When song writer and Disney Legend, Robert Sherman came up with the lyric “It’s a small world after all”, he was talking about all citizens of the world and common sharing of the human condition. But the phrase can also be used in a different context. It’s extremely applicable to the Disney merchandise marketing machine.
Almost anywhere you go in the country, where commercial products are available; you’re bound to find something that has a Disney character on it. I’m talking almost anywhere.
There’s also more than likely a significant presence of Disney merchandise in many “after market” venues, like flea markets, as well. But this past Friday I found something Disney in a place I never would have expected.
My sister-in-law invited Paula; our friends Patty & Mark; and me to go to dinner at the Porky Pig restaurant in Pig, Kentucky. It's only a few miles away from our house. This is a very popular place for both locals and tourists visiting the Mammoth Cave National Park area to eat. The place specializes in pulled pork dinners with homemade side dishes such as coleslaw and baked beans. However this is not a restaurant review so enough about that.
As we sat down at a table I noticed a small room off the other side of the dining area with the lights off. Over the door way was hung a wooden sign. Carved out of the wood and painted black were the words "Grandma's Store."
I could see that it was set up like an indoor yard sale with a variety of items fanned out on several long tables. At first glance I caught a glimpse of something that made me determined to take the time to go over and check things out before we left. That’s just what I did.
That first thing I had seen turned out to be a Christmas decoration. It was just any decoration. It was a Disney Christmas decoration. It was a Goofy Christmas decoration. It was a moving Diseny Goofy Christmas decoration. Check out the picture below.
The thing plugged in and when it was switched on Goofy started rolling the snowball forward as though he was making it bigger. I was excited because it was very cute and very Goofy. It wasn’t in perfect condition and had some discoloration on the front of the base and on Goofy’s gloves but overall it was in decent shape.
Using the bargaining technics I’ve learned from watching the TV reality show “American Pickers” I asked the lady in charge of the “store” how much she wanted for the decoration. She said $5. I responded with a quick “I’ll take it”. I was ready to go as high as $10 but $5 was good enough for me.
So now I have a new addition to my Goofy collection and it’s a Christmas decoration I can display in our living room in a few weeks.
I really like my “Goofy making a snowball” decoration. I’m glad my sister in law took us out for dinner. It helped me realize that the merchandise “footprint” of Disney is a lot larger than I ever realized. The night turned into a real “Goofy off world Disney” experience.
