Category Archives: Collectibles

News related to new collectibles Disney releases from time to time that depict characters from Song of the South.

Major Updates for Song of the South Memorabilia Museum

The Song of the South Memorabilia Museum has received some much needed attention! This is the single biggest update to the museum since I migrated it to a database in 2009. Here are what’s been going on behind the scenes:

  1. Redesigned interface — As you may have noticed, the entire web site has be redesigned from the ground up, including the memorabilia section. The museum is now more mobile-friendly and adaptable to any size screen, so no more squinting on your phone or tablet!
  2. Suggested Values added — About 17 years ago I planned to publish a Song of the South memorabilia price guide book, but that proved to be too impractical. So, I’ve added this information to the database, free of charge and available to everyone. The suggested value ranges for each item are based on nearly 25 years of collecting Song of the South memorabilia; I hope you find it useful.
  3. Advanced Search added — As the museum has grown so much in the past 20 years, I’ve added the ability for you to perform your own custom searches with the new Advanced Search feature.
  4. 20 New Items added — A lot of new memorabilia and extra photos to existing items have been added (the database now has over 850 photos!) Visit the New Additions page to see what’s new.
  5. Books & Print section split up — At nearly 200 items, the Books & Print section has proven to be the largest memorabilia category, so I have split it out into 2 separate sections: 1) Story Books for books, and 2) Periodicals for comic books, magazines, etc.
  6. Database Code Updates — Under the hood, I’ve updated all of the PHP and MySQL code to improve security and version compatibility, which should hopefully help future proof the database for several years to come.

I hope you like the improvements! If you enjoy this website and would like to support my efforts, I’ve added links in my Store and on individual memorabilia pages to relevant products you can purchase for yourself. Clicking on these links and purchasing items through them will benefit the both of us. Thank you for your support!

Memorabilia Corner: Noel Dwelley Richards Song of the South Dolls

In this issue of Memorabilia Corner, we’re featuring a set of hand-crafted dolls made by Noel Dwelley Richards of Fort Pierce, Florida, from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. There is very little information out there on the Internet about these dolls, so it’s time we fixed that! While these dolls aren’t technically official Disney memorabilia, it turns out they were directly inspired by Walt Disney’s Song of the South.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, I caught my first glimpse of Mrs. Richards’ handiwork back in 2001, about when I started this web site. I was provided a photo of two stuffed animals that looked remarkably like Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox from Walt Disney’s Song of the South. There were no tags, so I filed the photo away in my “More Research Needed” folder. Fast forward to 2018, when I found and purchased a Brer Bear doll on eBay that looked remarkably similar to the other two dolls. I assumed they were early Disney dolls, but had no other information to go on.

Then, in March 2019, I was contacted by Mary Jo from Kentucky:

 I know your primary interest is the movie, but thought you may have some suggestions or guidance. In the 1970s, my mom bought me a set of handmade dolls made by Noel Dwelley Richards from Fort Pierce, FL (my mom’s hometown). I have Uncle Remus, Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Tar Baby. 

My interest piqued, I thanked her for contacting me and asked to see photos. When she sent the photos, there they were! The very same stuffed animals, plus two more dolls I had never seen before (The Tar Baby and Uncle Remus). Not only that, but she provided me with a newspaper article from The Palm Beach Post (March 16, 1977) featuring the shop where her mother had purchased the dolls—The Emporium, which was located at 301 S. US Highway 1 in Fort Pierce, Florida. The article, which interviewed Noel’s son Nick Richards, states that these dolls were indeed directly inspired by Walt Disney’s Song of the South:

Richards family is still actively interested in the shop, and one of his best selling items is made by his mother, Noel Dwelley Richards, who patented her own line of stuffed dolls.

“When my brother and I were young mother took us to see the ‘Song of the South,’ and we liked it so much mother made us some dolls based on the Uncle Remus characters,” Richards said.

“Everybody liked them so much that she patented the patterns and has been making them ever since,” he said. “Now she sells them only through the store, but they are so popular I can’t get her to make enough,” he said.

Excerpt from “Emporium Preserves History” by John Bartlett, The Palm Beach Post, March 16, 1977, Section C

Mary Jo generously let me purchase the set of dolls, and I am happy to report their new home here in the Song of the South Memorabilia Museum! I believe this may be a complete set.

