My 1st WDW Plush...Dumbo

Getting souvenirs is one of the highlights of shopping at the Walt Disney World Resort, especially for a child. Most kids want a plush character, and I was no exception. I remember my very first souvenir from WDW as a 5 year old back in 1973. A Dumbo plush by California Stuffed Toys!

Now, you might be wondering, "how in the world does he remember this"? Well, because I still have that very first Dumbo. And, he was very loved as can be seen in the picture. He is missing the little white ball on his hat. He is blind in one eye, since it is missing. His bow is all messed up. His fur is all matted and ears all mangled, but, he was and is mine. Just holding him brings back those memories of my first trip, at The Magic Kingdom.

Now, as luck would have it, last weekend I was at an annual flea market here in Louisville and came across the same exact plush as mine, exect this one was in excellent condition. He has both eyes in excellent condition. He has the ball on his hat. His ribbon is tied and unfrayed. His fur is not matted. And, his ears are beautiful. I just had to snatch it up for the very affordable price of $10. Now, my old loved Dumbo has company!

Here are the tags of each. From looking at the tags, I would guess that maybe the one I purchased this weekend is from after 1973. The front of the tag on my old Dumbo says Walt Disney Character as in singular, while the one I just purchased says Walt Disney Characters, this time plural. Both are labeled Walt Disney Productions. The back of the tags provide a little more evidence as to which is older. My Dumbo says, All New Material while the newer one has the additional phrase of SYNTHETIC FOAM & COTTON. The plushes were made by California Stuffed Toys.

Regardless of the condition, my beat up, battered, and blind Dumbo will always hold a prominent place in my Walt Disney World Disneyana collection--it all started with an elephant!