Before I start this post I want to let y'all know that in the 40 or so days since I've last posted on this blog (sorry it's been a busy and transitional time in my life) a lot of things have changed regarding the place of "Disney" in my life and my plans Disney plans for 2012. More about that in future posts. Right now it's time to tell you about and show you my new favorite Disney collectible.
Back in the spring I was sent home from work in the early afternoon because business was slow. Before I went home I decided that I'd go to a local flea market to see if I could find any Disney stuff for sale; specifically Goofy stuff.
This was one of those places that had individual booths rented by vendors to sell their stuff. My wife, Paula had a booth there when the place first opened to sell her hand made jewelry.
I found quite a bit of Disney stuff including a wide variety of small character plush toys. I bought one of Goofy dressed as an astronaut and one of Flick the ant from "A Bug's Life". I also found several vinyl albums with vintage Disney music and movie soundtracks.
I saw a couple Mickey Mouse phones. These were popular in the 80's. I saw a giant version of one of these on display at the Pop Century Resort during my 50th birthday trip to Disney World last year.
But the one Disney thing I found that really caught my interest was a Goofy phone. At the time I was just starting my exclusively Goofy collection. The phone would have been a wonderful addition giving some legitimacy to my fledgling collection.
It was at booth 37 about halfway down one of the corridors of the market. There were no prices on any of the items in the entire flea market. To find out how much something cost I had to go to the desk at the front of the building. I was told that the cost was $60.
While that wasn't all that expensive for something as novel at the Goofy phone it was a bit much for me at that time. I had just bought myself a new notebook computer and planned on getting a new bike for the summer. Paying $60 for a collectible at that time was a bit over the top as far as spending was concerned. Reluctantly I left the Goofy phone on the shelf of booth 37.
About 2 months later after thinking about it a lot I decided that I would go back and see if the Goofy phone was still there. I thought if it was perhaps I could negotiate a lower price. My heart fell when I found out that it had been sold. I lamented letting the opportunity to buy such a cool Goofy item pass me by. I came to terms with the fact that it just wasn't to be.
Let's fast forward to last week. It was my birthday and I wanted to buy a gift for myself. I couldn't think of anything I wanted. Paula had already let me get a personal PA system to use with my ventriloquism.
One afternoon the thought of the Goofy phone popped back into my head. I thought about the possibility of the phone being for sale on Ebay. I got online and found an auction just starting. I placed a bid. Three days later I received an email telling me that I had won the auction for a price that was about half of what the phone would have cost at the flea market. "Happy Birthday" to me.
A couple of days ago I received a package in the mail. The Goofy phone was inside. So now I have a Goofy phone in my Disney collection. It will only be a display piece but still it's battery operated animation is really cool. Here's a video of what a sleeping Goofy does when the phone "rings".
Isn't that cool? I love this phone. It's now my favorite Disney thing in my collection. While my red Yago feather from the Enchanted Tiki Room is the most unique item I have; my Goofy phone is the one Disney thing I like that most.
If you ever come to my house I'll give you an in person demonstration of my new favorite Disney thing.
