DALLAS, TX.- Walt Disney’s vision brought us the most enchanting theme parks the world has seen; Disneyland and Walt Disney World epitomize the endless charm and innovation brought to us by the Disney universe. Throughout the decades countless artists, designers, and engineers – Disney’s Imagineers – have been the geniuses behind the magic, the ones who have made it all come to life for the millions of visitors the Parks welcome every year.

And do you remember your first trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World? What if you could own a genuine piece of that formative experience? What if you could own a section of Disney World’s beloved Monorail, or the real blueprints for the Cinderella castle, or a bench from Disneyland’s Main Street, or a stanchion sign from Space Mountain? How about concept art and unique production prototypes from the personal collection of renowned artists who dreamed up the Parks’ look and feel, and also designed the Disney character figures you could take home with you? We’re talking old-school Disney, by the way, and on March 25 and 26, Heritage presents its first major Disney event of 2023: The Art of Disneyland: From Stagecoaches to Monorails... and More! Signature® Auction. It’s packed with spectacular items from Disney’s theme parks – the very things that made the Parks hum – as well as unique figure displays from its namesake stores and much more.

This Heritage Disney event follows last year’s record-breaking $2.2 million Art of Disneyland auction, and it just happens to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company and the 50th anniversary celebration for Walt Disney World.
“This event has lots that showcase every aspect of the Parks,” says Jim Lentz, Heritage's Director of Animation Art. “You’ll see more than 850 lots spread over two full days. You’ll see lots that tie to Main Street, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and more.”

Veteran artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily are two legendary Disney artists based in Southern California, and they bring their 30-year collection of Disney creations and prototypes to auction for the first time. “Our niche is nostalgia,” says Kevin Kidney. “We are interested in classic Disney, the Disney of our childhoods.” Widely known to collectors and enthusiasts for their craftsmanship and attention to detail, “Kevin and Jody” have created sold-out collectibles and Disney Parks items for countless characters and attractions. These hard-to-find artifacts of Disney history are seeing demand from collectors that is now leading to record-breaking prices at Heritage Auctions.

Examples of Kevin and Jody’s work include original concept art for the popular “Big Fig” line of characters (here’s Goofy!), replicas of famous Walt Disney Studios signage (one based off of a sign at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank in the 1940s), replicas of props from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, clothing designs, models used to create some of Disney’s most popular parades, hand-painted 3-D maquettes (check out this Haunted Mansion Hatbox Ghost maquette) and much more. For this “Kevin and Jody” anniversary year they offer more than 100 pieces from their personal archive.

“Many of these designs have been on display in our studio,” says Kevin, “and it includes production samples that are very special. The scenic pieces are rare; they’re handmade, hand-painted.” Kevin describes the emotional process of going through their archive, including prototype designs he and Jody created that were never made available to the public and production samples called “paint masters” that the artists hand-painted prior to larger production. They had to grab them back from the company’s design “sample sales.” “We or a friend would nab everything we worked on,” he says. He describes with special affection an extremely rare set of six paintings featuring characters from Disney's Ichabod and Mr. Toad drawn by Kevin and hand-painted by Jody. The paintings were the concepts for a proposed line in the Tiny Kingdom series; “Disney took a risk,” Kidney says of the vintage characters. Five years later, Kevin and Jody gave this original art new life as the basis for their limited edition set of Ichabod and Mr. Toad pewter miniatures and other popular miniature sets.

“The Art of Kevin and Jody” is a highlight of a sweeping auctionthat has something for Disney fans and collectors of every stripe, though now perhaps it’s fitting to reach further back into Disney Parks history with something that kicked off Disneyland itself: the original full-size, nine passenger Overland Stagecoach that evokes the "Rainbow Mountain Stagecoach" ride from Disneyland’s earliest years. This real stagecoach (its last run was from Tombstone, Arizona to Sacramento, California) belonged to a friend of Walt’s, fellow Anaheim businessman Ben Hathaway, who owned Tiffy's restaurant originally located in the Disneyland Hotel. Very few authentic frontier stagecoaches still exist, making this a rare piece of Americana as well as the inspiration behind the iconic Disneyland attraction of the 1950s; the “Stagecoach" ride defined Disneyland’s opening years and preceded the famed Monorail. “This authentic frontier stage harkens to Disneyland's early portrayal of America's past and the ultimate transition towards a vision for the future,” says Lentz. “The winning bidder of this remarkable piece of American history will instantly attain exclusive bragging rights.”

Speaking of the famed Disney Monorail: Here’s an original Mark IV Monorail cabin from Disney World, and a top attraction in this event. This particular cabin hummed into service at the park in 1984; its doors still open and close, and all of its windows are intact. Inside are eight rows of seats, an emergency phone and "watch your head" signage over the doorways. Back in California, the Skyway ferried guests over Disneyland for some excellent views, and Heritage has an exceptionally rare original Skyway gondola from the era of Tomorrowland, with its iconic rounded design. The event also offers a park-used vehicle from Snow White's Scary Adventures (it’s Dopey’s car!); this one took guests through the dwarves’ diamond mine and cottage, crashed through the castle's walls, and made an escape through the forest. Also on the move: an astonishing Autopia Mark VII carfrom Disneyland circa 1967-‘99, professionally restored to drivable condition. Autopia's vehicles were designed by Imagineer Bob Gurr, who fashioned this car with a front inspired by the Corvette Stingray, and the back inspired by an Opal GT.

More park wonders abound in this event, including park-displayed signs, hand-pulled silkscreened Park-attraction posters, and here’s a special treat: A trip to Disneyland in its early years wasn’t complete without a stop in the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant in Fantasyland. Home of the popular “tunaburgers,” the life-sized pirate ship was one of the most beloved Disneyland attractions from 1955 to 1982. Heritage offers an incredible artifact in this auction: a massive eight-foot “Jolly Roger” skull-and-crossbones flag from the ship.

In 1987, the first Disney Store opened in Glendale, California, and by 1997 more than 700 Disney stores had opened globally. “The thought was to bring a bit of the Disney Theme Park experience to your local shopping mall,” says Lentz. “The rafters, walls, and entrance displays were decorated with large fiberglass statues created by Disney artists for the stores.” The statues were so popular people constantly asked to buy them, which led to the creation of “Disney Big Figs” as collectible large-format versions of your favorite Disney characters. Big Figs’ popularity exploded and were available at Disney Parks, Stores, via mail order and and eventually Disney online auctions. But this Heritage auction has the single largest collection of actual character figures used to decorate the Disney Stores including a Fantasia Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, a set piece featuring Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, and Figaro, a group display of Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and many more. “This is our biggest collection of very hard to find Disney figures ever offered,” says Lentz.

“With historic lots such as these, this Disney auction truly covers everything – from stagecoaches to Monorails,” says Lentz. “If Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth, this surely will be the happiest auction on earth!”