Alice Card Game 1950s

Another Pepys card game. Apparently just called Alice because another company already had an Alice in Wonderland game.

This is the Disney version – again the whole story is told on the pack of cards.

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The Original Alice in Wonderland 1988

This edition is illustrated by Eric Kincaid and published by Brimax Books as a WHSmith exclusive. It’s heavily illustrated – a mix of text and illustration and full-page and spreads.

Picked up in a charity shop sale for 30p. I also got Peter Pan – also illustrated by Eric Kincaid (I’ll post that later).

Alice has brown hair in this edition and looks more like Alice Liddell than the blonde Disney Alice.

It’s behind you! Week Four: Peter Pan

Disney – pictures adapted by John Hench and al Dempster

The last of my festive posts about stories that have been turned into pantomimes. I remember going to see Peter Pan when I was a child. I think Anita Harris played Peter.

Peter Pan the character first appeared in The Little White Bird, a novel by JM Barrie published in 1902. Peter was a baby in this story, not the young boy of the later play.

From The Little White Bird
Illustrated by Jean Winslow

From The Little White Bird
Illustrated by Jean Winslow

The story we all think of as ‘Peter Pan’ was first a 1904 stage play called Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. The story was then expanded into the 1911 novel Peter Pan and Wendy.

The following two illustrations are from my copy of The Story of Peter Pan retold by Daniel O’Connor from the Fairy Play by Sir JM Barrie published in 1917 by G Bell and Sons. The book was given to my nana in 1922 and she gave it to me when I was a baby. Sadly the book was slightly damaged in a water escape a few years ago.

Here’s Peter and Wendy

Illustrated by Alice B Woodward

The children meet the mermaids

Illustrated by Alice B Woodward

In 1953 the Disney version of Peter Pan was released. This really cemented the ‘look’ of Peter with his green tunic and tights, feathered cap and pixie features.

Disney – pictures adapted by John Hench and al Dempster

Disney – pictures adapted by John Hench and al Dempster

And finally here are a couple of the glorious illustrations by Anne Grahame Johnstone for her 1988 version of Peter Pan and Wendy.

Tinker Bell

Captain Hook

It’s behind you! Week Three: Cinderella

The third in my series of stories that inspire pantomimes. This week we have Cinderella.

Cinderella enslaved by her wicked stepmother…

Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone

You shall go to the ball…

From a colouring book version published by Treasure Hour Children’s Books – Unknown illustrator

Unknown illustrator from the Bridget Hadaway fairy tales book

Unknown illustrator

Mystery princess dances with the Prince all night…

Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone

By Gordon Laite

Disney illustrations adapted by Retta Scott Worcester

When the clock strikes midnight…

By Gordon Laite

If the shoe fits…

Disney illustrations adapted by Retta Scott Worcester

It’s behind you! Week Two: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The second in my festive pantomime-themed posts.

Once upon a time there was a queen who wished for a child…

From Bridget Hadaway fairy stories

Who’s the fairest of them all…?

Unknown illustrator

The huntsman left Snow White in the forest…

By Hilda Boswell

Disney illustrations adapted by Campbell Grant

Snow White meets the seven dwarfs…

From Treasury of Literature illustrated by William Sharp

Unknown illustrator

The poisoned apple…

Disney illustrations adapted by Campbell Grant

By Hilda Boswell

A glass coffin and a lonely vigil…

Unknown illustrator

Happily ever after…

From Bridget Hadaway fairy stories

From Treasury of Literature illustrated by William Sharp

It’s behind you! Week One: Aladdin

As it’s Christmas and panto season I thought this month I’d do a weekly post covering vintage illustrations for classic pantomime stories.

So first up – Aladdin.

Here’s Mickey Mouse as Aladdin on the cover of the 1974 Disney annual.

Disneyland Annual 1974

From Tales of Long Ago by Enid Blyton Illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone

This book has no illustrator credits. It was first published by Octopus Books Ltd, 1974.

Cover of Fairy Tales retold by Bridget Hadaway

Inside illustration from Fairy Tales retold by Bridget Hadaway

This is from the Children’s Treasury of Literature in Colour that I wrote about here

Illustration by Lowell Hess

And another from the Grahame Johnstone sisters.

