Wooden plaque for first 500 in disneyland... True?

[Ron W]

Not much info yet, but it's a Christmas ornament:
Amazon.com: Vintage Disney - Mickey Mouse Wooden Christmas Tree Ornament - (wear to package as shown in photo): Everything Else

[Ron W]

One on eBay:

Disney Kurt Adler Vintage A Visit to Yesterday Mickey | eBay

[Mr Wiggins]

^ Congratulations to Ron W for finding it!

Looks like it was part of a line of hand painted wooden ornaments from the Kurt S. Alder Company called "Vintage Disney... a visit to yesterday." Other ornaments that appear to be from the same product line are shown here, here and here.

So far as its date, the plastic package hanging tab and price tag style depicted in this photo from the Amazon page that Ron found would seem to place it considerably later than the mid-50s. The next step in narrowing it down would be to find the exact years that Alder manufactured this item.

[Retrocool]

I didn't think this had anything to do with Disneyland, let alone its opening day in 1955. Not only did it look too new (even for something kept in a shoebox for 57 years), not only did it not specify anything about Disneyland, not only was it the 1930s Mickey rather than the 1955 Mickey, but there would have been some mention of a special gift for the first 500 people through the gate in at least a few of the Disneyland history books (and there isn't).

Man, what is it about some people that they'll spread such fiction to their own relatives about an object? I feel bad for the OP; his great aunt basically lied to him.

[DisneyIPresume]

I didn't think this had anything to do with Disneyland, let alone its opening day in 1955. Not only did it look too new (even for something kept in a shoebox for 57 years), not only did it not specify anything about Disneyland, not only was it the 1930s Mickey rather than the 1955 Mickey, but there would have been some mention of a special gift for the first 500 people through the gate in at least a few of the Disneyland history books (and there isn't).

Man, what is it about some people that they'll spread such fiction to their own relatives about an object? I feel bad for the OP; his great aunt basically lied to him.

As a former Psychology major I can tell you that there is such a thing as a false memory. Sometimes one can remember things that never happened at all. In fact I have a memory similar to this phenomenon: My parents have a piano that is at least 115 years old that many years ago my father restored from disrepair. I have a distinct memory from when I was a child of sitting on the ground underneath the piano while my father was working in it. One day I mentioned to my parents that I remember when my dad was working on that piano to which they told me that's impossible because he restored it before I was born! This could be because maybe I remembered him playing it one time and so for whatever reason I made that association, or maybe I'd heard the story of him restoring the piano and having a vivid imagination placed myself within the story. But for whatever reason I distinctly remember myself being there while this happened.

So I wouldn't say his aunt lied to him. For sure, what she told him was not true. But in her mind the memory of receiving it in opening day could be just as valid as remembering what she ate for breakfast that morning.

[HutchOven]

She was very old (90's) when this was given to me, along with the fact that I was only about 10 so im going off of memory on what she told me. Obviously one of us is remembering wrong. I almost wish I wouldnt have asked so I would go on thinking my original story was true Oh well thank you for the help everyone. I really appreciate it!

[explodingboy]

Man, what is it about some people that they'll spread such fiction to their own relatives about an object? I feel bad for the OP; his great aunt basically lied to him.

Unnecessary..