A Rare and Unusual Disney Magazine, etc.

Burbank, California; Vol 1. No. 1: 1943
Pictorial wrappers; 5 1/2 x 8

"Dispatch from Disney" was published by Walt Disney Studios for its employees in the services during WWII. It contains many original illustrations, articles about the studio and its war efforts and an incredible laid in "pin-up" poster of nudes drawn in cartoon. This page also contains the names, addresses and ranks of all Disney employees in the armed services on the reverse. The cover depicts Donald Duck throwing a tomato in Adolf Hitler's face (alluding to the academy-award winning cartoon "Der Feuhrer's Face"



suppressed due to it's wartime inspired politically incorrect, anti-german, italian and japanese images). A wonderful, patriotic and graphic documentation of the home effort, a rare and highly unusual piece of Disneyana and another great and rare piece of magazine americana. This is the only copy of this magazine I've seen in thirty years. An estimated value is about 1000 dollars.

Another great non-Disney WWII era parody magazine is Der Gag Bag, a rabidly anti-nazi satire published by Anthony Publishing in 1939, two years prior to Pearl Harbor.
This is vol 1 no.1. I've never seen a later issue. (back cover image on right)



Other Disney collectibles include two incarnations of Mickey Mouse Magazine (1933, 1935), the first of which was an advertising vehicle for local dairies;



Coo Coo (1932), a very rare magazine edited by Carl Barks (be careful about reproductions of this one), the originator of Donald Duck;



and Mickey Mouse Club Magazine (Winter 1956). Remember Karen and Cubby?













On a more serious note, take a look at this very rare and fragile 1933! magazine, New York Life, I found at a paper show a few years ago. Perhaps if more people read it and had the good sense to appreciate its content, millions of lives could have been saved.