrote for other sites like Chip & Company, Disney Dose, the original Theme Park Press site, as well as numerous guest posts on other sites like My Dreams of Disney. I have contributed to The Magical Blogorail in addition to writing my own blog called Disney Nouns and lastly Cool Nouns. I now contribute to various blogs.

Hello. My name is Lee. I have a blogging problem.

INDICATION ONE

You read about being a hopeless Disney fan

Admit it: If you could have this ceiling fan in your house, you would! Admit it: You see Hidden Mickeys everywhere! Admit it: You know more about Walt Disney than you’re own grandfather! Admit it: You have more Disney t-shirts than plain ones! Admit it: You have worn Mickey Ears outside a Disney park! Admit it: If Disney became illegal, you’d buy it on the street! Just admit it: You are a hopeless Disney fan!

Disney’s Dopey the Dwarf on Match Game 78

July 27, 2016 by Lee Beatens

Disney celebrities show up in the strangest places. In 1978, Dopey hadn’t had a movie gig in over 50 years and was looking to promote himself. It was common in the 70’s to do the game show circuit to maintain or resurrect a career, so:

The “all-new, star-studded, big-money” Match Game 73 returned to TV on CBS, with Gene Rayburn returning as host. The year in the title was updated on the New Year’s Eve broadcast for the next six years. This run of the game ended in 1979. The game play for this version had two solo contestants attempting to match the answers given by a six-celebrity panel.

Of course, Dopey can’t talk, so he needed an interpreter:

They made a great team

Unfortunately, this appearance didn’t do much for Dopey’s career but it is a nice addition to his body of work!

The Three Caballeros Road Trip in a Volkswagen

July 21, 2016 by Lee Beatens

These three amigos first traveled together in 1944 although Donald and José Carioca met two years earlier in 1942. But it wasn’t until 1957 that along with Panchito Pistoles the three friends were ready for their first Canadian road trip:

1957 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

Being birds-of-a-feather they agreed to buy a classic open-top car. How appropriate! This way they would feel the wind in their feathers even though they were driving and not flying. Above and below we see them trying out their choice in the showroom:

Looking ready for fun!

So after sealing the deal and packing the trunk with all the luggage and bird seed they needed, they piled into their new ride:

Preparing to leave the car port

Panchito called shotgun so that left Donald to sit in the back seat, but that’s OK, as that’s where he liked to do most of his driving anyway!

With their maps marked for adventure the three were finally under way! But would they turn left or right at the end of the driveway?

Right it was = East!

Here’s hoping they had lots of good driving weather! I remember getting a postcard from them which I have kept to this day:

S A L U D O S A M I G O !

H E L L O F R I E N D !

Top 5 Reasons for Disney-themed Top 5 Lists

June 11, 2016 by Lee Beatens

Who doesn’t love a Top 5 list? Throw Disney into the mix and you’ve got yourself a piece of Internet Heaven on a stick. Or… something really, really, good!

So sit back and be amazed at the Top Five Reasons you didn’t know existed for every website and blog in the universe to continually post Top Five Lists:

Reason Numero Five-0

Counting Practice

With the deterioration of today’s educational system, more and more children are finding it hard to do even the most basic of academics, such as counting. But thanks to the draw of Disney and Top 5 Lists, children the world over can now count to five!

And thanks to Disney Nouns, and our Top 5 Lists, they can do it backwards too!

Reason Numero Four-0

I Got Nothin’

Nope. Still nothing.

Reason Numero Three-0

Education

Who has time to break out the old Encyclopedia Britannica set in this busy day and age? And one can only Google so much! So Top 5 Lists are a perfect way to get a small piece of highly-biased information about a nonsensical subject in just two minutes or less.

You’re welcome, Internet!

Reason Numero Two-0

Fun

Hey, if Walt Disney says it’s fun… it’s fun dagnab it! Of course, for this reason to be valid, you have to replace ‘family park’ with ‘Top 5 List‘. But you can work with me here, right?

Reason Numero One-0

Traffic

Let’s be honest, we bloggers are egocentric glory-seeking megalomaniacs with a desperate need for attention and… you guessed it: Traffic!

We don’t care why you come to our sites as long as you come! So we’ll post a Top 5 List about anything. Seriously. Anything. But only a complete nut would post a Top 5 List about the Top 5 Reasons for Top 5 Lists!

Hey, at least I’m honest.

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