Readers,

Two topics that seem to fit together like chocolate and peanut butter: Christmas and Disney. Over the years, the mouse has sent Disney Corporate Christmas Cards far and wide. These cards were usually sent to important individuals in the motion picture industry and Disney staff members —and therefore have rarely been seen by the general public.

Per Disney’s web site,

In the earlier years, the art on the cards was centered around Mickey Mouse and other characters that debuted in the late 1920s and ‘30s — but after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the cards would often tease an upcoming release or give a unique seasonal treatment to the current studio release. In fact, if you put all of the cards together you could see a fun pictorial history of the output of the Disney Studio.

I hope these cards bring a smile to your face and reminds you of simpler times.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Michael

The first known Disney Corporate Christmas card was distributed in 1930 and featured the popular Mickey Mouse.

This 1933 Christmas card featured the award-winning 1933 Silly Symphony, Three Little Pigs.

Disney 1934 Christmas Card.

Disney 1935 Christmas Card.

On the last page of the 1938 Christmas card, Walt shows his enthusiasm for the success of Snow White — as well as the optimism for Pinocchio, which would be released in 1940.

The 1942 Disney Corporate Christmas Card shows Mickey, Donald, Minnie and Pluto are all active in the war effort, while Santa himself promotes Disney’s heavily propaganda-themed feature Victory Through Air Power.

Kids who grew up in the mid-1950s knew that afternoons were all about the Mickey Mouse Club, which is why it was chosen for the cover of the card in 1955.

The 1958 Disney Corporate Christmas Card shows King Brian and his fellow leprechauns give Mickey and Donald some help with the holiday trimmings. This card gave a sneak peek of the June 1959 release of Darby O’Gill and the Little People.

The opening of Epcot Center took center stage in the interior of the 1982 holiday card, which at the time was the largest construction project in the United States.

Sources: The Walt Disney Company, A Look Back at Disney Corporate Christmas Cards. thewaltdisneycompany.com, December 17, 2012, https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/look-back-disney-corporate-christmas-cards/.

2719 Hyperion, 1942 and 1958 Disney Corporate Christmas Cards, http://2719hyperion.blogspot.com/2006/12/disney-studios-christmas-cards-1942.html, http://2719hyperion.blogspot.com/2006/12/disney-studios-christmas-cards-1958.html.