Disney Memorabilia

The retail success of comic books in the mid-1900’s spawned a couple of new variations to the traditional stapled comic book.  One of the most successful new formats was the advent of the Disney-themed Dell Giant Comics.  The square-bound books averaged over 100 pages and surprisingly contained no advertisements.  At 25 cents a copy, these oversized comics were considered a bargain in their time.  

The first Dell Giant publication for Disney was published in 1949 and titled “Christmas Parade”.  The cover features Donald Duck in a Santa costume being pulled in his sleigh by Huey, Dewey, and Louie.  The first Christmas Parade issue was an immediate success, and was followed by a Vacation Parade published in July of 1950.  The Christmas Parade format was published annually through 1958, while the Vacation Parade eventually morphed into other titles after 1953.

The Disney Dell Giant Comic series ran through 1962, when it ended (ironically enough) with a Donald Duck Merry Christmas.  Because of the paperbound structure of the books, it can be hard to find specimens in mint condition.  For those lucky enough to find a mint copy, values can range from $1000 for the first issue, to an average of $250 for subsequent issues.  There were a total of 65 different issues in the series featuring a variety of characters from the Disney family.