Author Description

In the 1930s, throughout the Western world, Mickey Mouse became more famous and popular than Santa Claus. Young and old could meet him "in person" in Thanksgiving parades and in the elaborate "Toylands" of department stores; they could admire his antics in witty marionette shows and in spectacular store windows; everywhere they looked, they saw Mickey and his friends. The phenomenon lasted almost a full decade and resulted from the efforts of talented artists like Sue Hastings, the Hestwood Brothers, and Jean Gros. The events were orchestrated by Disney's master of ceremonies, marketing genius Kay Kamen. In this beautifully illustrated volume, Didier Ghez tells this astonishing story for the first time, with the help of rarely-seen documents rediscovered in the Walt Disney Archives and in dozens of private collections. Mickey Mouse may not have stolen Christmas, but in the 1930s when the holidays arrived, he stole the show!