I wanted to try to find out more about these dolls and the Richards family, so I did some more research. While I was unable to find any patents for Noel’s doll designs, I did find a 1952 copyright entry in the Library of Congress:

RICHARDS, NOEL DWELLEY ©. Cartoons in cloth. “Negro man and animals” Photo. ©29Oct52 JU7208.

Library of Congress – Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series, Pg. 232 (Link)

Based on the 1952 date, that would indicate that the Richards family had seen the original 1946 theatrical release of Song of the South. Noel passed away at the age of 79 in Fort Pierce on Thursday, January 8, 1998. Based on further research, it also appears that her son Nick Richards may have passed away on February 9, 2005. Based on the article above, Nick had a brother, but I have not attempted to contact him (I believe his name is William Brooks Richards Jr.) If anyone has any more information on these dolls, please let me know!


Disney Selling New Splash Mountain Merchandise

Topher Wallace of WDW News Today has reported that Disney has started selling new Splash Mountain merchandise in Walt Disney World and Disneyland, including:

  • T-Shirt featuring Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, Mr. Bluebird, Brer Frog, and the Boothill Boys (Brer Buzzards). Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit, and Mr. Bluebird are singing, while Brer Frog plays the harmonica and Brer Fox plugs his ears in disdain. Priced at $24.99.
  • Beach Towel featuring the same graphics as above, priced at $26.99.
  • T-Shirt featuring “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” in script and a Splash Mountain logo in the corner. Priced at $32.99.
  • “Everything is Satisfactual” Tank Top priced at $24.99.
  • Brer Rabbit Plush Stuffed Animal (new design), priced at $19.99.

The new items are being sold in Walt Disney World, and presumably in Disneyland and possibly Tokyo Disneyland as well (though this is currently unconfirmed). If anyone can confirm the other two locations are selling these new items as well, please let me know and I’ll update this article. Thanks!

In WDW, the new merchandise is being sold at Splashdown Photos. Originally, Splash Mountain merchandise was sold in the Briar Patch shops adjacent to the rides, but lately merchandise has been moved to the area where photos from the ride are picked up (Professor Barnaby Owl’s Photographic Art Studio in Disneyland, and Splashdown Photos in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland). I presume this was done both to maximize sales and because Splash Mountain merchandise has seemingly lessened over the years, no longer requiring as much space.

For photos of the new merchandise, head on over to WDW News Today. Thanks to Philip Kippel for sharing this on our Song of the South Facebook page!

Memorabilia Corner: Song of the South Soundtrack WDL-4001

WDL-4001 Album Cover (U.S. Pressing)

In this issue of Memorabilia Corner we’re going to talk about the first soundtrack album ever released on the Disneyland record label back in 1956: the venerable WDL-4001. It has never been re-released in any format, and sadly remains one of the few soundtracks still unavailable from Disney. Fortunately, this soundtrack can be listened to in its entirety on YouTube! (Note: The first track is incorrect; the actual first track can be heard here.)

So, what makes this record so special? There are a couple of reasons: 1) WDL-4001 was the first motion picture soundtrack released on the Disneyland record label in 1956. 2) While the popular songs from Song of the South were released on myriad of record albums over the years, WDL-4001 was the only album that contained the instrumental music from the movie interspersed with the songs. It contains three extra tracks compared to the more common DQ-1205: “Ginny and Johnny”, “Uncle Remus Leaves”, and the reprise of “Let the Rain Pour Down”.

To date, I’ve collected pressings from the United States, Canada, and Australia, though I suspect it was also released in other countries as well. The earliest U.S. pressings are on the yellow Disneyland record label, and were manufactured by Hansen Records. Versions of the early yellow Disneyland labels exist both with and without “Hansen Records, Inc., New York” in an arc across the top of the label.

Later pressings have a red record label, and I have even come across a WDL-4001 record label with a DQ-1205 sticker placed over the record number. My best guess is they were either phasing out the more expensive WDL-4001, or had a surplus of them and/or a shortage of DQ-1205 pressings. In any case, it makes for an unusual find!

In Canada, the record was pressed and distributed by Sparton of Canada Ltd. The cover is almost identical to the U.S. pressing except “SPARTON” has been stamped in the upper right corner in black ink. The red record label is also unique (see photo).

