Collecting Disneyland
If you are reading this, then we likely have some things in common. You and I both have passions that influence our lives. For me, I have always had a fascination and love for Animation and Disneyland. These two things have changed my entire life, even from an early age. I wasn’t from California, and didn’t grow up near the park like some did. However, every Sunday evening I would watch Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. That program let me become familiar with the park and the classic animated characters we know so well, as if I were actually there. I remember driving to the park on our first family vacation to Disneyland, and through the window in the back seat, I could see the Matterhorn looming in the distance as we got close. To my younger self, the mountain seemed larger than life, as did my excitement. My memories of my first visit influenced me to follow my passions, just as yours likely influenced you to read this catalog. We all have reasons for our fascination with Disneyland, and the history and memorabilia associated with it. So, what do I do? Well, I collect. I grab onto pieces of history, not necessarily to preserve them for future generations, but so that my personal memories of the park can be preserved. However, I have found that when you start to find pieces that really mean something to you, you run into people who have similar experiences and passions, and new friendships grow from old memories. While creating this catalog, I was able to meet a lot of collectors who each had a different style of collecting and who collected different things. These collectors all had the same passion for the park that you and I do. For example, Collector Kevin Doherty is one of the most passionate collectors I have ever met. He preserves, restores, and presents every item in his collection with the utmost care and pride. Kevin spent two long years restoring a pair of PeopleMover ride vehicles to their original functioning condition. His home rivals many museums and is a mecca for Disneyland history. I also had the pleasure of meeting Collector Jim Owen. Jim has a level of passion for Attraction Posters that I have yet to find in anyone else. His collection, one of the largest in the world, contains many pieces that are considered one-of-a-kind. To walk through his home is to walk through a visual history of Disneyland; one unequaled anywhere else in the world. Collector Jim Felicita told me the story of when he visited Disneyland for the first time in 1956 on a family Summer Vacation. When Jim first went on the Flight to the Moon attraction as a child, he thought he had actually gone to the moon and back, and set his sights on joining the U.S Space Program. Jim thanks Disneyland for leading him on a successful career in the Aerospace Industry. There are over 20 collectors that have shared pieces of their collection with me for this auction. Each one has a story and a reason for collecting and I have enjoyed meeting every one of them. I hope that through this catalog, you can meet them too. Please enjoy their passion for collecting, and start or enhance your own collection if you find a piece that means something to you. Walt had this same level of passion for Disneyland, and I personally thank him for the memories his park has brought me, and for the friendships I have made from those memories along the way.
4