Life Magazine Photo - Can You Find All the Alice Items? Answers!

Here's what I found in the photo, from left to right, top to bottom:

• Alice gift wrap (the pink square at the far left edge, not yet posted)
• 3 Vira greeting cards
• Gund White Rabbit and Mad Hatter dolls
• Live Flowers LGB
• unknown Alice candy box (!)
• Alice Madame Alexander doll
• Mad Hatter and March Hare Gund dolls
• unknown Alice child garment (!)
• Regal Alice shaker
• Evan K. Shaw figures - Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, White Rabbit, Mad Hatter again, Walrus
• Alice Tea Cup Watch

You get extra credit if you noticed the March Hare SP figure as a part of the Marx playset

Disney Time Cheshire Cat Watch

Here we have something I don't really have any information on, so perhaps one of my faithful readers can help me out. This is a Cheshire Cat watch, made in Japan, under the Disney Time imprint. The watch is battery operated, so can't be too old, but does have Walt Disney Productions copyright, so must be prior to 1986. My guess is the 1970s, but again don't know for sure. I have not found any reference material to illustrate this watch.

I do really like this watch, with his head spinning as the second hand.

Teacup Watch - Cel Overlay Variant

UPDATE: There is one of these on Hake's auction 196 - catalog listing here - closing Dec 4, 2008.


This is the variant that does not have a teacup, but rather an oddly shaped rectangular box with a printed image and cel overlay in the lid. I've only ever seen two of these, and one did not have the cel overlay. The box itself is very poorly designed, the lid is attached to the base by a small strip of paper. Neither example I've seen has the lid still attached.


Oh, and Happy Birthday Computer Girl (aka Hayley)!

Teacup Watch - Pink Round Ingersoll Box Variant

This is the round box variant, pink with line art and Ingersoll instead of US Time on the lid. This particular set also has the watch variant with the pink plastic case instead of the chrome/stainless one. I have not been able to figure out exactly where this falls in the timeline, I was always under the impression that the Ingersoll brand name went away once the company started going by US Time.

Teacup Watch - Pink Square Box Variant

As promised, this is the is the first of several variants that I'll be posting. This is the square box variant, and I believe this is the final variant produced in 1957 as I have only seen catalog pages picturing this box from that year. The teacup is also fairly odd, two-tone pink and brown rather than the standard clear plastic.

Teacup Watch

Following on the heels of the inspired packaging for the Cinderella watch that came out the previous year (the Glass Slipper watch), Disney's packaging of the Alice watch for 1951 was no less so. I believe that this box/watch combination is from the first year of release as all the ads I have for subsequent years show only the pink box variations (see below for list of known variations), and all the 1951 material describes or shows the box in full color with US Time on the lid.

I ulcerated over this watch for years before I finally found this one. I hate to tell you what I (over) paid for it (ah, the pre-eBay days), but it does have its original shipping box and warranty card, so totally worth it <grin>.

Anyway, throughout the film's release (and beyond) the watch was promoted heavily and prominently. This is the ad from the National Screen Service campaign book,

and this is the page from the Character Merchandising Division catalog, both from 1951.

All this promotion paid off let me tell you, they sold a ton of them. The watch was available in one form or another for 7 years (1951-1957). The watch itself is fairly common, but the original packaging complete with plastic teacup is difficult to find in nice shape.

And for those completists out there (like myself) there are variations too. There are at least 4 variations of the teacup box (round full color US Time, round pink, round pink Ingersoll, square pink), 2 variations of the watch (plastic case, metal case), and 4 variations of the watch band (pink fabric with blue grommets, blue fabric with pink grommets, leather, and flexi). Oh, and there is a 5th variation of the box, one without a teacup, but instead an illustration of the Mad Hatter at the tea party with a cel overlay of Alice. More pictures to come...