Today I’d like to talk about more than just products for a minute. I’d like to talk about collecting. In my opinion there are basically two different types of collectors. One type is the person that collects for the fun of it; the other is the type that collects with the thought of a future profit. While many people may fall somewhere in between I think that those two types can basically sum it all up.

My wife is the type that collects for the fun of it. She likes Mickey Mouse, so basically she will get anything with him on it. She has toothbrushes, toothpaste, pants, socks, shirts, coats, snow globes, about 100 stuffed Mickey’s, and the list goes on. She collects these items because of how much she likes the Mouse, and because it makes her happy. I like to collect things in the hope that someday they will be worth something. I buy things that look like they will become collectable someday, and so become worth more than what I paid for it. Disney is great about collectibles; they now have many limited edition items which some with a COA (certificate of authenticity). Buying these items won’t guarantee that what you buy will someday be worth a fortune, but it will help. Whatever type of collector you are make sure that you have fun, because it’s not worth it if you don’t enjoy it.

Well folks, it’s that season again – Christmas. That time of the year when everyone starts thinking about presents, what to give and what to get. Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on things that you can get to enhance your Christmas excitement – the Disney way. Today I am going to focus on Mickey Mouse.

While there is a large amount of character items at DisneyDirect.com which is painfully obvious; let’s look at a few items from some other non-Disney stores that are notable. On a recent trip to a local CVS, I noticed a couple of neat things. One was a little package of chocolate coins. They had different characters printed on them, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy; they were about $.88. Something that really caught my eye was a couple Mickey Mouse Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. These included a Sorcerer Apprentice Mickey and a snowman with Mickey ears. These weren’t very expensive and seemed to be highly collectable.

Another place I visited recently was Target. “Oh Boy!” Target has a large selection of Mickey items. To name a few: Mickey Mouse (Warhol I) with Black Hardwood Frame, Disney Classic DVD Player (this player is red with giant yellow feet and is meant to match the TV), Disney 13 Classic Color Television (this TV is red with small yellow feet which can be removed when placing on the DVD player, it also has large round black speakers which sit on the top to make it look like Mickey’s ears), and, last but not least, the Back To Basics Disney Popcorn Popper which is red with large white feet. If Mickey Mouse were a popcorn popper I think he’d look very much like this.

There are also many books here’s a short list: Mickey Mouse : My Life in Pictures, Mickey's Gourmet Cookbook : Most Popular Recipes From Walt Disney World & Disneyland, and a collectors book - Mickey Mouse; it’s a hard cover $150 book designed to be a family heirloom.

There are many other items to discuss, however space in this column is limited, so I guess you will have to check back next time when I will discuss Disney Christmas decorating and focus in on Minnie Mouse.

Well that’s an earful – until next time, I’m Scott Short