For weeks, you—like I—may have been hearing about the mother of all Disneyana auctions to take place this weekend. Super Disneyland memorabilia collector, talent agent Richard Kraft, is parting ways with his massive and probably unmatched private collection of Disneyland nostalgia. It took a quarter century for Kraft, who represents many Disney composers including Richard Sherman (“Mary Poppins,” “It’s a Small World”) and Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid”) to amass this menagerie of posters, concept drawings, a giant neon “D” sign, the original stretch paintings from the Haunted Mansion, a people mover—even the giant serpent that lived underwater in the now-defunct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride—the largest item for sale.
In fact, the whole collection still on preview and open to the public at an old Sports Authority store in Sherman Oaks. I drove there over the weekend to take a look and you can, too, until Aug. 25 and 26 when the auction takes place.
Be prepared. The sleepy Sunday 101 freeway Woodman exit was jammed when I attended. It took me by surprise that all the traffic was going to the same place—”That’s From Disneyland” presented by Van Eaton Galleries. The line was a mind-numbing three hours to get in. When I got in the line, which stretched around the block, I opened my phone to social media where, serendipitously, a Disney-connected Malibu friend was discussing the event. When I messaged that I was going to call it quits, she quickly made a phone call and got me in, reminding me of my teenage years working as a tour guide at “The Happiest Place on Earth,” sometimes taking tours straight to the front of an attraction. It reminded me of the time 37 years ago when I met my husband while waiting in line with a tour at “The Pirates of the Caribbean.”
The 20,000-square-foot exhibit is a must-see for any Disney fan and you will see many of them dressed in Disney finery, including themed Hawaiian shirts and handsewn dresses. The sights of old signs and ride seats no longer in use will take you back to your childhood. Part of the proceeds from the sale will go to fight Coffin-Siris syndrome, which Kraft’s young daughter lives with.
The Flying Dumbo with a pre-auction estimate of $150,000 may be out of my reach, but I’m hoping to snag a couple of dinnerware items—the happiest plates on Earth.
