One of my favorite Donald Duck releases from the Walt Disney Classics Collection is the scene from Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940).The first releases, an Opening Title, Donald & Daisy ("Oh Boy, What a Jitterbug"-NLE of 5,000) and Dewey ("I Got Something For Ya"-Open Edition) made their debut five months after the collection itself made its debut in March, 1993.
Remaining Nephews, Huey ("Tag-Along Trouble") and Louie ("Tag-Along Trouble"), both Open Editions as well, followed in October, 1993. The last release from this short was an Open Edition release of Donald, holding a picture of Daisy ("With Love From Daisy"), pictured above.
I wasn't aware of the Walt Disney Classics Collection and/or the Walt Disney Collectors Society until Mary joined me into the Society in November 1993 (the Society's Charter Year) as one of my Christmas gifts that year. As I began doing research, I realized sculptures I had seen late 1992 at the Disney Store (and amazed at how 'on the mark' they were), were part of this collection.
When I saw Jitterbug Donald & Daisy for the first time in a catalog (pictured with Dewey), I knew this was a sculpture I wanted in my collection. Sadly, I could not find a dealer who had in stock and a couple places had already begun to sell at secondary pricing, which was a little to steep for me. Thankfully, they released the sculpture of Donald holding the picture of Daisy and remember purchasing immediately when my dealer (at that time) received in stock.
The Nephews soon followed that purchase. Dewey (as a Valentine's gift from Mary), then Huey, Louie and the Opening Title. I still wasn't giving up on Jitterbug Donald & Daisy and it wasn't until about five years later, I was able to purchase from a collector downsizing their collection and luckily at issue price. My scene was complete!
No sculptor credit has been given for Jitterbug Donald & Daisy. Donald's Nephews were all sculpted by Bruce Lau and Kent Melton sculpted Donald holding the picture of Daisy.
Fast forward to 2009 ... The Walt Disney Classics Collection introduced a new collection in 2004, Quintessentially Disney, known to many as the Spotlight Collection. This collection came to be as a way to revisit key characters in a fresh and exciting way, while still maintaining the artistic integrity of the overall line. The solution that came out of this challenge was to base new poses on the original model sheets produced for each character. (For those unfamiliar with the term, model sheets are reference pages created by a lead animator that depicts an animated character striking a variety of key poses and facial expressions.
Daisy Duck ("What A Gal" pictured above), sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons, made her debut in this collection in January, 2009. Up until this point, other than the Gold Circle release of her as Donna Duck from Don Donald and as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club, Daisy has always been released as a multi-character sculpture, sculpted with Donald and/or Donald's Nephews.
This new release of Daisy, at least to me, captured her sassiness. I liked this one from the photos but waited until I saw in person to actually purchase. I finally saw in person last month at WDW and immediately contacted my dealer and placed an order as I knew I wanted this version of Daisy in my collection.
When Daisy arrived, wasn't sure how I was going to display. How many others have had this problem? I then decided to work her into my Mr. Duck Steps Out scene (pictured above) and very pleased with the overall look. Using a rotating riser for Jitterbug Donald & Daisy and various size acrylic risers for Donald w/picture and Nephew Duck gave some depth to the scene and the Donald Duck Anniversary Clock made for a nice accessory backdrop, supplying the music as Mr. Duck Steps Out! :)
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