From Dean’s Gift Book of Fairy Tales illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone

1970s Alice in Wonderland paper dolls

Cover

1976, a Whitman Book, published by Western Publishing Company, Inc and licensed from Disney.

I loved paper dolls when I was little. I dutifully cut out the doll on my Bunty comic (bought every week while my younger sister had Twinkle) and I had a collection of historical paper dolls too. I’ve been into historic costume since I was tiny and paper dolls were my first costume reference books. Regular readers of this blog will also know that I collect illustrated editions of Alice in Wonderland. So when I came across this on Ebay I had to pick it up. This came from the US and I’m not sure that it was available in the UK. It is in perfect un-cut condition, so I have scanned it so that I can play about with printouts.

Here are the dolls on the back cover. They are press-out pieces on lightweight card. I love Alice’s all-in-one underwear.

The dolls

Some of Alice’s clothes. There is a mix of looks from the Disney animation and contemporary 1970s clothes. She even has a pink-striped catsuit a la the Cheshire Cat.

Clothes for Alice

There are also a selection of clothes for the Hatter and White Rabbit.

Clothes for the Hatter

Clothes for the White Rabbit

Vintage books: Wonderful Worlds of Walt Disney

Another version of Alice

Covers

I picked these up in Hoddesdon a few weeks ago and just got around to having a look at them.

Here we have two 1965 Wonderful Worlds of Walt Disney books – Stories from Other Lands and Fantasyland. There are apparently four in the series. They were produced by Artist and Writers Press Inc and published by the House of Grolier.

Fantasyland contents

Other Lands contents

You’ll see from the contents pages that they are story collections. Some are adapted from Disney films – both animation and live action.

Snow White

A Swiss village

Some stories use film stills (again both animated and live action) and some are re-drawn using the animation style as in the Alice in Wonderland and Snow White stories (by Al Dempster and Campbell Grant respectively).

All in all they make lovely, varied and interesting storybooks. I didn’t have these when I was a child as far as I remember, but now I’m glad I’ve got them!

More Alice in Wonderland

Alice cover

This time it’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with David Hall’s previously unpublished illustrations for Walt Disney Productions. First published by Methuen in 1986 and with an afterword by Brian Sibley. I picked this up in a YMCA charity shop for £1.50. Sadly it has slight water damage, but I’ve been able to separate all the pages and there is no staining.

In 1939 David Hall was commissioned to create concept artwork for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. The project was shelved at that time (because of the War) and didn’t go into production until 1948. Apparently these illustrations didn’t see the light of day again until this book was published. Hall’s illustrations are fascinating – you can see the slight beginnings of the final Disney film in some places and echoes of early Mickey Mouse in some of the characters (see the mouse below). But many of the illustrations are quite menacing and nightmarish. The court scene is particularly gruesome with its guillotine and vertiginous POV. Brian Sibley’s afterword is very interesting and covers the history of Alice on film up to and including the final Disney version.

Drink me. The bottle is an animated character. In the final film the door knob was animated.

Lobster Quadrille

The court – complete with guillotine!

Caucus race and the mouse’s tail

Peter Pan and Wendy by JM Barrie – Illustrated by Anne Grahame Johnstone

Cover

A little while ago I found a version of Peter Pan and Wendy illustrated by Anne Grahame Johnstone and first published in 1988 by Award Publications Ltd. I am sort of collecting Anne and Janet Grahame Johnstone books – picking them up whenever I see them. I particularly like their attention to period details (especially in the costumes). Many of their fairy story illustrations are beautiful – with their 17th and 18th Century style costumes.

But here’s Anne’s version of Peter Pan and Wendy (in equally lovely Edwardian and fantasy costume).

Peter Pan and Wendy, John and Michael fly to Neverland.

Flying to Neverland

Here’s Captain Hook.Isn’t he fabulous!

Captain Hook

Tinker Bell – very different to the Disney version.

Tinker Bell

Wendy sews Peter’s shadow back on.

Sewing Peter’s shadow back on