Narrow squeak for vintage Mickey Mouse as he is rescued from the RECYCLING and moved to a museum
Narrow squeak for vintage Mickey Mouse as he is rescued from the RECYCLING and moved to a new home in a museum
Mickey Mouse toy was found at a Monmouthshire County Council waste siteMuch-loved toy, dating back to 1930s, was spotted by staff at recycling centreCuddly toy, with trademark white gloves, will be shown at Pontypool Museum
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A rare Mickey Mouse toy has a new home in a museum after it was saved from the tip.
The cuddly character, which dates back to the 1930s, was spotted by staff at a recycling centre in a container destined for the tip.
An almost identical example – the earliest version of Mickey, as he appeared in his debut 1928 animated short film Steamboat Willie – is held by the V&A Museum in London.
Wearing the mouse’s trademark gloves and buttoned shorts, the toy was found at a Monmouthshire County Council waste site.
It was made at one of UK’s oldest teddy bear makers, the Dean’s toy factory in Pontypool.
The company, which dated back to the 1700s, was the first to make the Disney character in the UK in the 1930s but fell into administration in 2005.
Councillor Jane Pratt said she hoped the discovery ‘will encourage people to think carefully before they throw things away’.
‘You would be amazed at what great things get saved,’ she added.
The cuddly character (pictured), which dates back to the 1930s, was spotted by staff at a recycling centre in a container destined for the tip
Caitlin Gingell, curator at Pontypool Museum, where the toy will go on display, said it was ‘lovely to be bringing him back to his home town’, adding: ‘We hope that Mickey can go to a professional conservator in the near future, to be cleaned and structurally supported.
After discovering the historical importance of the toy, Rachael Rogers, curator of Abergavenny Museum, suggested that Mickey’s forever home might best be Pontypool Museum – which is less than a mile from the old Dean’s factory where it was made all those years ago.
Councillor Jane Pratt, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “I think it’s wonderful that Mickey has, after his very long life, been saved from the rubbish!
‘I am delighted that he will be viewed by generations to come in his new home.”
‘It is not every day you find something as special as Mickey, but you would be amazed at what great things get saved that would have simply been thrown away.”
Bargain hunters and antique enthusiasts will be able to head to Monmouthshire County Council’s Llanfoist and Five Lanes Reuse shops from mid-March.
Buying reused items is a great way to help the environment and reduce waste.
All profits from the reuse sites go to tree planting in Monmouthshire to help in the fight against climate change.