In Australia, the record was pressed and distributed by E.M.I. (Australia) Limited. The album cover is similar to the U.S. pressing as well, but has the Disneyland Records Hi-Fidelity logo in the upper right corner. The red record label is also unique (see photo).

Yellow Hansen Records Label

WDL-4001 with a DQ-1205 Sticker Applied

Canadian Sparton Pressing

Australian E.M.I. Pressing

For those like me who are interested in the early history of Disneyland Records, this thread over at MagicMusic.net has some interesting relevant information.

The back side of the album explains how the sound track album came about, and is a wealth of information in and of itself! Here is a direct excerpt:

Disney directors and artists and even the Disney musicians themselves have always considered that most Disney film music had no place apart from the film. It took a couple of talented outsiders, visiting the Disney Studio to find material for the new Disneyland Record label, to discover the fabulous quality of the sound track music itself. These two; Tutti Camarata, the celebrated musician, composer, and arranger and Charles Hansen, of Hansen Publications, Inc., the firm which handles Disney educational music, dared to watch SONG OF THE SOUTH with their eyes closed. They believe they are the first people ever really to hear the score of the Disney film. They may be right because the visual impression of color and action in Disney features is often so over-whelming that one literally does not hear the music. Camarata and Hansen came out of the projection room convinced that they had discovered something which must command a place on long-playing phonograph records. Disney executives were dubious but, after some of the other Disney films were screened, including Pinocchio which the Disney officials also viewed with their eyes closed, the decision was made to produce original sound track albums from the Disney scores.

So, the idea for this original sound track album was born. But, having an idea and putting it into execution are sometimes separated by many problems and much time. Dialogue and distracting sound effects would have to be eliminated from the phonograph record. The portions of the music sound track to be used would have to be carefully selected and edited. Fortunately, the Disney method of sound recording involves many different sound tracks and the original components were still available. Also very fortunately, two of the men who were responsible for the original sound recording of SONG OF THE SOUTH, Sam Slyfield and Harold Steck, were still available and they, working with Bob Cook, Herb Taylor, Mel Poche and Ed Ornsten of the Disney Sound Department and especially with Evelyn Kennedy and Rusty Jones of the Disney Music Editing Department under the able supervision of Tutti Camarata, were able to produce this fine hi fidelity recording of the sound track of this classic Disney film. Final tape editing for the phonograph record master was done by Tutti Camarata.

The album originally sold for $4.98 (which was a fair amount in 1956) and was geared more towards adults than children. Today, the album is fairly desirable. Some price guides value this record album at $200-250, though I think that’s a bit on the high side. On average, I would estimate their value closer to the $75-150 range for the rarer pressings (Hansen, Sparton, EMI), and $50-100 for the later pressings. In any case, this album is a neat part of early Disneyland Records history!

Fan Artist Henrieke Goorhuis Published in WDCS

I was recently contacted by Song of the South fan artist Henrieke Goorhuis. In 2006, Henrieke submitted a drawing of Brer Rabbit to me, and it can still be seen in the Song of the South Fan Art section.

Hi there! In your fan art section there’s a fan drawing I made directly after first seeing Song of the South when it got aired by the BBC in 2006. The next year a cover I drew featuring Brer Rabbit got published in the Netherlands, my first comic publication. Now, another 10 years later, a Brer Rabbit comic I drew last year got published in the US. It’s actually for the first time since quite a while that a (new) comic got published in the states, and it was uncertain for a while if they were putting it in or not, and it is also uncertain if they’ll do it again. I thought it was pretty neat and that I’d let you know as a SotS collector! The story isn’t too interesting, but I had fun drawing the characters. The magazine is for sale right now in the US, WDCS 738.

That is certainly an accomplishment to have a comic published in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories! As some Disney fans may already know, WDCS has been in publication since 1940, and is the longest-running Disney comic book series in history. Over the decades it has featured many a Brer Rabbit comic (some of which can be seen in my Memorabilia section), but this is the first time in recent memory that a brand new Brer Rabbit comic has been published in the U.S.

The story is entitled “The Carrot Colossus”, and it was originally published in 2016 in the Dutch comic book “Donald Duck”. For Issue 738 in the U.S., it’s Story #4 in the comic book, and is now on sale as of May 24th!

