The Night Before Christmas, a 1933 Disney Silly Symphony cartoonFrom my newspaper clipping file comes this amusing story. A headline on page six of the December 15, 1933 Waterloo Daily Courier screamed:
Santa Clauses Ask 35-Hour Week, Flay Inroads of Mickey and Pigs
Hundred Gotham Professionals Humiliated and Irked by New Rivals
Hundred Gotham Professionals Humiliated and Irked by New Rivals
The article reported "Members of the Santa Claus Association... met... at the Grand Central Palace and demanded a 35 hour week... at the same time the Kris Kringles adopted a resolution condemning the 1933 practice in department stores of permitting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as well as the Three Little Pigs, to 'chisel in' on the Santa Claus business."
John Mangan, president of the Santa Association, delivered a rousing speech to the roughly 100 Santa Clauses in attendance. The newspaper story reported Mangan saved some particularly unkind words for Walt Disney: "[Mangan] was... vitriolic in discussing the manner in which Walt Disney is undermining the Santa Claus business, describing the Disney influence as 'plain, dog-gone boring from within.'"
Mangan continued his rant: '''In some of the major department stores, fellows,' he said, 'we Santa Clauses are faced with ruin and disgrace. They have got men dressed up like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and like the Three Little Pigs. These impostors and pretenders are permitted to rove about at will and play with the children and I am informed that many of the kiddies almost ignore us in order to follow these walking nightmares around. Such a condition has got to be brought to an end and we are the ones to do the job.'"
Several questions came to mind when I read this article.
1) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when Disney merchandise and point of sale material really dominated retail toy departments;
2) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when, as a Santa, he would have been handing out Disney themed Christmas premiums at the end of each child's visit, including the two Macy's department store premiums, which I'll post this weekend, or the Magic Movie Palette seen here, or Pinocchio's Christmas Party seen here, or Mickey Mouse and the Magic Carpet seen here, or Dopey's Christmas Party; and,
3) I wonder if Mangan ever made it to Disneyland and if he did, what he thought of all the "impostors and pretenders" he would have seen there.
Too funny!
John Mangan, president of the Santa Association, delivered a rousing speech to the roughly 100 Santa Clauses in attendance. The newspaper story reported Mangan saved some particularly unkind words for Walt Disney: "[Mangan] was... vitriolic in discussing the manner in which Walt Disney is undermining the Santa Claus business, describing the Disney influence as 'plain, dog-gone boring from within.'"
Mangan continued his rant: '''In some of the major department stores, fellows,' he said, 'we Santa Clauses are faced with ruin and disgrace. They have got men dressed up like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and like the Three Little Pigs. These impostors and pretenders are permitted to rove about at will and play with the children and I am informed that many of the kiddies almost ignore us in order to follow these walking nightmares around. Such a condition has got to be brought to an end and we are the ones to do the job.'"
Several questions came to mind when I read this article.
1) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when Disney merchandise and point of sale material really dominated retail toy departments;
2) I wonder how Mangan felt a year or two later when, as a Santa, he would have been handing out Disney themed Christmas premiums at the end of each child's visit, including the two Macy's department store premiums, which I'll post this weekend, or the Magic Movie Palette seen here, or Pinocchio's Christmas Party seen here, or Mickey Mouse and the Magic Carpet seen here, or Dopey's Christmas Party; and,
3) I wonder if Mangan ever made it to Disneyland and if he did, what he thought of all the "impostors and pretenders" he would have seen there.
Too funny!
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