Disneyland's First Christmas Collectible Event - A Report
Page 1 of 6
Christopher Radko (center) with
Disneyland Ambassadors Dorrell and Jennifer
When I was first asked to write a little something on the Christmas Collectibles Festival I had no idea how to even approach this. Do I write it as a reporter would or just as a regular guest telling the story of his weekend with the festival? So what follows is my weekend in a nutshell…
What an event… granted it started out as a beanie frenzy, but after it settled down people were able to relax a bit more. There were the collectibles, food, entertainment, and seminars. A lot of money to be spent on items, and a lot of money to be made for those who would be attacking online auctions like eBay. Artists conversing with people, attendees networking with each other and the artists, cast members assisting in every way possible, chefs cooking delicious meals. But I am getting ahead of myself here.
Marie Osmand and Charles Boyer
Disneyland's Christmas Collectibles Festival began on Friday, December 10th with registration and check-in at the Disneyland Hotel and the attendee-exclusive sales of the collectibles to be offered to the public later the next day. With registration we received a little bag of goodies for the event as well as our event packet. Within the bag were a set of cards with artist bios and a line for the artists to sign. Round One was simple enough, everyone was limited to one of each item including the much coveted Father Christmas Mickey beanie. Most of the artists were in attendance to chat and sign their pieces with the exception of artists like Annette Funicello, Brenda White, and Rosemary of Seraphim Classics. After paying for my items at Round One, as I was exiting, I was greeted by Mickey Mouse dressed up as Santa and was able to pose with him for a polaroid. After the photo I was given this which contained a beautiful glass Tinkerbell ornament made exclusively for this event by Arribas Brothers.
Father Christmas Mickey
Round Two of the sale was where everyone became a bit more cut-throat… they all wanted more of the Mickey beans. With a limit of five more beanies and a little over 250 left up for grabs after Round One they went fast. I was lucky enough to get five more only to watch the last of the beanies disappear shortly afterwards. Now that I had my extra beanies (all sold to friends and not on eBay) I was able to make my way through the booths for photos of the artists and get more signatures on my bio cards. My night ended shortly after meeting Marie Osmond and posing for a photo with her and driving the short distance from the hotel to my apartment to prepare for the next day.