One Saturday, long ago, My wife asked me If I would like to go with her to hit a few yard sales. Eager to get away from our extremely enthusiastic children for an hour or so, I said "Yes." I hadn't expected that I would actively seek after anything, I was just along for the ride. Then I began to notice a few Disney items here and there... Toy's, T-shirts, books, sheets and blankets...Then suddenly, I had a realization: Much of this Disney stuff was from the Disney parks, It was largely in great condition, and not only that, there was Disney stuff to be found everywhere! Almost every yard sale has some sort of Disneyana for sale. Now, after several years of regularly visiting Disneyland, I have come to realize that in order to keep expenses down, you must not eat anything, OR, buy as few keepsakes and trinkets as possible. I know, I know, that is far easier said than done. But this Yard sale epiphany completely changed my way of thinking. Over time my children saw and interacted with the large collection of Disney stuff we began to amass, and they loved it! They would get so excited when we would bring home like-new Disney World & Disneyland glassware or Mickey Mouse Plates and bowls & of course TOY's. Then a great trick occurred to me on our last trip to Disneyland. Every time a kid said "Mommy I want that" or "Daddy I want this" I simply said "HEY! Do you think we could find that when we go yard sale hopping?" Suddenly this look of excitement came across their faces. Their heads were filled with prospects of future treasure hunts. Suddenly it wasn't about what Mom or Dad could buy them, It was about what kind of treasure they might someday find, because they had already seen the precious Disney themed bounty we had accumulated at home. And so, every other Saturday, My wife and I spend most the morning traversing the hills and valleys of suburban Albuquerque in search of that precious Disney Gold.
This week, We found this really cool set of interlocking character figures. They were produced by McDonalds in 1999 to celebrate the name change from EuroDisney Park to Disneyland Paris. The coolest piece is Sleeping Beauty's Castle painted gold. It's the only piece in the entire set that directly references Disneyland Paris.
We also found a plush Mickey Mouse from Disneyland, circa 2000, with all the tags still attached, which is a big deal because the tags read "Disneyland" not "Disneyland Resort" which is what all merchandise tags at Disneyland say since the opening of California Adventure. Thats all for this week. Hope to have lots more cool Disney stuff on the cheap, for you next time.
Admiral Duke
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