The Carrot Colossus
Writer: Ruud Straatman
Artist: Henrieke Goorhuis
Colorist: Erik Rosengarten and Sanoma
Letterer: Nicole and Travis Seitler
Translation and Dialogue: David Gerstein with Henrieke Goorhuis and Erik Rosengarten

My sincere congratulations and thanks to Henrieke and the others involved for keeping Brer Rabbit and friends alive and well in the Disney comic books! I hope the feedback is favorable and more will be seen in the future.

Disney Releases Splash Mountain Tsum Tsum Plush Toys

Disney has recently released the Splash Mountain Tsum Plush Collection featuring characters from Splash Mountain (and Song of the South). Each plush is priced at $5.99 and measures 3 1/2″, limit 5 per character. In the collection is Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, Mr. Bluebird, Sis Possum (first ever as a plush), and one of the Boothill Boys (“Vulture Undertaker”). This is one of the first Splash Mountain plush collections to be released by Disney in many years. The last notable example was the Splash Mountain “Beanie Babies” of the 1990’s.

They are available to purchase at the Disney Store. Details for each TsumTsum can be found below. Special thanks to Nike Fleming for the news report!

Br’er Rabbit

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah!
Find your Laughing Place along with Br’er Rabbit and a mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with floppy ears and fluffy tail
  • 70th Anniversary – Br’er Rabbit made his screen debut in Walt Disney’s Song of the South on November 12, 1946
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Br’er Bear

Knockout!
Find your Laughing Place along with Br’er Bear and a mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with felt hat, plush ears, tail, and furry tuft
  • 70th Anniversary – Br’er Bear made his screen debut in Walt Disney’s Song of the South on November 12, 1946
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Br’er Fox

Capture your heart
Find your Laughing Place along with Br’er Fox and a mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with foam hat, furry tufts and tail
  • 70th Anniversary – Br’er Fox made his screen debut in Walt Disney’s Song of the South on November 12, 1946
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Mr. Bluebird

On your shoulder
Find your Laughing Place along with Mr. Bluebird and a mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with felt hat
  • Foam cane, wings and tailfeathers
  • 70th Anniversary – Mr. Bluebird made his screen debut in Walt Disney’s Song of the South on November 12, 1946
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Sis Possum

How Do You Do?
Find your Laughing Place along with Sis Possum and a mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountainattraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with felt bow and skirt
  • Plush embroidered tail
  • 70th Anniversary – Sis Possum made her screen debut in Walt Disney’s Song of the South on November 12, 1946
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Vulture Undertaker

Boothill boy
The Vulture Undertaker can never be a buzzkill for this mighty satisfactual collection of Mini ”Tsum Tsum” Plush critters from our classic Splash Mountainattraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, each sold separately.

  • Mini ”Tsum Tsum” plush
  • Embroidered features
  • Soft, squeezable fill with beans in belly
  • Fuzzy plush texturing
  • Plussed with felt hat, feathery beard, and foam wings
  • The Vulture Undertaker was originally featured as one of the ”Boothill Boys” in America Sings at Disneyland from 1974 to 1988
  • Splash Mountain first opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1989 and at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on October 2, 1992
  • Part of our Splash Mountain ”Tsum Tsum” Plush Collection, each sold separately
  • Polyester / polyethylene pellets
  • 3 1/2” L
  • Imported

Promotional Song of the South US VHS Found in Yard Sale?

A very interesting VHS copy of Song of the South surfaced last year at a yard sale. The following clip was posted on YouTube by MegaRock64 on 8/27/2013, and depicts what appears to be a promotional VHS tape dating to around 1995, including the Disney Masterpiece Collection logo:

The “Song of the South” typeface is identical to that used in the final theatrical release in 1986. It’s entirely plausible that the movie was slated to be released in 1996 for Song of the South‘s 50th anniversary. MegaRock64 has this to say about it:

Well well, you never know what you can find out in the wild, because it goes to show you can find gems like this one. This tape was used for promotional uses only by the distributors of the Walt Disney Company. According to the way it looks, this dates back to 1995, most likely to pair up with the release of “So Dear to my Heart” in 1994. As we all know, Song of the South was never supposed to see the light of day after the very last cinema showing in 1986. Bits of it leaked on various DVD’s such as the “One Hour in Wonderland” segment on the “Alice in Wonderland” DVD, and the short 8 second clip in “The Making of Fun and Fancy Free”. This tape has

1. FBI Warnings
2. Walt Disney Home Video Logo (1986)
3. Buena Vista Logo
4. Film

Nothing appears at the end of this tape except a “END OF TAPE” bit showing the production stuff and all the other distribution info. So was Song of the South going to have an initial release? We will see soon or later. I have no clue about the origins of this tape, so if you know more, let me know!

If anyone has any additional information about this VHS, please contact me. Special thanks to Christian for the news report.

20th Anniversary WDW Splash Mountain Pin Released

2012 marks the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain. To commemorate this occasion, on July 5th Disney has released a limited edition pin featuring Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox.  It is limited to an edition of 1000, and retails for $11.95. SKU #6680426.

Splash Mountain is the theme park ride based on the animated sequences of Song of the South. Disneyland’s Splash Mountain was the first to open in 1989, followed by Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in 1992. You can watch the grand opening video over in the Splash Mountain section.

Revamped Store, Petition Back Online

Hi everyone, here are a couple of site updates:

1) SongoftheSouth.net Merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, buttons, etc.) has received a much-needed overhaul, with literally dozens of new merchandise added. When I initially created these t-shirt designs back in 2005, CafePress.com (the company that makes these) had a very limited selection to choose from. Since then, they’ve added dark-colored clothing, baby clothes, and lots more. I thought it was high time I took advantage of this. I also created a new design as well. Check out the revamped store!

2) Song of the South Petition. Since approximately mid-April, the Song of the South Petition was no longer being updated with the latest signatures. I contacted PetitionOnline.com, but to no avail. Apparently Change.org is now the owner, and they’ve all but abandoned support for the old site. I was seriously considering starting a new petition over at Change.org, but their petitions have a maximum age of one year, so I would have to start a new one every year. Fortunately, the original petition has started working again! Unfortunately, anyone who signed the petition from April to mid-June probably didn’t get added. You might want to check and see if your name is there, and if not, try adding it again.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading!

Disney is Preserving Song of the South

Over at CartoonBrew.com, editor Jerry Beck has posted on his blog “‘Song of the South’ can be yours –  for $1,499“, in reference to an auction on eBay for a 16mm IB Technicolor print of the film. The opening bid was $1,499. (Update: It ended up selling for $2,750 with 8 bids.)

But perhaps even more interesting is a post left in the comments section of the article, in which reader Egbert Souse states that “Disney is remastering Song of the South from the original negatives in 4K resolution. It’s not in the immediate pipeline for a Snow White or Bambi level restoration, but they’ll have complete digital files by the end of next year.”

Update (10/1/2011): As confirmation for the above comment that Disney is working on preserving Song of the South, Merlin Jones has pointed me to the following article over at the Home Theater Forum, which discusses Disney’s restoration of Dumbo and the efforts they are currently putting forth to preserve their entire library of volatile nitrate film negatives (which Disney used for all films prior to 1955):

“Since 2004 Disney has undertaken a huge scanning project with the Library of Congress.  They ship large chunks of their library across the country in refrigerated trucks to MPI at Warner Brothers and make 4K digital scans, verifying that every frame was scanned successfully.  They aren’t stopping with digital.  Due to the volatility of the nitrate stock and that fact that regardless of what they try to do they can’t prevent the eventual decay, Joe Jiuliano and his team are making new black and white successive exposure negatives designed to preserve the films for another 100 years.  The project is almost complete and when they are finished they will have re-preserved their entire nitrate library: 16,500,000 frames.

“And it’s not just animation.  This project has been used to get 4K scans and new prints to preserve live action classics like Song of the South (no plans to release) and just this year Parent Trap, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, The Absent-Minded Professor and Pollyanna (I encouraged them to start releasing these live action classics to Blu-ray).”

This is just a small excerpt of what is an excellent article, including restoration photos and interviews with Disney’s Sarah Duran-Singer (Senior V.P. of Post Production), Dave Bossert (Creative Director and Artistic Supervisor of the Restoration and Preservation Team), and Joe Jiuliano (Director of Film and Video Services, and Technical Advisor for the Restoration Committee.) Check it out!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/314907/disney-s-restoration-of-dumbo-and-efforts-to-preserve-their-film-library